May 26, 2010
GREENSBORO, N.C. –
The Kentucky track and field team is set for day one of their voyage to the NCAA Championships beginning in Greensboro, N.C., with the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds starting tomorrow, May 27 and continuing through Saturday, May 29.
The preliminaries are hosted by North Carolina A&T State University, who opens Irwin Belk Track up to 200 universities, all containing athletes with the top times and marks in the East region of the country.
Meet competition is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday and Friday, and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Live results can be found at www.flashresults.com. Weekend and single-day passes are can be purchased at the Aggie Stadium ticket office upon arrival or in advance by phone at (336) 334-7749.
The 2010 outdoor season emerges with a new format for NCAA Championship qualification. As opposed to previous years when regional competition consisted of four regional qualifiers across the nation, the format is now narrowed to two preliminary rounds in an east and west region. In each event, 48 individuals and 24 relay teams will have the chance to compete for one of the final 12 spots that advance on to the national meet. Those that advance will meet the qualifying athletes from the West Preliminary Round who will have advance through the same format.
Kentucky will be led by a core group of veterans on both the men and women’s side. The men qualified eight athletes to compete in seven events, while the women bring 12 athletes to compete in 9 events. Coach Don Weber says this group of athletes has the potential to move on to the championships.
“This meet is the first step in making it to our aspired season goal,” Weber says. “Although this is a preliminary round to the championships it is not asking our kids to do anything different then many of them have successfully been doing all season. The importance is being rested and prepared, and they are ready.”
The Wildcats enter the meet sitting nationally ranked in a handful of events.
For the men, senior sprinter Rondel Sorrillo is ranked seventh in the nation in the men’s 200m dash (20.54) and 11th in the 100m dash (10.19), both of which he will race in this weekend.
Junior middle-distance runner Sharif Webb will compete in the 800m run (1:47.64), an event that he holds a ninth-place national ranking and second-place spot in the Kentucky record books.
In the men’s field events 11th ranked junior (192-1) and SEC champion, Colin Boevers will compete in the discus throw for the Cats. Fellow junior David Banks qualifies for competition in the men’s triple jump with his 27th nationally ranking (51-5.5).
The men will also have two distance runners competing for a spot in the top 12 with Josh Nadzam and Jeremy Zagorski in the 1,500m run.
Senior throwers Ashley Muffet and Kristin Smith are the topped ranked Cats on the women’s team.
Smith holds the fifth-place spot in the nation in the women’s hammer throw (208-7) and will open for the team in Friday morning competition. Smith finished with a silver medal at the SEC championships two weeks ago.
Muffet who ranks sixth nationally (181-10) in the discus throw also ranks 12th nationally in the shot put (53-11.25). Teammate Mary Angell will compete alongside Muffet in the discus, while Jennifer Svoboda will join her in the shot put.
The women’s runners include sophomore Precious Nwokey in the 100 hurdles, junior Jazmyn Shorter and senior Jenna Martin in the 400m dash and freshman Cally Macumber in the 5,000m run.
Nwokey will also compete in the high jump, while the final field event competitor for the women’s team is Samantha Stenzel in the pole vault.
Tune in at 3:00 p.m. Thursday when Ashley Muffet beings the competition for the Cats in the women’s shot put.
Follow Kentucky’s journey to the NCAA Championships at www.UKathletics.com.
NCAA East Preliminary Rounds (May 27-29, 2010), Greensboro, N.C.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Women’s Shot Put- 3:00 p.m. ET
Ashley Muffet, Jennifer Svoboda
Men’s 1,500m Run First Round- 4:30 p.m. ET
Women’s High Jump- 5:00 p.m. ET
Men’s 100m First Round- 5:30 p.m. ET
Women’s 400m First Round- 7:00 p.m. ET
Men’s 800m First Round- 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, May 28, 2010
Women’s Hammer Throw- 11 a.m. ET
Women’s Pole Vault- 4 p.m. ET
Women’s 100m Hurdles First Round- 5 p.m. ET
Women’s 400m Quarterfinal- 5:45 p.m. ET
Men’s 100m Quarterfinal- 6:00 p.m. ET
Men’s 800m Quarterfinal- 6:30 p.m. ET
Men’s 200m First Round- 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Men’s Discus- 9:30 a.m. ET
Men’s Triple Jump- 12:00 p.m. ET
Women’s Discus- 3:30 p.m. ET
Men’s 4x100m Relay- 6:00 p.m. ET
Justin Austin, Sean Lange, Kwasi Obeng, Rondel Sorrillo, Alternate: Darryl Bradshaw
Men’s 1,500m Quarterfinal- 6:30 p.m. ET
Men’s 200m Quarterfinal- 7:35 p.m. ET
Women’s 5,000m Semifinal- 8:45 p.m. ET
Women’s 4x400m Relay Quarterfinal- 9:45 p.m. ET
Brittany Cabbler, Jazmyn Shorter, Precious Nwokey, Jenna Martin, Alternate: Shiara Robinson
