June 3, 2003
ATLANTA – Junior All-Atlantic Coast Conference sprinter Amandi Rhett learned Monday that she will compete at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in three events, as the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s teams combined for five at-large selections for the June 11-14 national meet.
Individually, Rhett will run the 100 and 200 meters and she will anchor Tech’s school record 4×100-meter relay, which also includes sophomore Dana Rogers, freshman Andriane Lapsley and senior Jessica DeFreitas. Also getting the nod for the women was sophomore Shanta Smith in the triple jump, while senior Bryan Swarn will compete in the 400 meters.
These five entries, combined with the five automatic qualifiers from last weekend’s NCAA East Region Championships, give the Jackets 10 entries in the meet, the most since combining for 12 in 1992. That group included future Olympic gold medallists Derrick Adkins and Derek Mills. Tech also sent 10 competitors, including current women’s head coach Alan Drosky, to the NCAA outdoor meet in 1987.
Rhett owns season and career-best times of 11.38 in the 100 meters and 23.35 in the 200 to rank 17th and 18th in the nation, respectively. As a member of the 4×100 relay, she led the team to nation’s 13th-best mark of 44.35 at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Rhett becomes the first Tech female to qualify for the NCAA Championships in three events since All-American Kathy Harrison in 1987. Rhett finished 17th in the 100 at last year’s NCAA outdoor meet.
A two-time ACC champion in the triple jump, Smith was selected with a season-best performance of 43’2.25″ at the Clemson Relays. This mark ranks as the nation’s 13th-best this season. She will compete at the national meet for the very first time.
The lone men’s at-large selection and a four-time All-American, Swarn will make his fourth NCAA appearance. A year ago, he earned All-America honors with a 10th-place finish in the 400 meters. This season, he owns a season-best time of 45.96, set last weekend in the prelims at the NCAA East Region Championships. He also competed in the 2000 meet in the 400 meters, as well as a member of the 4×400-meter relay in 1999 and 2000. This year, he will also anchor the relay, which qualified for the first time since 2000.
This year marked the debut of NCAA regional meets. The top five individual finishers and top three relay earned automatic berths to the national meet, while the at-large selections rounded out the field. The 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set for June 11-14 at Cal State Sacramento.
TECH ENTRIES FOR THE 2003 NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
MEN:
Ian Brewer, Hammer (automatic qualifier)
Brendon Mahoney, 1500 meters (automatic qualifier)
Zeb Sion, Shot Put (automatic qualifier)
Bryan Swarn, 400 meters (at-large selection)
4×400-meter Relay (Brian Ford, Sharif Azim, Nate Smiga, Swarn) (automatic qualifier)
WOMEN:
Chaunte Howard, High Jump (automatic qualifier)
Amandi Rhett, 100 meters, 200 meters (at-large selection)
Shanta Smith, Triple Jump (at-large selection)
4×100-meter Relay (Dana Rogers, Andriane Lapsley, Jessica DeFreitas, Rhett) (at-large selection)
-GT-
