May 31, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Auburn won three more titles, set a school record and had nine more automatic qualifying marks for the NCAA Championships during the final day of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships Saturday at John McDonnell Field. The top five finishers during the regional meet earn automatic spots at the NCAA Championships June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa, while others who finish in the top 12 at the meet must wait to find out if they earn an at-large spot in the field.
Auburn's men finished the meet in second place with 73 points, while the women were tied for 12th with 21 points. During the two day meet, Auburn had 11 athletes (seven men, four women) earn spots in 12 events for the NCAA meet. More Tiger athletes are expected to be added to the field when the at-large slots are announced Wednesday, June 4.
"For the men, we really accomplished our mission," said head coach Ralph Spry. "The guys that we've been counting on all season to score big points at nationals all got through. I feel good because we got everybody through that we need to give us a chance to contend for a national title.
"The mission for the women was to get to nationals. We don't have a big group going, but the people we take will have a good chance to do well."
Senior Cory Martin picked up where he left off Friday, defending his Mideast Region hammer throw title in impressive fashion for his second championship of the meet. Martin, who repeated as shot put champion Friday, broke his own school and regional records while improving his nation-leading mark with a winning throw of 73.11m (239-10). Martin, who beat his previous best by two inches, led entering the finals with a mark of 71.59m (234-10), and with the victory already in hand, let loose on his final attempt.
"I had already won it so that was the time to just push it and see how far I could get," said Martin. "I kind of missed the finish on it, but the speed was good. I've still got some things to work on, but I feel pretty good. My training is going well and so it will be interesting to see what happens in two weeks."
Senior Jacob Dunkleberger, who entered the competition ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Martin, played it safe on Saturday, but still finished second with a mark of 67.81m (222-6) that advances him to Des Moines.
Senior Ty Akins won his second straight Mideast Regional title in the 110m hurdles, finishing with a wind-aided time of 13.44. Akins, the defending national champion in the event, pulled away from the field mid-way through the race, beating his closest competitor by .13 seconds.
"The strong tailwind made it difficult to hurdle," said Akins. "It was a good race because I did all I could to stay clean with the wind pushing me in the back. You have to really focus on technique in those races. I lost a little technique but I was still able to pull it out. At this point of the game it's not about time, but putting people behind you."
Moments later Auburn took the other men's hurdles event, as senior Reuben McCoy won the 400m hurdles. McCoy did not match his season-best time of 48.86, but he did not need to as he was clearly the class of the field, holding on to win in 50.12 seconds.
"I felt a little fatigue in the corner but I tried to make sure I kept my form," said McCoy. "I got out well, and that helped set up the pace for my race. Once I had my momentum, I used that to carry me through. After doing this for so many years you become more experienced, and you learn how to deal with things like fatigue. You adjust based on your knowledge of the race."
Auburn advanced two women to the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles, as junior Amelia Anderson and sophomore Danielle Gilchrist finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Anderson, the SEC champion in the event, posted a time of 58.00 to edge Gilchrist, who finished in 58.06. It will be the first trip to the nationals for both runners, although Gilchrist also qualified last year before an injury prevented her from making the trip.
The Tigers were one centimeter away from advancing two in the men's discus, where redshirt freshman Zach Clayton finished second and senior Edis Elkasevic was sixth. Clayton, who was seeded 10th in the region coming in, improved on his season best by more than eight feet, posting a mark of 58.49m (191-11) that ranks him fifth in school history. Elkasevic actually tied for fifth on best throws, but lost the tiebreaker for fifth by virtue of a shorter second-best throw than his competitor. He had a top throw of 55.82 (183-2), but still has a chance of earning an at-large spot after entering the meet ranked 24th nationally.
Freshman Cache Armbrister earned a spot at the NCAA meet by finishing fifth in the 200m. Armbrister set a new personal best with a time of 23.13, which was just .01 seconds behind both the third- and fourth-place finishers.
Junior Raevan Harris, coming off an SEC Championship two weeks ago, had a bit of a letdown with an eighth-place finish Saturday, but her season-best mark of 1.83m (6-0), which ranked tied for sixth in the nation entering the regional meets, should easily be enough for her to gain an at-large spot in the NCAA field.
Junior Scott Novack finished 13th in the men's 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:16.85. Eric Werskey was 15th in the discus with a mark of 53.42m (175-3).
The women's 4x100m relay team was disqualified for a false start, and as a result, the team is not eligible for a trip to the NCAA championships despite owning the nation's 13th-best time entering the regional meets.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be hosted by Drake University June 11-14.
Auburn's NCAA Championships Automatic Qualifiers (note: at-large bids still to be determined)
Men
Ty Akins (110m hurdles)
Zach Clayton (discus)
Jacob Dunkleberger (hammer throw)
Cory Martin (shot put, hammer throw)
Reuben McCoy (400m hurdles)
Felix Kiboiywo (5000m)
Eric Werskey (shot put)
Women
Amelia Anderson (400m hurdles)
Cache Armbrister (200m)
Danielle Gilchrist (400m hurdles)
Valentina Srsa (hammer throw)