USATF Preview: NCAA Championships
Posted Thursday, 12 June, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS - 544 athletes are set to take center stage at the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 11-14 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
At the 2007 Championships in Sacramento, Calif., Florida State University claimed the men's title for the second straight year with 54 points, while Arizona State University captured the women's title with 60 points. Louisiana State University men's and women's teams finished runner-up, with 48 and 53 points respectively.
LSU men's and women's teams look to gain dual National Championship titles, entering the competition ranked first in the power rankings released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The FSU men are ranked second and the ASU women ranked third.
14 champions look to retain their titles
Two-time NCAA Outdoor 100 meter and 200m champion, Walter Dix of FSU returns to defend his 2007 titles. He will face fierce competition in the 100m and 200m dashes, including first and second seed Richard Thompson (LSU) in the 100m and 200m respectively.
Dix also will line up against Trindon Holiday (LSU) who finished runner-up in the 100m at both the 2007 USA Outdoor and NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. 2008 NCAA Indoor 60m champion, Travis Padgett (Clemson) also will be in contention. 2007 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor 200m runner-up, Rubin Williams (Tennessee) will pose a threat to Dix in the 200m.
2007 NCAA Outdoor 110m hurdle champion Ty Akins of Auburn returns to defend his title, facing fierce competition in Jason Richardson (South Carolina), who is currently seeded first.
Attempting to defend his 2007 title Barnabas Kirui of Ole Miss, will have to fight in the 3,000m steeple chase to surpass Luke Gunn (FSU) whose entry time is almost 10 seconds faster.
2007 NCAA Outdoor 10,000m champion Shadrack Songok of Texas A&M - Corpus Christ will face a strong challenge in the 25 lap race to finish ahead of top seed Sean Quigley (La Salle).
In order for Kansas State's Scott Sellers to defend his 2007 NCAA Outdoor high jump title, he will have to defeat Dusty Jonas of Nebraska, who has the highest clearance in the World so far this year at 2.36 meters/7 feet 8.75 inches.
2007 NCAA Outdoor hammer throw champion Jake Dunkleberger of Auburn will need some big throws to defend his national title. The 2008 title may come down to a battle between Dunkleberger and fellow teammate Cory Martin, who finished third in 2007 and is seeded ahead of Dunkleberger this year.
Michigan's Tiffany Ofili looks to defend her title as 2007 NCAA Outdoor 100mH champion. Ofili enters the meet at 12.83 seconds, with the fastest seed time of 12.63 from Nickiesha Wilson (LSU).
2007 NCAA Outdoor 400mH champion Nicole Leach of UCLA looks to repeat, but her efforts may be halted by Queen Harrison (Virginia Tech) who finished third in 2007 and is returning as the top seed in 2008.
2007 NCAA Outdoor 800m champion Alysia Johnson of California is looking to cap her collegiate career with a repeat title in the 800m, entering the meet with a top time of 2:00.57.
UNC's Brie Felnagle is looking to defend her title as NCAA 1,500m champion. Felnagle enters the competition at 4:09.93, more than three seconds faster than second seed Susan Kuijken (FSU).
2007 NCAA Outdoor pole vault champion April Kubishta of Arizona State University will have to perform well to capture a second title in the event. Kubishta enters the 2008 meet at 4.32 m/14-2, two spots behind top seed Stephanie Bagan (SDSU) at 4.36m/14-3.5
UCLA's Rhonda Watkins must jump at her best to defend her title in the women's long jump. She enters seeded seventh at 6.49m/21-3.5, behind Brittney Reese (Ole Miss) who has the longest jump in the U.S. this year at 6.93m/22-9.
2007 NCAA Outdoor champion Jessica Pressley of ASU looks to continue her success in the shot put. Pressley enters the competition as the U.S. leader with a toss of 18.79m/61-7.75, leading her competition by over three feet.
ASU's Jacquelyn Johnson looks to cap off her collegiate career with a fourth straight win in the heptathlon, having won the event in 2004, 2006, and 2007. Johnson, the U.S. leader in the heptathlon, is also a two-time NCAA Indoor champion in the pentathlon.
For more information and results from the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, visit www.ncaa.com.
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