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Men's Track and Field in Tallahassee for NCAA East Regional
NCAA East Regional Schedule
Heat Sheets TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 29, 2008) - Eight members of
the University of Connecticut men's track and field team are in Tallahassee,
Fla. to compete in the NCAA East Regional May 30-31. Each of the athletes will
be looking to earn a spot in the NCAA Championship June 11-14 in Des Moines,
Iowa. The Huskies competing in the regional competition earned their spots by
meeting pre-set qualifying marks in a previous meet this season. Competing for
Connecticut will be Basil Campbell (Ewing, N.J.) in the 200-meter dash,
Mike Rutt (Sinking Springs, Pa.) and Brian Gagnon (Lowell, Mass.)
in the 800-meter run, Verrol Jackson (Schenectady, N.Y.) in the 110-meter
high hurdles, Anthony Burris (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Kyle Edmonds
(Metuchen, N.J.) in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, Marquis Thomas
(Mattapan, Mass.) in the high jump and Andrew Dubs (Holland, Pa.) in the
shot put.
The top five finishers in each event advance to the NCAA Championship. There
are then approximately seven at-large spots per event that will be selected from
the next best times or distances overall from the four regionals being held over
the weekend. The other regionals this year are in Fayetteville, Ark. (Mid East),
Lincoln, Neb. (Midwest) and Northridge, Calif. (West). Rutt, Gagnon and Dubs
each have a very good chance at advancing to the national championship event.
Rutt's best time in the 800-meter run of 1:48.08, set at the BIG EAST
Championship on May 4, is currently the 10th best time in the nation this
season. Only one of the nine athletes ranked in front of him will be competing
in the East Regional. Gagnon ranks 33rd with a time of 1:49.22, set at the IC4A
Championship May 18. He is 10th among East Regional participants. Dubs ranks
21st in the shot put with a distance of 60-3¼, set at the BIG EAST Championship
on May 4. That puts him sixth among East Regional competitors. The East
Regional will also mark the return to competition of senior co-captain Campbell.
After suffering an injury at the New England Championship, he will run in the
200-meter dash. He also qualified to participate in the 100-meter dash, as well
as the 110-meter high hurdles, but in deference to the injury will concentrate
on his best event in an attempt to make his first national championship.
Following each day of competition, check with UConnHuskies.com for scores as
well as a recap of the event. |
