June 9, 2009
NCAA Championships Central | Meet Schedule | GT Twitter updates at the championships
ATLANTA – Eight members of the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track & field teams are set for competition at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 10-13, in Fayetteville, Ark. The meet will begin Wednesday at John Mcdonnell Field on the University of Arkansas campus.
“The NCAA Championships get under way tomorrow and we’re anxious to compete,” women’s head coach Alan Drosky said. “This is our first time in Fayetteville for the outdoor meet, though we’ve been here many times during the indoor season. The facility is absolutely first-class, the competition will be fantastic as always, and the Arkansas faithful will be calling the pigs – what better environment can you ask for.”
“We have been looking forward to our trip to Fayetteville for the entire outdoor season,” men’s head coach Grover Hinsdale said. “We are bringing in an excellent group of young men, including two Regional Champions and a two event runner-up. They have worked hard and competed well throughout the season. I feel they are ready for the challenge and that they will make the most of this great opportunity.”
Among the Yellow Jackets competing, senior Jerome Miller and juniors Steve Marcelle and Alphonso Jordan are currently ranked in the top-10 nationally in respective events.
Miller, who ranks sixth in the high jump, will compete in his third NCAA Outdoor Championships and first since the 2007 season where he earned All-America honors. He currently holds the Tech high jump record at 7’3.25″. The high jump begins Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Jordan, who holds a school-record distance of 53’9.25″ and is sixth nationally, enters the big meet for the third-straight year. The 2009 Indoor All-American will begin his quest for a national title on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Marcelle, ranked seventh in the shot put, will compete in more than one event for the Jackets. The Green Bay, Wisc. native also qualified in the discus where he holds a No. 20 ranking amongst the field. The Atlantic Coast Conference Field Performer of the Year will make his third appearance at the championships.
Also competing in the shot put, which starts Wednesday at 4 p.m., will be senior Andy Powlen. The Kewanna, Ill. native earned his way with a 59’9.50″ distance in the shot put at the East Region meet.
The lone competitor in the track events will be senior E.C. Gibbs in the 1500-meter run. Gibbs ran a time of 3:41.65 at the Seminole Twilight Invitational, which is the 12th-fastest in the nation this year. He will compete at 8 p.m. Friday.
Competing on the women’s side will be seniors Kimery Hern and Alana Clooten in the hammer throw, and sophomore Joanna Wright in the pole vault.
Hern, who holds the Tech hammer throw record at 197’11”, will make her third and final appearance at the championships. She earned All-American honors at the 2007 Championships in Sacramento, Calif. The women’s hammer begins Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Clooten and Wright will make their first appearances at the meet. Clooten received an at-large berth with her strong mark of 194′ at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in March. Wright placed fourth at the NCAA East Region Championships with a school-record height of 13’1.75″.
The NCAA Championships begin at 12:30 a.m. EST Wednesday. Live results for the entire meet will be available at flashresults.com.
There will be live streaming through NCAA.com and ArkansasRazorbacks.com whenever CBS College Sports and CBS are not airing events.
CBS will be airing the championship final events. They are scheduled to go live from the track Friday, June 12, 7-10 p.m. ET on CBS College Sports and Saturday, June 13, 1-3 p.m. EST on CBS.
