Sam Tilly owns the 23rd-best long jump in the nation. Image courtesy of GoCamles.com
Date Posted: 5/29/2008
MACON, Ga. – Student-Athletes from Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Gardner-Webb, and Jacksonville make their way to regionals this weekend, hoping to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Regional Meets take place May 30-31 at four sites throughout the nation. The East Regional will be contended in Tallahassee, Fla., the Mid East Regional in Fayetteville, Ark., the Midwest Region in Lincoln, Neb., and the West Region in Northridge, Calif.
Following a third-consecutive Atlantic Sun Outdoor Track & Field Championship, the Jacksonville women send four athletes to the East Regional in Tallahassee, led by Natasha Harvey. A junior, Harvey qualified for regionals in three events: the long jump, 100-meter hurdles, and the heptathlon. Harvey goes to Tallahassee with the ninth-best qualifying mark in the long jump, recording a leap of 21-3 1/4 (6.48m) at the A-Sun Championships on May 16, setting a new meet record. She also placed third in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Harvey's teammate, Shaquania Lundy, also qualified in the long jump and has the nation's 18th best bound at 20-10 3/4 (6.37m). Additionally, she qualified in the triple jump. Joining Harvey and Lundy in individual events are Janel Grooms (800-meter run) and Unique Singleton (400-meter run). Grooms and Singleton also team with Danielle Davenport and J'Zotta Rolleto make up their regional-qualifying 4 x 400-meter relay team.
Three athletes from Gardner-Webb and high jumper Elizabeth Mize of Campbell will keep the Dolphins company in Tallahassee at the East Regional. Carrie Long (pole vault), Caryn Daane (shot put) and Elizabeth Maxwell (discus) won their respective events at the A-Sun Championship to earn automatic bids for the Bulldogs.
The Mid East Regional features two A-Sun institutions, Belmont and ETSU. Belmont's Lynette Rives highlights the group making the trip to Fayetteville. The junior will do double duty for the Bruins, competing in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. She met regional qualifying marks in both events, posting an 11.56 in the 100 at the A-Sun Championships and a 23.62 in the 200 at the Vanderbilt Invitational in April. She took gold in both events at the A-Sun Championships. Lauren Weaver and Brittany Thune are set to take the track in the 5,000-meter run and Elizabeth Pollock qualified in the 400-meter hurdles. For the Lady Bucs, Zachlynn Blackburn won the hammer throw at the A-Sun Championships for a bid to Fayetteville and Jenny Knox met regional standard in the 100. Knox will also run in the 4 x 100-meter relay along with Cagney Bailey, Christin Zink and Judy Johnson.
A quintet of student-athletes represent the A-Sun on the men's side of the East Region, with four athletes coming from Campbell and one from Gardner-Webb. Greg Dunston (100), Adoniss Jones (110-meter hurdles), Harold Simms (400-meter hurdles) and Sam Tilly (long jump) will compete for the Camels. Tilly won the long jump at the A-Sun Championship with flight that covered 25-10 1/2 (7.88m). Jerel Langley of Gardner-Webb will fling the javelin at the regional after taking gold at the A-Sun Championship.
In order to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, student-athletes must finish in the top five in an individual event or top three in a relay at the regional qualifying meet. Student-athletes can also hope for an at-large selection, chosen from a pool consisting of the next seven declared student-athletes/relay teams in each event based upon regional performance.
Men's Regional Qualifiers
