June 8, 2010
EUGENE, Ore. -
Illinois State freshmen throwers Tim Glover and Brittany Smith have made an immediate impact for the Redbirds in their first full track and field seasons and will look to add to their accomplishments at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 9-12, at Historic Hayward Field.
Smith will be the first to compete for the Redbirds at the four-day meet, with the women's discus trials and finals set for 7:15 p.m. CDT Wednesday, June 9. Glover will compete the following day at the same time in the men's javelin competition. ISU head track and field coach Elvis Forde believes both of his talented freshmen have a good shot to be named All-Americans at the meet.
"At this point in the season, it's not about just going to a meet to get experience," Forde said. "Both Tim and Brittany have had plenty of experience at tough meets and in hostile environments throughout the season, so this meet should be about performing to the best of their abilities. If they do that, I believe they both will have a good shot to make it to the finals and be named All-Americans."
Glover finished third in the men's javelin competition with a throw of 231'02" (70.45m) at the NCAA West Region Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas, to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships. That effort currently ranks him fourth among the 24 competitors in the field. The Normal, Ill., native's school-record setting throw of 233'11" earned him a conference championship in the javelin at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships and he also bested the field at the prestigious Jesse Owens Classic (May 1) to take first place with a toss of 219'06". In addition, he recorded a total of five wins on the season and broke his father's 40-year-old school record in the javelin with a throw of 226'06" in his first collegiate competition at the SIU Gill Spring Classic.
Smith earned her spot in the NCAA Championships with a sixth-place finish in the discus with a throw of 169'00" (51.51m) at the West Region Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas, where she also qualified for the regional meet in the shot put and the hammer throw. That mark currently ranks her 15th in the field of 24. The Oak Park, Ill., native recorded personal-best efforts in both the shot put (52'05.25") and discus (170'02") at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships and recorded 16 top-3 finishes throughout the season in the discus, shot put and hammer throw combined.
"The biggest thing for both Tim and Brittany this weekend is to believe in themselves and their abilities," Forde said. "They have proved that they deserve to be here with the best athletes in the country, and in some cases the world, with their performances in the regional. Now, they just have to block all the distractions and let the adrenaline take over."
All four days consist of only semifinals and finals, as the best 24 student-athletes in each event converge on Track Town, USA, for a streamlined, fan-friendly schedule. Live results and a live web cast from the NCAA Championships will be available on the NCAA's website, www.ncaa.com.
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