Joe Drevlow, Gergely Bata and Andrea Mosher will all represent Illinois State track and field as the three Redbirds will be competing at the 2003 NCAA Track and Field Championships June 11-14 in Sacramento, Calif.
Bata and Mosher automatically qualified for their respective events after finishing in the top five at the NCAA Regional on May 30. Bata was third in the high jump while Mosher placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles. Both will be competing in those events at the championships.
Drevlow was selected to the NCAA event through an at-large selection. The senior was ranked nationally in the mens hammer throw going into the NCAA Regional, but failed to qualify at the Regional by not placing in the top five spots. But through an NCAA selection process, Drevlow was given an at-large bid.
Head coach Elvis Forde is extremely excited about the opportunity that is ahead for his three athletes.
Every athlete dreams of making it to the NCAA Championships, Forde said. It is going to be exciting for everyone and a time to take our performances to the next level. It is tough qualifying for regionals and these events bring out the best competition in the country. I just hope it bring out the best in my athletes.
I also hope Joe, Gergely and Andrea just enjoy themselves because they deserve this, Forde said. It is a strong field and a chance to see how successful they can be. It will be very important for them to give it everything they can. This may only happen once in a career so they might as well go in with nothing to lose.
Drevlow will compete in the mens qualifying round of the hammer throw at 5 p.m. PST on Wednesday, June 11 while Bata will start the qualifying round of the high jump on Thursday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m. The first round of the 400-meter hurdles are scheduled for 7:55 p.m. on Wednesday while the semifinal round is slated for 6 p.m. on Thursday.
The finals for all events are as follows: mens hammer, 10 a.m. Friday, June 13; womens 400-meter hurdles, 7:25 p.m. Friday, June 13; mens high jump 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14.
For a complete list of results, visit www.ncaachampionships.com.
