TCU travels to NCAA Midwest Regional
5/24/2007 12:00:00 AM
May 24, 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa - Following a week off after concluding competition at the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships on May 12, the TCU track and field team will have a contingent of 12 women and seven men compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional May 25-26 at Drake Stadium.
"All your months of training come down to the this weekend," head coach Darryl Anderson said. "If you are a coach or an athlete and you can't get excited for this time of the season, then it is time for you get another occupation."
What's at stake this weekend is a place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 6-9 in Sacramento, Calif. In order to qualify for the NCAA Championships, individuals must place in the top five at NCAA regionals (East, Mideast, Midwest, West), while relay teams must finish in the top three. Individuals or relay teams not placing in the top five or top three, respectively, can still make the field at the NCAA Championships as an at-large selection as long as they finish in the top 12 at regionals.
TCU will have representatives in 10 events on the women's side and eight events on the men's side. Three of TCU's student-athletes are slated to compete in three events, while Delwayne Delaney will represent the Flyin' Frogs in four events. Delaney will run in the 100, 200 and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay. Participating in three events will be Virgil Hodge and Jamee Jones in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay, and Dell Guy in the 400 and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay.
Of TCU's student-athletes that received NCAA regional qualifying marks throughout the outdoor season, only two will not be available this weekend due to injury. JimAnne Hejny will miss regionals after qualifying in the long jump and Jay Cooper will also be out after qualifying in the 100 and as a member of TCU's 4x100 relay.
Held on the Drake University campus, competition will begin on Friday with the women's javelin at 1 p.m. TCU's first event will be the men's 4x100 relay at 2 p.m. The relay will be comprised of Raymond Jones, Delaney, Justyn Warner and Guy.
The men's 4x400 relay will begin at 6:05 p.m. Saturday with the Frogs sending a contingent of Clint Renfro, Delaney, Jones and Guy to the track. Scheduled to compete in the women's 4x100 relay at 2:15 p.m. Saturday are Kandis Bell, Jamee Jones, Deborah Jones and Hodge. The lineup slated for the women's 4x400 relay includes Kishelle Paul, Deborah Jones, Brittany Blaylock and Nathandra John.
"I am excited and the kids on the team are excited," Anderson said. "We are heading to Des Moines, Iowa, and the only thing that would be nicer would be if we were heading down the street to Austin (Texas). I am looking forward to competing. Drake Stadium is a great place to run and is one of the nicer facilities in the country. I feel like we are ready to run and I feel like we are ready to have our best meet of the year."
In addition to the aforementioned names on the women's side, Deborah Jones and Nathandra John will run in the women's 400. Competing as TCU's lone distance runner will be Calandra Stewart, who will run the mile. Both Kishelle Paul and Meaghan Peoples will run in the 400-meter hurdles.
In the field, Neidra Covington will compete in both the long jump and triple jump, while Candis Kelley and Zelma Wade will throw the shot put.
On the men's side, Justyn Warner will join Delaney in the 100 meters and Clint Renfro will run the 400-meter hurdles.
In the field, Joe Brown will toss the javelin and Jonathan Jackson will compete in the triple jump.
Complete results from the Midwest Regional will be available on gofrogs.com at the conclusion of competition each day.
Players Mentioned
