UF Track and Field Qualifies Large Contingent For NCAA Outdoor Championships
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 | Track and Field
A total of 24 athletes competing in 21 events will represent the University of Florida men's and women's track and field teams at the NCAA Outdoor Championships from June 11-14 at Drake University in DesMoines, Iowa.
The men's squad has 14 athletes participating in the event, while 10 women's athletes will compete.
After both finishing eighth at the NCAA Indoor meet in March, both squads are looking to crack the top 10 for the first time since 2005.
On the men's side, Jeremy Hall and Terrell Wilks will both take part in the 100-meter dash, while Calvin Smith will compete in the 400-meter dash. Carlos Phillips, fresh off a regional win, will take part in the 800-meter run, while Kallinka Pitt will compete in the 110-meter hurdles.
Hall, Wilks, Chris Rainey, and Bernard Middleton have qualified in the 4x100-meter relay along with alternate Dennis Martin. Smith and Middleton are joined by LaMarr Davis and Eric Alberter on the 4x400-meter relay which posted a regional victory in Tallahassee last weekend.
In the field, Wes Stockbarger will compete in both the shot put and the discus, the latter of the two an event he won at the regional meet last week and finished third at the NCAA Outdoor meet a year ago. Adam Montague ranks third in the nation in the javelin, while Eric Foran will compete in the pole vault and Steffan Hommel the decathlon.
On the women's side, NCAA regional champion Lakecia Ealey competes in the 100-meter dash field, while SEC champion Natalie Knight highlights the 200-meter dash field. The two are joined by Abigail David, Dominique McLeggan and alternate Zan Joseph on the 4x100-meter relay squad.
SEC Freshman of the Year Rebecca Lowe, the SEC champion at 5,000 and 10,000 meters, will compete in the 5k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while Lindsay Sundell will be a part of the 3,000-meter steeplechase field.
In the field events, NCAA Indoor shot put champion Mariam Kevkhishvili will try to become the fifth thrower this decade to win both the indoor and outdoor shot put titles, while Evelien Dekkers will compete in the javelin.
Shara Proctor will take part in both the long and triple jumps and is one of only two athletes in the country to be ranked in the top 10 in both events heading into the national meet.
The men's team will try come up with its sixth top-10 finish this decade, while the women's squad looks for its fifth top-10 finish in the same time frame.
