TCU
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Men's 4x100 relay earns All-America honors
6/9/2006 12:00:00 AM
June 9, 2006
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Day three of the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships winded down Friday evening with TCU's 4x100 relay team of Lewis Banda, Justyn Warner, Otis McDaniel and Bradley Reed receiving the first All-America certificate for the Frogs at this year's meet.
Reed got the Frog men off to a good start in the men's 4x100 finals late Friday afternoon. TCU would hold the lead in the next two exchanges with McDaniel running the second leg and Warner at third. However, the Frogs lost their lead due to a handoff problem at the final exchange. TCU, recording its fastest time of the season (39.19) in the race, missed the bronze medal by two-hundredths of a second.
"I thought we had a good day overall," TCU head track and field coach Darryl Anderson said. "We made an adjustment in the men's 4x100 and thought we moved the sticks well for the first time. You want to win the race, but to finish fourth in the nation is still good."
Three Frogs survived elimination Friday as Banda, Virgil Hodge and Jonathan Jackson will be competing in the finals of their respective events on Saturday.
After helping the Flyin' Frog 4x100 men notch All-America honors, Banda established another season-best mark in the men's 400-meter semifinals. After setting a new season-best time (45.62) in Wednesday's prelims, he broke his own mark with the second-fastest time in his heat (45.59) to advance to the finals.
Virgil Hodge will be the lone Frog from the women's team competing in the final day of the NCAA meet on Saturday. The sophomore from St. Kitts, Carribean, ran a 23.14 in the second heat of the women's 200-meter semifinals to automatically qualify for the finals.
"Both Lewis (Banda) and Virgil (Hodge) will be ready for the men's 400-meter finals tomorrow," coach Anderson said. "Hodge is still getting acclimated to the track here, but she will be set to roll."
In the field, Jackson placed third in the first flight of the men's triple jump. His leap of 51-07.25 (15.73m) was the third-best mark of the season for the sophomore from Grand Prairie, Texas.
Five events remain for TCU on Saturday with Jackson taking to the field in the triple jump at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time (2:30 p.m. Central time). The Frogs will also compete in the women's 200 meters, men's 400 meters and both the men's and women's 4x400 relays.
In addition, CBS will broadcast 2½ hours of live coverage (2:30 to 5 p.m. Central time) on Saturday.
For a complete list of results and schedule of the four-day national meet, log on to www.sacsports.com or www.ncaasports.com.
2006 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Sacramento, Calif.
June 7-10, 2006
TCU Results - Friday, June 9
MEN
200 Meters (Semifinals)
Otis McDaniel - 20.92 (did not qualify for finals)
400 Meters (Semifinals)
Lewis Banda - 45.59^
45.62 (Prelims)
5000 Meters (Finals)
15. Kip Kangogo - 14:28.87
Triple Jump (Prelims)
Jonathan Jackson - 51-07.25 (15.73m)^
4x100 Relay (Finals) - 39.19#
4. TCU (Bradley Reed, Otis McDaniel, Justyn Warner, Lewis Banda)
WOMEN
200 Meters (Semifinals)
Virgil Hodge - 23.14^
400 Meters (Semifinals)
Nathandra John - 52.67 (did not qualify for finals)
^Qualifies for Finals
#All-America
