Flyin' Frogs Ready For Midwest Regional
5/27/2009 12:00:00 AM
May 27, 2009
MIDWEST REGIONAL HEAT SHEETS | MIDWEST REGIONAL SCHEDULE
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Flyin' Frogs will take the next step in postseason competition this week by traveling to Norman, Okla., for the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional."We are moving into the most exciting time of the year for us," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "We are looking forward to the challenge this weekend. Our kids have had a great week of preparation and now we just have to be able to put it all on the track in what will be our most competitive meet this year. I can't wait to get started because basically our season begins now."
Overall, 21 Flyin' Frogs, including seven seniors, will compete at John Jacobs Field on the campus of the University of Oklahoma this weekend.
The two-day meet will begin on Friday afternoon at 11 a.m. with the women's hammer throw, while running events open at 3:30 p.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay. Saturday's action also begins at 11 a.m. with the men's hammer throw in Norman. Competition on the track starts at 5 p.m. with the finals of the women's 4x100-meter relay.
Close to 800 declared participants, 414 on the men's side and 382 on the women's, will be in action this weekend at the Midwest Regional that serves as a qualifier for the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
TCU comes into the regional having had a breakout showing at the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships two weeks ago. Overall, the Flyin' Frogs posted 24 NCAA regional qualifying marks, won 10 of 28 events and set seven new complex records in Laramie, Wyo.
Midwest Regional Information
Fans not able to attend the Midwest Regional this week can follow the action live by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. There you will find a link to the live results tab, which is located on the schedule page. Following action in Norman each day, a full recap and final results will be posted on the TCU athletics website. Additional meet information can be found on www.ncaa.com.
What's At Stake In Norman
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 by finishing within the top 12 in each event based on the final national descending order list compiled by the NCAA. The 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place June 10-13 at John McDowell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
Friday's Schedule
TCU will open competition this week in Norman on Friday at 1 p.m. with the women's long jump. Preliminary running events will begin on the track at 3:30 p.m. with the women's 4x100, while the men's 4x100 unit will open action at 3:45 p.m. The Flyin' Frogs will return at 4:40 p.m. with the women's 100-meter hurdle prelims. The women and men's 100-meter prelims will follow at 5:20 p.m. and 5:40 p.m., respectively. Beginning at 6 p.m. and 6:20 p.m., the women and men's 400-meter dash prelims will take to the track, while the men's 800 meters will begin at 7 p.m. The 400-meter hurdles will begin at approximately 7:20 p.m. with the women's prelims with the men following directly after. Following hurdle action, TCU will close the sprints on the first-day of competition with the men and women's 200-meter prelims. Women will open up at 8 p.m., while the men will start at 8:20 p.m.
Breaking Down TCU
TCU will have representatives in eight events on the women's side and six events on the men's side, as well as all four relays this weekend.
Jessica Young, Whitney Gipson and Kishelle Paul will represent the No. 25 ranked Flyin' Frogs in two events apiece. Young will compete in both the 100 and 200 meters, while Gipson is expected to don the Purple and White in the long and triple jump. Finally, Paul will take to the track in both hurdle races in Norman. In the 400 meters, Jessica Clarke and Kristal Juarez will lead the Flyin' Frogs, while Meaghan Peoples, who recently set a new school record in the heptathlon at the MWC Championships, will compete along side Paul in the 400-meter hurdles. TCU will once again have two representatives in the women's shot put at the Midwest Regional as both Candis Kelley and Stormy Harrison will compete on Friday. Finally, two-time All-American Neidra Covington will look to qualify for nationals in the women's triple jump this weekend.
On the men's side, the Flyin' Frogs will have five individuals in the 100 meters with Mark Barnes, Mychal Dungey, Otis McDaniel, Andon Mitchell and Justyn Warner all vying for a spot into the NCAA Championships in two weeks. In the 200 meters, Barnes, Dungey, Dell Guy and McDaniel will compete in Norman this weekend, while Matthew Love will be TCU's lone representative in the 400 meters. Sophomore Jordan Pitts will lead the Purple and White in the 400-meter hurdles, while Sean Zurko will look to qualify for his first NCAA Championships in the 800 meters this weekend. Finally, Tommy Killen will compete in the men's discus at John Jacobs Field.
TCU Earns All-Conference Accolades
After winning 10 of the 28 events on the final day of competition at the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships, the TCU track and field team was honored last week with the announcement of the league's Men's and Women's All-MWC Outdoor team.
As announced by the league office, TCU had 20 student-athletes named to the Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field team. Following a second-place finish the men's team had 10 honorees, while the women's team also had 10 selections after earning runner-up honors.
In total, TCU's men's team had all-conference selections in nine events, while the women's team had all-conference selections in 10 different events.
Headlining the Flyin' Frogs selections on the men's side was TCU senior Otis McDaniel, who made the squad three times. On the women's side, Jessica Clarke, Kristal Juarez and Jessica Young were honored three times, while Mychal Dungey, Dell Guy, Andon Mitchell, Jordan Pitts, Justyn Warner, Sean Zurko, Kishelle Paul and Meaghan Peoples were all-conference selections in two events. Finally, earning recognition for a single event were Marcus Cannon, Tommy Killen, Clemore Henry, Neidra Covington, Stormy Harrison, Whitney Gipson, Hayley Shade and Meaghan Ryan.
TCU In The World Heading Into The Midwest Regional
Heading into the Midwest Regional, TCU has continued to make a name for itself in the IAAF World Standings. Overall, the Purple and White are ranked in the men's top-20 in the 4x200 and 4x400 at No. 17, respectively, while the women's 4x400 is currently ranked No. 18 in the world standings.
Individually, Jessica Young currently has the 17th-fastest time in the world in the women's 100 meters and is No. 28 in the 200 meters.
Flyin' Frogs On The National Scene
TCU has had a strong contingent that has fared well in 2009 nationally. Heading into the NCAA Midwest Regional, the Flyin' Frogs have posted six top-35 NCAA rankings on the men's side, while the women currently have seven individuals, including the women's 4x100 and 4x400, ranked in the top-35.
On the men's side, the Flyin' Frogs Otis McDaniel, Andon Mitchell and Justyn Warner are all ranked inside the top-30 in the men's 100 meters. McDaniel is currently ranked No. 25, while Mitchell, who captured the MWC Championship two weeks ago, sits right behind him at No. 26. Finally, Warner heads into the regional with the 28th-best time in the NCAA. In the men's 200 meters, Mychal Dungey leads the Purple and White at No. 32, while the men's 4x100 sits at No. 17 on the national descending order list. Finally, the men's 4x400 begins regional action with the 11th-fastest time in the country.
Jessica Young leads the TCU women with the eighth-fastest time posted in the women's 100 meters in the NCAA and the 13th-fastest time in the 400 meters. Young is also ranked No. 12 overall in the women's 200 meters. Senior Jessica Clarke currently sits No. 18 in the NCAA in the 400 meters, while Kristal Juarez follows with the 21st-best time in the nation. Kishelle Paul has the 33rd-best time in the 100-meter hurdles and the No. 35 ranked time in the 400-meter hurdles.
In the field events, Neidra Covington has soared to the nation's No. 30 leap in the NCAA in the triple jump, while sophomore Stormy Harrison currently has the No. 22 throw in the NCAA in the women's shot put. Senior Candis Kelley rounds out the TCU rankings in the women's shot with the 31st-best toss in the nation.
Finally, the women's 4x100 crossed the finish line with the 21st-best time in the NCAA, while the 4x400 remains at No. 3 in the country heading into action this week in Norman.
Last Year At The Midwest Regional
Kishelle Paul claimed the regional championship in the women's 400-meter hurdles to qualify for the NCAA Championships on the final day of the 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional. Joe Brown also qualified for the NCAA Championships by crushing his own school record in the men's javelin to lead TCU on the first day of competition at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
Earning NCAA automatic bids in 2008 was the men's 4x100, Paul (400-meter hurdles), Virgil Hodge (100 meters), Brown (javelin), Andon Mitchell (100 meters), Otis McDaniel (200 meters) and Jonathan Jackson (triple jump).
Up Next
The 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place on June 10-13 at John McDowell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
Players Mentioned
