13 from state schools awarded NCAA at-large bids; Tyson Gay is USA Track & Field athlete of week
June 2, 2009Seven women and six men from Kentucky colleges were awarded at-large bids Tuesday to the NCAA Track & Field Championships, June 10-13, at Arkansas.
Joseph Maina (EKU photo)
From Eastern Kentucky, Joseph Maina was added to the men’s 5,000-meter field.
From Kentucky, Rondel Sorrillo made it in the men’s 100, Emily Strot in the women’s discus.
From Louisville, Steve Hnat was added in the men’s shot put; Josh Greenwald and Andrew Hackney in discus; Matt Hughes in the steeplechase. U of L additions to the women’s field are Chinwe Okoro and Khadija Abdullah in the shot put, Rachel Gehret in the high jump and Seidre Forde in the triple jump.
From Western Kentucky’s women’s team, Miaie Williams was added in the 100, Janet Jesang in the 5,000.
The at-large recipients will join automatic qualifiers at Arkansas. Automatic berths went to the top five in individual events and top three in relays at the Mideast Regional, held Saturday at U of L.
Here’s what the combined at-large and automatic lists from Kentucky schools look like, with NCAA seeding; a = at-large berth; q = automatic qualifier.
MEN
Rondel Sorrillo
Gavin Smellie
100 meters — 24 a, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).
200 — 3 q, Gavin Smellie (WKU); 5 q, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).
5,000 — 26 a, Joseph Maina (EKU).
3,000 steeplechase — 2 q, Cory Thorne (U of L); 14 a, Matt Hughes (U of L).
4-by-100 relay — 6 q, Kentucky.
4-by-400 relay — 11 q, Western Kentucky; 12 q, Kentucky.
Shot put — 8 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 17 a, Steve Hnat (U of L).
Rashaud Scott
Chase Madison
Discus — 1 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 7 q, Chase Madison (UK); 16 a, Josh Greenwald (U of L); 17 a, Andrew Hackney (U of L).
Long jump — 7 a, Mandhla Mgijima (WKU).
High jump — 9 q, Tone Belt (U of L).
Long jump — 16 q, Tone Belt (U of L).
WOMEN
Tarah McKay
Janet Jesang
100 — 19 a, Miaie Williams (WKU).
1,500 — 24 q, Tarah McKay (U of L).
5,000 — 6 a, Janet Jesang (WKU).
4-by-100 relay — 12 q, Western Kentucky.
Shot put — 10 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 20 a, Chinwe Okoro (U of L); 23 a, Khadija Abdullah (U of L).
Kristin Smith
Ashley Trimble
Discus — 4 q, Ashley Muffet (UK); 6 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 17 a, Emilee Strot (UK).
High jump — 19 a, Rachel Gehret (U of L).
Triple jump — 24 a, Seidre Forde (U of L).
Heptathlon (entries based on pre-regional results) — 11. Ashley Trimble (UK).
USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week: Tyson Gay
The third-fastest 200-meter dash of all time makes Tyson Gay the USA Track & Field choice for athlete of the week.
From Tyson Gay's facebook photo gallery
Gay, a Lafayette High School graduate who later starred for Arkansas, uncorked a 19.58-second 200 Saturday at the Reebok Grand Prix, in New York’s Icahn Stadium. Only a pair of Olympic champions have ever run faster: Michael Johnson (19.32) and Usain Bolt (19.30).
Gay swept the 2007 World Championships in the 100 and 200 meters, and also ran on the gold-medal 4-by-100 relay.
After winning the 100 in American-record time at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, Gay suffered a severe hamstring injury during preliminaries of the 200. He went on to run the 200 at the Beijing Olympics, but the missed practice time left him far off his usual form. A dropped baton in the 4-by-100 put a disappointing end to his Olympic experience.
Saturday’s result, his first 200 since the Olympics, means Gay now has the third- and fourth-fastest 200s ever. No. 4 is 19.62, his winning effort at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships.
Saturday’s runner-up, Gay’s former training partner and Arkansas teammate Wallace Spearmon, finished in 19.98. Former LSU standout Xavier Carter was third in 20.27.
“It made me very, very happy; 19.5 had been one of the goals I had, but to do that in the first race is very pleasing,” Gay told reporters. “I wanted to work on my reaction and my start. Then I just ran. I ran for my life. When I came toward the finish line, I got kind of tight and I just wanted to bring it on in. I tried to push all the way through, just to see where my body is at.”
Several of the week’s leading national marks were turned in on Louisville’s Cardinal Park facility, site of the NCAA Mideast Regional.
Cory Thorne
Louisville’s Cory Thorne had the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase of the week (8:36.98).
Three winners in men’s field events ranked No. 1 for the week: Kentucky’s Rashaud Scott in the discus (216-2); LSU’s Walter Henning in the hammer throw (231-6), and Arkansas’ Mychael Stewart in the long jump (25-10 3/4).
And two of the women’s field event champions at Louisville led the nation: Purdue’s Kara Patterson in the javelin (192-1), and Indiana State’s Lauren Martin in the triple jump (44-4 3/4).
BEST MARKS BY AMERICANS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 31
MEN
100 - 10.04 Jacoby Ford (Clemson) - Greensboro, N.C. 5/30
200 - 19.58 Tyson Gay (adidas) - New York, 5/30 World leader
400 - 44.75 LaShawn Merritt (Nike) - New York, 5/30
800 - 1:46.00 Khadevis Robinson (Nike) - New York, 5/30
1500 - 3:34.14 Leo Manzano (Nike) - New York, 5/30 U.S. leader
3000SC - 8:36.98 Cory Thorne (Louisville) - Louisville, 5/30
5000 - 13:03.06 Bernard Lagat (Nike) - New York, 5/30 U.S. leader
110H - 13.12 Terrence Trammell (TSA) - New York, 5/30
400H - 48.52 Bershawn Jackson (Nike) - New York, 5/30
HJ - 2.25/7-4.5 Scott Sellers (Kansas State) - Norman, Okla., 5/29
PV - 5.56/18-3 Jason Colwick (Rice) & Maston Wallace (Texas) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
LJ - 7.89/25-10.75 Mychael Stewart (Arkansas) - Louisville, 5/29
TJ - 16.81/55-2 Will Claye (Oklahoma) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
SP - 20.99/68-10.5 Ryan Whiting (Arizona State) - Eugene, Ore., 5/29
DT - 65.90/216-2 Rashaud Scott (Kentucky) - Louisville, 5/30
HT - 70.56/231-6 Walter Henning (LSU) - Louisville, 5/30
JT - 80.34/263-7 Chris Hill (Georgia) - Greensboro, N.C., 5/29
Dec - 8516 Trey Hardee (Nike) - Gotzis, Austria, 5/31 U.S. leader
WOMEN
100 - 11.04 Shalonda Solomon (Reebok) - New York, 5/30
200 - 22.34 Lauryn Williams (Nike) - New York, 5/30 World leader
400 - 50.50 Allyson Felix (adidas) - New York, 5/30 World leader
800 - 1:59.29 Anna Willard (Nike) - New York, 5/30 World leader
1500 - 4:03.96 Christin Wurth-Thomas (Nike) - New York, 5/30 U.S. leader
3000SC - 9:26.20 Jenny Barringer (Colorado) - Norman, Okla., 5/30 World leader
5000 - 15:32.39 Jen Rhines (adidas) - New York, 5/30
100H - 12.88 Seun Adigun (Houston) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
400H - 55.44 Tiffany Williams (Reebok) - New York, 5/30
HJ - 1.93/6-4 Sharon Day (Asics) - Havana, Cuba, 5/29
PV - 4.81/15-9.25 Jenn Stuczynski (adidas) - New York, 5/30 World leader
LJ - 6.72/22-0.75 Funmi Jimoh (Nike) - Belgrade, Serbia, 5/29 & Brianna Glenn (adidas) - New York, 5/30
TJ - 13.53/44-4.75 Lauren Martin (Indiana State) - Louisville, 5/30
SP - 18.43/60-5.75 Michelle Carter (unat) - New York, 5/30
DT - 63.97/209-10 Stephanie Brown Trafton (Nike) - New York, 5/30
HT - 69.76/228-10 Amber Campbell (Mjolnir) - Havana, Cuba, 5/30
JT - 58.56/192-1 Kara Patterson (Purdue) - Louisville, 5/30
Hept - 6,063 Sharon Day (Asics) - Havana, Cuba 5/30 U.S. leader
3 Comments | 
100 meters, 100-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, 200 meters, 4-by-100 relay, 4-by-400 relay, 400 meters, 400-meter hurdles, 800 meters, Allyson Felix, Amber Campbell, Andrew Hackney, Anna Willard, Arizona State University, Arkansas, Ashley Muffet, Ashley Trimble, Asics, Beijing Olympics, Bernard Lagat, Bershawn Jackson, Brianna Glenn, Cardinal Park, Chase Madison, Chinwe Okoro, Chris Hill, Christin Wurth-Thomas, Clemson, Colorado, Corey Thorne, Cory Thorne, Decathlon, Eastern Kentucky University, Emilee Strot, Emily Strot, Funmi Jimoh, Gavin Smellie, Hammer throw, Houston, Icahn Stadium, Indiana State University, Jacoby Ford, Janet Jesang, Jason Colwick, Javelin, Jen Rhines, Jenn Stuczynski, Jenny Barringer, Jere' Summers, Joseph Maina, Josh Greenwald, Kansas State, Kara Patterson, Khadevis Robinson, Khadija Abdullah, Kristin Smith, LSU, LaShawn Merritt, Lafayette High School, Lauren Martin, Lauryn Williams, Leo Manzano, Maston Wallace, Matt Hughes, Miaie Williams, Michael Johnson, Michelle Carter, Mideast Regional, Mychael Stewart, NCAA Track and Field Championships, Nike, Oklahoma University, Olympics, Purdue University, Rachel Gehret, Rashaud Scott, Reebok, Reebok Grand Prix, Rice, Rondel Sorrillo, Ryan Whiting, Scott Sellers, Seidre Forde, Seun Adigun, Shalonda Solomon, Sharon Day, Stephanie Brown Trafton, Steve Hnat, TSA, Tarah McKay, Terrence Trammell, Texas, Tiffany Williams, Tone Belt, Trey Hardee, Triple jump, Tyson Gay, U.S. Olympic Trials, U.S. leader, USA Outdoor Championships, USA Track & Field, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Usain Bolt, Wallace Spearmon, Walter Henning, Western Kentucky University, Will Claye, World Championships, World leader, Xavier Carter, adidas, discus, heptathlon, high jump, long jump, pole vault, shot put | 
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Posted by Mark Maloney
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