May 26, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. -
A group of 15 Illinois State track and field student-athletes have left for Texas in hopes of earning a spot in the NCAA Championships with strong performances at the 2010 NCAA West Preliminary Round held in Austin, Texas, Thursday through Saturday.
A total of nine Redbird women and six men will be competing at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the UTA campus. The three-day meet will feature the top athletes from schools in the west region, as determined by the NCAA through its declaration process. The top 12 competitors in each individual event and a minimum of eight teams from each relay event advance from each preliminary round site to the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 9-12 at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
A total of nine Redbird women will compete over the weekend, including Amanda Albrecht (high jump), Meaka Brents (200-meter dash, 4x100 relay), Tia Harvey (200-meter dash, 4x100 relay), Alia McAfee (4x100 relay), Leigh Petranoff (javelin), Aisha Praught (1,500-meter, 3,000-meter steeplechase), Sade Sealy (400-meter dash, 4x100 relay), Brittany Smith (shot put, hammer throw, discus), and Tori Ziegler (shot put).
The men's squad heads to the preliminary round six members strong, with Kayode Adegoke (200-meter dash), Tim Glover (javelin), Drew Holl (high jump), Curtis Jensen (shot put), Scott Krapf (10,000-meter), and Jon Roberts (3,000-meter steeplechase) all set to take the track.
"I've told all of our athletes the key to performing well this weekend is staying composed," head coach Elvis Forde said. "When you get to this level, your nerves can get to you and affect how you perform on the track. Our athletes will have a chance to compete against some of the best athletes in the world this weekend, which is a tremendous opportunity for many of them in their young careers. If they can stay focused and composed throughout, then I think we will have a great weekend."
Action will begin Thursday at noon with the men's javelin qualifying round and will feature Glover, who heads into the meet ranked 11th with a toss of 233'11" which he set at the 2010 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Smith and Ziegler will be the next to compete at 1 p.m. in the women's shot put qualifying round, followed by Petranoff in the women's javelin competition and Jensen in the men's shot put at 5:30 p.m. On the track, Praught is scheduled to compete in the first round of the 1,500-meter run competition at 5 p.m., followed by Sealy in the 400-meter dash at 7 p.m. and Krapf in the 10,000-meter run at 8:30 p.m. to round out the first day.
"I am very optimistic about our team's chances this weekend," Forde said. "Some of our athletes will have better chance to advance than others, but one good time in a heat or a solid throw can change things dramatically. Heading into the meet, Leigh and Tim are both in the top-15 in the javelin and both should figure into the mix. Brittany is also ranked in the top-15 in several of her events and good performances out of Sade, Aisha and Tori could help their chances as well."
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