TCU
NCAA Midwest Regional
Flyin' Frog Women Shine at Midwest Regional
5/30/2009 12:00:00 AM
May 30, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. - Kishelle Paul claimed the regional championship in the women's 400-meter hurdles to lead the No. 25 ranked Flyin' Frog women to a fourth-place finish on the final day of the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional.Earning automatic NCAA bids on Saturday were the men and women's 4x100, the women's 4x400, Neidra Covington (triple jump), Jessica Young (100 and 200 meters), Kristal Juarez (400 meters), Otis McDaniel (100 meters) and Kishelle Paul (400-meter hurdles).
As a team, the TCU women, who recorded their highest regional finish since collecting fourth-place honors in 2006, placed fourth overall with 55 points. The men closed competition in 17th-place with 15 points.
"I thought we had a pretty good day today. Our women had an outstanding day in getting fourth in a very stacked region," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "For us to be able to come in here and bring home fourth on the women's side, it say's a lot about how far the kids have come as a team. On the men's side, we just have to get tougher. I was proud of Otis McDaniel today in the 100 meters. I thought he found a way to qualify for nationals."
Paul, a senior from Georgia, posted a seasonal-best time of 58.00 seconds to win her second-consecutive Midwest Regional title. By winning the event, the three-time All-American became the first TCU female student-athlete to win a regional in back-to-back years. Paul's time is currently ranked No. 14 in the NCAA and is the top mark in the Mountain West Conference.
Covington, a St. Petersburg, Fla., native, collected runner-up honors in the triple jump by soaring to a seasonal and personal-best leap of 44 feet, 6 inches on her second attempt. By finishing second overall, Covington not only qualified for the 2009 NCAA Championships, but posted the Flyin' Frogs highest finish ever in the women's triple jump at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The two-time All-American's wind-aided jump, which would have blasted her previous school record, is currently the fifth-best jump in the NCAA and the top-mark in the Mountain West Conference.
Young blazed to runner-up honors in the women's 100 meters, clocking a personal and seasonal-best time of 11.18 seconds. By collecting second-place honors, Young not only posted the second highest finish in TCU history in the women's 100 meters at the Midwest Regional, but also clocked the third-fastest time in program history. Her time is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation and is tied for the 12th-fastest time in the world. In the 200 meters, Young qualified for nationals by placing fourth overall with a time of 23.30 seconds.
McDaniel led TCU on the men's side in the finals of the 100 meters, finishing fifth overall with a time of 10.39 seconds to qualify for nationals.
Coming in with the No. 3 ranked time in the NCAA, the women's 4x400 unit consisting of Paul, Jessica Clarke, Juarez and Young advanced to nationals by clocking a seasonal-best time of 3:32.82 to finish in third-place in Norman. The unit's time is the third-fastest time in program history.
The Purple and White came back on the men's side in the 4x400 and turned in a time of 3:05.55 to finish fifth overall. The quartet will have to wait until next week to find out if they get an at-large.
The women's 4x100 clocked a seasonal-best time of 44.10 seconds to finish third overall and automatically qualify for nationals on Saturday afternoon. The unit, which consisted of Paul, Clarke, Juarez and Young clocked the 11th-fastest time in the nation at John Jacobs Field.
Justyn Warner, McDaniel, Mychal Dungey and Andon Mitchell opened the day recording a time of 39.87 seconds to cross the finish line in third-place in the 4x100 and qualify for the NCAA Championships.
In the 400 meters, Juarez qualified for her first NCAA Championships by placing fourth overall with a time of 53.33 seconds. Clarke will have to wait for an at-large selection as she crossed the finish line in sixth-place with a time of 53.83 seconds.
In the women's shot put, sophomore Stormy Harrison tossed the shot 50 feet, 6 ¾ inches to place ninth overall on Saturday morning. The sophomore could still receive an at-large selection into nationals.
TCU will continue action June 10-13 at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
