FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ? Two University of Kentucky athletes will compete at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships hosted by the University of Arkansas Mar. 11-12. Freshman Michael Mason will compete in the men?s high jump, while senior Beth Heimann will race in the women?s 800 meters.
The University of Arkansas will host the events at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track. Arkansas qualified the most student-athletes with 19 followed by Stanford (18), Florida (17) and Nebraska (16).
?Beth and Mike represent the ?changing of the guard? with our track and field teams,? said UK head coach Don Weber. ?Although at the opposite ends of their careers, the common characteristic Beth and Mike share is that they are both great competitors, so we anticipate they will perform very well this weekend.?
Mason provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships at the McCravy Memorial in the high jump with a leap of 7-2 ?. Mason?s career-best leap of 7-3 came at the Junior World Championships last summer. The Nanoose Bay, B.C. native holds the freshman school record in the high jump and is tied for second on the UK top-times list. Mason is one of two freshmen in the field with Texas? Andra Manson, who recorded the nation?s best leap of year with a mark of 7-5.
?Mike represents our very promising freshman class and this will be his first opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships,? said Weber.
A three-time All-American, Heimann departs for Fayetteville with the seventh-fastest time in the country, a mark of 2:05.93. Heimann finished sixth last year at the NCAA Championships and holds the school record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:05.72. The fastest qualifying mark is held by Tennessee?s Nicole Cook with a 2:00.75.
?With only indoor eligibility remaining, Beth is finishing a very distinguished career going for her fourth All-America honor,? said Weber.
The men?s heptathlon sets the championships in motion at 9 a.m. Friday. Heimann will compete in the women?s 800 meters, which is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. The men?s 800 will follow at 4:45 p.m., and the men?s DMR will wrap up the day at 9:30 p.m. UK?s Saturday action begins at 4:45 p.m. when Mason will compete in the men?s high jump.
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