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Track and Field Qualifies Three in Men's 400m, Women's 800m Finals
May 25, 2007 DES MOINES, Iowa - Baylor's track and field teams qualified three in the men's 400 meters and three in the women's 800 meters on the first day of competition at the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional at Drake Stadium on Friday.
"We had a pretty good opening day," said head coach Todd Harbour. "We got three guys in the finals of the 400 meters and three ladies in the finals of the 800 meters. We were also able to get our 4x100-meter relays qualified which was a big goal for us today." LeJerald Betters (Waco, Texas), the reigning Big 12 Outdoor Champion in the 400 meters, clocked the fastest time in the preliminaries, winning his heat in 46.01. Quentin Iglehart-Summers (San Antonio, Texas) won his preliminary heat in 46.12, while J.T. Scheuerman finished second in the heat in a time of 46.63. All three qualified for the event finals on Saturday as Iglehart-Summers and Scheuerman placed second and sixth, respectively, in the preliminaries. R.J. Anderson (Big Pine Key, Fla.) clocked 47.32 to finish 15th, while Mark Teter (San Antonio, Texas) ran 47.58 to place 18th overall. The Lady Bears qualified three athletes in the women's 800, with Lauren Hagans (Little Rock, Ark.) clocking 2:06.96 in the preliminaries. Big 12 Champion Nichole Jones (Spring, Texas) recording a time of 2:07.37, the seventh-fastest time in qualifying, while Danielle Bradley took the final qualifying spot with a time of 2:07.67.
"You know, it really says a lot about the direction that our program is headed," said Harbour. "Two of our ladies that qualified in the 800 meters are freshmen, and we had two freshmen and a sophomore qualify in the quarter(mile). These guys are going to be running for Baylor for many years." Kevin Mutai (Round Rock, Texas) qualified for the event finals in the men's 800 meters with a season-best time of 1:48.80. Reggie Witherspoon (Marietta, Ga.) recorded the third-fastest time in qualifying with a 20.81 to win his 200 meter heat. Lauren Tillman (Lawrenceville, Ga.) qualified fifth in the women's 400-meter hurdles with a season-fastest time of 59.16. "This was a great day for Lauren," said Harbour. "To be a senior and run a PR (personal record) to qualify for the finals tomorrow is a great accomplishment." Both of Baylor's 4x100-meter relays qualified for the event finals on Saturday, despite substitute runners on the third leg for both the men and women. The men's team qualified with the fifth-best time of the preliminaries in 40.15. The team of Anderson, Witherspoon, Scheuerman, and Trey Harts (Lake Charles, La.) will begin Saturday's finals in Lane 2. The Lady Bears qualified in seventh place overall in 45.22 during the preliminaries. Jessica Gregory (Richmond, Texas), Carla Grace (San Antonio, Texas), DeAna Carson (Long Beach, Calif.), and Katrina Taylor (Baton Rouge, La.) will compete from Lane 1 on Saturday. Carla Grace finished ninth in the women's 200 meters with a time of 23.82. Thomas finished 17th and Harts placed 20th in the men's 200 meters with times of 21.48 and 23.39, respectively.
"I am very proud of Courtney and Trey," said Harbour. "For those two freshmen to get out there and compete even though they are injured. You really have to take your hat off to them. I know they didn't run as fast as they wanted, but I admire their courage and their heart." Ruth Waller (Manchester, England) placed 15th-overall in the women's 1,500 meters with a time of 4:28.74. Taylor placed 11th in the women's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.51. Carson recorded a leap of 5.68m (18-07.75) in the long jump to place 17th overall. The Bears return to action on Saturday with the second day at the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional at Drake Stadium. Live results and a free live webcast are available at www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com. Friday Results: Women's Events 4x100-Meter Relay 1. Texas A&M - 43.83 7. Baylor - 45.22 1,500 Meters 1. Mable Kunihira, ORU - 4:22.01 15. Ruth Waller, BU - 4:28.74 Long Jump 1. Funmi Jimoh, Rice - 6.35m (20-10) 17. DeAna Carson, BU - 5.68m (18-07.75) 800 Meters 1. Heather Dorniden, Minn. - 2:04.82 5. Lauren Hagans, BU - 2:06.96 7. Nichole Jones, BU - 2:07.37 8. Danielle Bradley, BU - 2:07.67 400-Meter Hurdles 1. Ashley Brown, KU - 57.76 5. Lauren Tillman, BU - 59.16 11. Katrina Taylor, BU - 1:00.51 200 Meters 1. Virgil Hodge, TCU - 22.68 9. Carla Grace, BU - 23.82 Men's Events 4x100-Meter Relay 1. Texas-Arlington - 39.85 5. Baylor - 40.15 400 Meters 1. LeJerald Betters, BU - 46.01 2. Quentin Iglehart-Summers, BU - 46.12 6. J.T. Scheuerman, BU - 46.63 15. R.J. Anderson, BU - 47.32 18. Mark Teter, BU - 47.58 800 Meters 1. Elias Koech, UTEP - 1:47.88 8. Kevin Mutai, BU - 1:48.80 200 Meters 1. Jeremy Dodson, CU - 20.79 3. Reggie Witherspoon, BU - 20.81 17. Courtney Thomas, BU - 21.48 20. Trey Harts, BU - 23.39
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