LIVE RESULTS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - South Alabama junior, Vincent Rono, the Mideast Regional Champion at 1500m, used his patented finishing kick to run the fastest collegiate time in the country (3:40.19) at the NCAA Track and Field Championships 1500m semifinals, Thursday. The time breaks the late David Kimani's school record of 3:40.58 set at the NCAA Championships in 2000, when he finished fourth. Rono defeated Stephen Pifer of Colorado, who was No. 1 ranked in the event, ACC champion from Florida State, Tom Lancashire (finished second, 3:40.62), and Midwest Regional winner Leonel Manzano (third, 3:40.90). Rono now has a new lifetime best and remains undefeated in seven races on the year. The finals set for 4:04 p.m. (CT) on Saturday.
Fellow junior Ajoke Odumosu finished second in her heat of the 400m hurdles and moves on to the semifinals. Odumosu ran 57.30 to Nicole Leach's (UCLA) personal best of 56.61. The time for the Sun Belt Conference 400m hurdle record-holder was seventh-fastest in qualifying. The semifinals are scheduled for 8:10 p.m. (CT) on Friday. The championship race will begin at 2:52 p.m. (CT) on Saturday.
On Wednesday, South Alabama's Tonny Okello advanced to the 5000m final scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m. (CT). Okello had the 14th fastest time in qualifying. Shadrack Songok of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ran 13:55.32, leading what looks to be a fast final as five athletes went under 14 minutes for the 3.1mile race. If Okello finishes in the top-8, he will become the first Jaguar track and field All-American since Kimani achieved the feat in 2000. Okello, the Mideast Regional runner-up in this event, is South Alabama's only two-time cross country All-American, earning the honor in 2004 and 2005.
The 2006 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships will feature 4½ hours of live television coverage College Sports Television (CSTV) plans to air two hours of Friday’s competition. CSTV will broadcast two hours of competition (7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Central) on Friday, June 9. CBS earlier announced that it would air 2½ hours of live coverage (2:30 to 5 p.m. Central) on Saturday, June 10, the final day of the four-day collegiate championships.
Outdoor Track and Field Schedule
June 7-10 - NCAA Championships
