June 5, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
After finishing in fourth place in the high jump at the NCAA Mideast Regional, junior Alex Straughn looks to capture the Illinois State track and field team's first NCAA Individual Championship in five years when he competes at the 86th Annual NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning Wednesday. Straughn, who jumped at personal-best height of 6-11.00 feet at the regional meet, will look to also become the first Redbird to take home the high jump title since Tom Smith won back-to-back outdoor championships in 1987-88.
Sacramento State will host the national finals at Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif. Hornet Stadium has hosted many prestigious meets, including the 2001 Junior Olympics, the 2003, 2005 and 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as well as the 2004 United States Track and Field Olympic Trials.
The men's high jump begins at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, with competitors participating in the preliminary round. The top-16 jumpers will make the finals, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Straughn will be challenging for one of the spots in the finals along with 27 others, including Donald Thomas from Auburn, Nebraska's Dusty Jonas, Andra Manson (Texas) and Will Littleton of Texas-Pan American.
Assistant coach Tim Thompson is excited for competition to get under way, believing that Straughn has a shot to advance into the finals.
"Our goal is to be in the top-16 after the preliminary round," said Thompson. "I think that Alex has a good shot of making the finals, because he has been practicing really well. The main thing for us is to make sure that Alex's confidence is high and that he have the right rhythm and approach into the jump."
Fans can follow all the action on the NCAA results page at www.ncaasports.com/track-and-field/recaps/outdoor/di_track_results/2007, or the host website at www.hornetsports.com/sports/ncaaTF/index.asp.
