May 28, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Auburn men's and women's track and field teams advanced four more individual athletes and one relay to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday during the final day of competition at the 2011 NCAA East Region Preliminary Round.
Auburn finished the three-day meet with 16 qualifying marks for the championship meet in Des Moines. On the men's side, five individuals advance to compete in six events, while the No. 12-ranked women's team had seven individuals and one relay advance in nine total events. To advance to Des Moines, individuals and relays at both of the two regional qualifying sites needed to finish in the top 12 during the preliminary round competition.
"I'm really, really pleased with our efforts," head coach Ralph Spry said. "We really had a great meet on both sides. I think that everybody that was supposed to get through and advance to the NCAA Championships did that. We had one mishap when the women's 4x100-meter relay got disqualified. That's going to really hurt us because I think our women's team could have a top five finish. We will have to overcome that and find a way to make those points up. We had a lot of freshman really step it up this weekend like the throwers and the sprinters.
"All in all, I'm really pleased with our efforts. I think we are performing well at the right time, and now it's just a matter of staying sharp for the next couple of weeks before we head out to Des Moines. It should be a good competition for us."
The Tigers had 3 of the 12 qualifiers in the women's 200 meters Saturday, led by 2010 NCAA indoor champion Sheniqua Ferguson. The senior had the third-best time in the field of 23.22 seconds, which ranks 10th best in school history. Junior Nivea Smith was fourth overall with a time of 23.25 seconds, while sophomore Kai Selvon finished with a time of 23.44 seconds earning the seventh qualifying spot.
Ferguson, Smith and Selvon also ran on the women's 4x100-meter relay team that was disqualified after the conclusion of the race. During the second leg, Smith was found to be impeding on the lane of an Ole Miss runner which led to the disqualification of the team. Senior Joanna Atkins and Smith ran the first two legs before Ferguson and Selvon closed for the Tigers. The relay team had originally finished third with a time of 43.82 seconds before being disqualified.
The men's 4x100-meter relay team was one spot out from a place in the field, as the squad of senior Stephen Fly, junior Neil Danville, freshman Clay Porter and freshman Keenan Brock finished with a time of 40.41 seconds that ranked 13th overall.
Redshirt freshman Stephen Saenz and freshman Marcus Popenfoose, who both qualified for Des Moines in the shot put on Thursday, also advanced in the discus on Saturday. Saenz placed eighth and had a mark of 55.21 meters (181-2), while Popenfoose earned the No. 12 spot with a mark of 54.27 meters (178-1).
Auburn had one qualifier in the men's 5,000 meters, as junior Ben Cheruiyot finished sixth in his heat and earned a spot in Des Moines with a time of 14:08.08. Cheruiyot, who is a two-time SEC Champion in the 5,000 meters, placed 11th overall and will advance to his second-consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championship meet.
The evening concluded with the Auburn women easily winning its heat and finishing in first place overall in the 4x400-meter relay to earn a spot in Iowa. The team of junior CeCe Williams, Atkins, senior Cache Armbrister and Selvon clocked a season-best time of 3:31.50 while winning their heat by nearly four seconds. The team's time moved them into the No. 3 spot in Auburn outdoor history for the event.
Auburn's NCAA Championship qualifiers will compete June 8-11 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Auburn's NCAA Outdoor Championship Qualifiers
Men
Stephen Saenz (Shot Put/Discus Throw)
Marcus Popenfoose (Shot Put/Discus Throw)
DJ Smith (High Jump)
Keenan Brock (100 meters)
Ben Cheruiyot (5,000 meters)
Women
Holly Knight (10,000 meters)
Maya Pressley (High Jump)
Joanna Atkins (400 meters)
CeCe Williams (400 meters)
Sheniqua Ferguson (100 meters/400 meters)
Kai Selvon (200 meters)
Nivea Smith (200 meters)
4x400-meter relay