When the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships ended two weeks ago, 12 Redbird athletes were left standing, ready to make the move to the regional stage.
Those 12 athletes will travel to Baton Rouge, La., this Friday and Saturday for the NCAA Mideast Regional hosted by Louisiana State. Athletes finishing in the top five in their respective events automatically qualify for nationals. Head coach Elvis Forde is happy to extend the season and likes the chances of several Redbirds making the trip.
I think there are some good races left in our athletes, Forde said. Youd like to see everyone qualify and move on to nationals. Based on the numbers this season and where everyone ranks, Latisha (Johnson) has a shot at going to nationals, and Pierre (Woods) and Gergely (Bata) in the high jump.
Bata and Woods finished first and second in the high jump at the MVC Championships two weeks ago, while Johnson won the shot put. Bata was a national qualifier in the high jump last season after his performance at the NCAA Regional. Johnson and Woods are making their second straight appearance.
Experience is always a critical part of anything you do, Forde said. Whats different this year is the temperature. At Columbus (Ohio) last year the temperature was very cool. Hopefully, we can get some advantages by running in warmer weather because our bodies arent spent since weve ran in cooler weather all season.
Thrower Rhett Hillard will be making his second trip to regionals after qualifying in the shot put earlier this season. Hillard currently holds the second best throw in school history with a 2004 team best 58-9 1/4. Teammate Mark Jackson will compete in both the shot put and the hammer throw this weekend.
On the womens side, two relay teams will be making the trip south. The 4x100 relay team of Lian Lucas, Brittney Hourd, Lindsey Arnold and Cherise Devers qualified for the trip at the Redbird Classic on April 17, winning the event with a time of 45.80. In the 4x400, Arnold, Lucas, Devers and Andrea Mosher qualified at the Drake Relays in April with a school record time of 3:43.02.
Mosher will also be competing in the 400 hurdles this weekend. Last season, Mosher shined at regionals, taking fifth in the 400 hurdles (1:00.45), which qualified her for nationals.
Senior Jen Klostermann will also make the trip to Baton Rouge. The Highland native qualified in the 800-meter run during the MVC Championships, winning with a time of 2:09.78.
You have to be optimistic and wish the best for the kids, Forde said. Even if they dont advance, Id like to see them perform well and represent the school in a positive manner.
Should any Redbirds qualify for nationals this weekend, they will make the trip to Austin, Texas for the NCAA Track and Field Championships to be held June 9-12.
