The NCAA Outdoor Championships Breakdown
6/2/2009 12:00:00 AM
June 2, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas - The following is a breakdown of the Flyin' Frogs that will be competing at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships next week in Fayetteville, Ark.
Senior Breakdown
Otis McDaniel
The senior will be make his last trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships next week in Fayetteville with the No. 21 ranked 100 meters time in the NCAA. The San Antonio native is coming off an impressive showing at the Midwest Regional in which he qualified for nationals in the 100 meters by finishing fifth overall with a time of 10.39 seconds. At the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships, the three-time All-American clocked a seasonal-best time of 10.26 seconds to earn runner-up honors in the event.
Andon Mitchell
Mitchell heads to Fayetteville looking to duplicate his first-place performance in the 100 meter at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships. The senior, who competed in the 100 meters last season at the NCAA Championships, goes into nationals with the No. 20 ranked time in the NCAA in the event. Mitchell clipped McDaniel at the line for championship honors with a personal-best time of 10.26 seconds at the conference championship.
Jessica Clarke
For the second-consecutive season, Clarke will compete in the women's 400 meters at nationals. Clarke, a New York native, has clocked the 15th-best time in the country in 2009 in the event and received an at-large bid into the NCAA Championships following a sixth-place performance at the Midwest Regional. She earned runner-up honors in the 400 at the conference championships with a seasonal-best time of 52.85 seconds.
Kishelle Paul
Paul goes into next week's National Championships having claimed her second-consecutive Midwest Regional title in the 400-meter hurdles with a seasonal-best time of 58.00 seconds to automatically qualify for nationals. Paul's time is currently the No. 14 ranked time on the national descending order list. The senior, who won the Mountain West Conference 100-meter hurdles title with a seasonal-best time of 13.38 seconds, also leads off TCU's No. 5 ranked 4x400, which has clocked a seasonal-best time of 3:32.82 seconds. She will compete in the 400-meter hurdles and 4x400 at the 2009 NCAA Championships.
Junior Breakdown
Neidra Covington
The two-time All-American burst onto the scene at the Midwest Regional and will compete in the women's triple jump at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Covington, a St. Petersburg, Fla., native, collected runner-up honors in the triple jump at the regional by soaring to a seasonal and personal-best leap of 44 feet, 6 inches on her second attempt. By finishing second overall, Covington 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 seventh-best jump in the NCAA and the top-mark in the Mountain West Conference.
Jessica Young
Young goes into the NCAA Championships having automatically qualified in the 100, 200, 4x100 and 4x400. She will compete in the 100 meters and 4x400 in Fayetteville. The junior, who won the Mountain West Conference Championship in the 100, 200 and 4x100, recently posted a seasonal and personal-best time of 11.18 seconds in the 100 meters at the Midwest Regional in Norman, Okla. Her time currently ranks No. 7 in the NCAA. Young, a three-time All-American, helped the 4x400 qualify for nationals with a seasonal-best time of 3:32.82, which sits No. 5 in the nation.
Sophomore Breakdown
Kristal Juarez
Juarez is coming off her best month of her career as a Flyin' Frog heading into nationals. The sophomore opened the month of May clocking a personal and seasonal-best time of 52.96 seconds to place third overall in the 400 meters at the MWC Outdoor Championships. She closed out the month automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships by placing fourth overall at the Midwest Regional.
Stormy Harrison
Harrison received an at-large bid into the NCAA Outdoor Championships following a ninth-place performance at the Midwest Regional. The sophomore will be making her first appearance at nationals in the women's shot put. Overall, Harrison, who has posted the No. 22 ranked throw in the NCAA, captured the Mountain West Conference Outdoor title for the second-consecutive season by tossing the shot 52 feet, 6 ¾ inches. Harrison's personal-best throw was the second-best throw in program history and set a new complex record.
Freshman Breakdown
Whitney Gipson
Gipson soared to a fifth-place finish in the long jump and automatically qualified for the 2009 NCAA Championships at the Midwest Regional in Norman, Okla. The freshman, who leaped 20 feet, 7 inches on her final jump to qualify for nationals, posted a personal-best leap and the second-best jump in program history in Norman. Gipson, who came into the regional with the 11th-best leap in the Midwest Region, finished ahead of five of the nations top-30 jumpers.
Relay Breakdown
The Men's 4x100
The unit, which consists of Justyn Warner, Otis McDaniel, Mychal Dungey, Andon Mitchell return to the NCAA Championships after claiming seventh-place honors last spring at nationals. Overall, the quartet posted a seasonal-best time of 39.42 seconds to claim first-place honors at the MWC Outdoor Championships and then turned in a third-place showing at the Midwest Regional to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Freshman Mark Barnes could also factor into the mix on the relay after showing consistent improvement the last month.
The Men's 4x400
The Flyin' Frogs 4x400 goes into nationals having finished fifth overall at the Midwest Regional. The quartet, which was selected for the NCAA Championships as an at-large selection, has clocked the No. 9 ranked time in the NCAA this spring. Clemore Henry, Mychal Dungey, Sean Zurko, Dell Guy and Matthew Love will head to Fayetteville next week looking to improve upon their seasonal-best time of 3:04.87 seconds, which was set at the Penn Relays.
The Women's 4x400
Fresh off a third-place showing at the Midwest Regional, the women's 4x400 of Kishelle Paul, Jessica Clarke, Kristal Juarez and Jessica Young heads to the National Championships having recorded a seasonal-best time of 3:32.82 seconds, which currently ranks No. 5 in the country. The quartet, who ranked in the top-five in the NCAA for most of the season, finished third at the Texas Relays and second at the Penn Relays, respectively.
Players Mentioned
