Day-1 Results
COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of South Alabama senior Tonny Okello qualfied for his second consective NCAA Championships Friday evening at the Mideast Track and Field Regionals. Defending men's national 1500m champion Vincent Rono, and the nation's leader at the women's 400m hurdles, Ajoke Odumosu advance to Saturday's finals, which begin at 11 a.m., (CT). Full coverage of the meet will be web-streamed courtesy of http://mutigers.cstv.com/ncaatrack/?SPSID=38491&SPID=3261&DB_OEM_ID=8300 and www.cstv.com
Okello, the 5000m runner-up at last year's Regional in Knoxville, Tenn., needed a top-5 finish to move on the NCAA Championships, June 6-9 in Sacramento, Calif. The Lira, Uganda native found a spot in a five-man pack that closed on the line in a hurry and scored in the last automatic-qualifying position with a time of 14:03.32. Chris Solinsky of Wisconsin repeated as champion with a 14:00.71 clocking.
For Okello, it marks the seventh time in his Jag career that he has qualified for a NCAA Championship, the best in South Alabama history. The two-time cross country All-American has three fall finals appearance, one at the indoor nationals (Distance Medley Relay - 2006) and last year's All-American finish in the 5K.
The 5000m race was one of four contested finals on the day. The Jaguar's team score is four, placing them 16th overall, as Louisville (31 points) leads the men's competition,
In earlier preliminary heat action, the reigning Mideast and National 1500m champion, Rono, remained undefeated in now 18 tries at the metric mile distance, winning his heat in 3:45.46. Jake Watson of Notre Dame posted the fastest qualifying time for tomorrow's final at 3:34.90.
The Bomet, Kenya native also notched the second-best time in the 800m with his 1:48.96 Heat-3 win. Andrew Ellerton of Michigan leads all half-milers at 1:47.43.
Six-time Sun Belt Conference outdoor champion Odumosu, breezed to the finals of the 400m hurdles as the top qualifier with a time of 57.32.
Other 800m action saw senior Oluwagbenga Awoleye and Clarisse Moh fail to qualify for the finals. Awoleye was 15th in the men's two-lapper at 1:51.01. Moh, the SBC's indoor and outdoor champion at this event ran a lifetime best of 2:08.36, but finished 12th.
Rounding out the Friday paticipants for the Jags were Christophe DuMee's 14th overall showing in the 110m hurdles preliminary rounds and LaToria English's 25th-place finish in the women's long jump final. DuMee's time of 14.39 did not qualify hime for the finals, and English's best mark of on the afternoon was 5.32m (17' 5.5").
