March 5, 2011
AUBURN - Five members of the Auburn track and field teams were in action at a pair of different Last Chance Qualifying meets, attempting to earn spots at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Three athletes competed at Notre Dame, while two were in action at Virginia Tech.
At Virginia Tech, freshman Keenan Brock improved his personal-best time in the men's 60 meters from 6.71 seconds to 6.66, which ranks tied for 20th in the nation this year. His best time, which ranks fifth in Auburn history, came in the semifinals. He clocked a 6.74 in the prelims before finishing third in the finals in 6.69 seconds.
In the high jump at Virginia Tech, freshman DJ Smith finished second, but his mark of 2.15 meters (7-0.5) was just shy of his season best of 2.16 meters (7-1).
At Notre Dame, junior Nivea Smith and redshirt freshman Kai Selvon finished first and second, respectively, in the women's 200 meters. However, Smith's time of 23.36 seconds did not improve on her season best of 23.24 seconds, but she stands a solid chance of still making the field with her previous mark. Selvon's time of 23.66, while improving on her indoor personal best, wasn't enough of an improvement for her to crack the nation's top 30.
Smith and Selvon also ran in the 60 meters, with Selvon finishing second in 7.37 seconds and Smith placing fifth in 7.52 seconds. The times won't get them into the NCAA field, but Selvon's time ranks tied for eighth in school history.
Also at Notre Dame on Friday night, junior Ben Cheruiyot finished second in the men's 5,000 meters, improving his season-best mark from 13:57.87 to 13:54.84, but that time is good enough to only move him to 30th place on the national list. He did improve his all-time indoor personal best by .02 seconds and ranks third in Auburn indoor history.
The NCAA Championships will take place Friday and Saturday, March 11-12, in College Station, Texas.