TCU
NCAA Preliminary Round
TCU Strong On Final Day Of NCAA Preliminary Round
5/30/2010 12:00:00 AM
May 29, 2010
PHOTO GALLERY | QUOTES | | VIDEO
Overall, TCU qualified six student-athletes and one relay on Saturday into the next round of the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place in Eugene, Ore., on June 9-12.
"Outside of the men's 4x100 dropping the baton, we had an outstanding last two days in Austin," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "Obviously, for the guys on the 4x100, it hurts. I feel bad for them because they were easily winning the race, but in a high-risk event like that those things happen. I am so proud of all of those relay guys. They were able to move on and do great things today when they could've just given up. Mychal Dungey and Charles Silmon came back and ran great in the 200. I thought the men's 4x400 was exceptional tonight. They had a big time seasonal-best and were able to get themselves to Eugene when they weren't even expected to get to the next round. That is the character of this team though. They step up for each other and do the things that we need for them to do to be special. All-in-all, we had an exceptional weekend."
Covington, who came into the NCAA West Preliminary ranked No. 1 in the West Region, leaped 43 feet, 4 ½ inches on her second attempt to secure a spot in Eugene. The senior, who will compete in both the long and triple jump in the next round of the NCAA Championships, currently sits No. 4 in the NCAA. The win for Covington, who claimed the Mountain West Conference title two weeks ago, was her fifth-straight first-place showing in the women's triple jump. The senior hasn't lost in the event since the Texas Relays on April 3.
"I came out here to win the preliminary round and qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene and I was able to do that," said Covington. "I'm very excited that I have the opportunity to compete in both the long and triple jump in two weeks."
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, freshman Larissa Matthews automatically qualified for her first NCAA semifinal in Eugene, smashing the school record in the event with a personal-best time of 13.26 seconds. Matthews, who heads to the semifinal round ranked in the top 20 in the NCAA and is the only freshman in the nation to qualify for the semifinals, finished third in heat No. 1 and seventh overall with the sixth-fastest time clocked in the quarterfinals. By clocking a 13.26, Matthews destroyed MaKeatha Cooper's previous school record of 13.35 seconds, which was set in 2004.
Later in the night, Charles Silmon, a Waco native, blazed to a second-place finish in heat No. 2 of the men's 200 meters with the fifth fastest time clocked on Saturday night. The freshman recorded a seasonal and personal-best time of 20.58 seconds to automatically qualify for the semifinal round of the NCAA Championships. Silmon's time currently ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA this spring. Junior Mychal Dungey also automatically qualified in the event, crossing the finish line in second-place in heat No. 1 with a time of 20.66 seconds, which was the sixth fastest quarterfinal time in the 200 on Saturday night.
The men's 4x400 of Dell Guy, Clemore Henry, Dungey and Sean Zurko closed the night automatically qualifying for the next round of the NCAA Championships with a seasonal-best time of 3:05.46. The quartet, who breezed to the fifth fastest time in the event on Saturday, finished second in heat No. 3 to advance to Eugene.
Two weeks after earning runner-up honors at the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships, Tommy Killen grabbed the 12th and final spot heading to Eugene in the men's discus on Saturday night. The senior tossed the discus 178 feet, 1 inch on his first attempt to qualify for the NCAA semifinals.
In the men's 5,000 meters, Festus Kigen advanced to Eugene, clocking a time of 14:10.23 to finish 12th overall in a highly competitive field that featured six of the nation's top 20, including four of the NCAA's top 5.
On the women's side, Rose Tanui just missed qualifying for the next round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, crossing the finish line in 16:48.87 to place 13th overall.
For the week, Charles Silmon (men's 100 and 200 meters), Mychal Dungey (men's 200 meters), Festus Kigen (men's 5,000 meters), Tommy Killen (men's discus), Kristal Juarez (women's 400 meters), Larissa Matthews (women's 100-meter hurdles), Whitney Gipson (women's long jump) Neidra Covington (women's long and triple jump) and the men's 4x400 qualified for the semifinal round of the NCAA Championships.
"Now we just have to go back and regroup. We are going to get ready for Eugene in two weeks and make it happen. All-in-all, I am very pleased with how this week went," said Anderson.
TCU will head to Eugene, Ore., in two weeks for the semifinal and final round of the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
