FORT WORTH, Texas– After claiming nine gold medals at the Mountain West Conference Championships, the TCU track & field program will gear up to stake its claim at the national level this weekend at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Eugene, Ore. The Horned Frogs will have 23 athletes competing for advancement into the NCAA Championships final rounds, June 8-11.
The NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in the NCAA Championships are being held at E.C. Billy Hayes Track on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington.
The NCAA Selection Committee accepted the top 48 performers in each individual event and the top 24 relay teams in both relays to compete at each site hosting the NCAA Preliminary Rounds for a total of 96 individuals and 48 relays competing in each event nationwide.
When competing in the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, the top 12 finishers in each open and relay event will qualify for the national semifinal and final rounds of the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
LAST TIME OUT: 2011 MOUNTAIN WEST OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP
The TCU track and field team swept the 100-meter and 200-meter titles on the way to winning nine gold medals at the 2011 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships, held at the Jack Christiansen Track on the campus of Colorado State University.
Following the meet, sophomore Charles Silmon was honored with the Men’s Most Outstanding Performer award for the second year in a row and marking the third time in program history TCU has garnered the prestigious honor. Former Frog Otis McDaniel was the first TCU athlete to accept the award from the MWC in 2006. Silmon claimed the men’s 100 meter and 200 meter titles, while anchoring the Frogs’ gold medal 4×100 relay.
On the women’s side, senior Jessica Young took the 100-meter title by clocking a new venue record and would later pace the field in the 200-meter dash, while anchoring the Frogs’ gold medal 4×400 relay. Junior Whitney Gipson also stood out for TCU, winning the gold medal in the women’s long jump with a TCU record mark of 21-8 1/4. The Newark, Texas, native became the first Frog to win an outdoor long jump title, breaking the venue record for the event.
TCU IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS
The Frogs have several student-athletes ranked amongst the tops in the West Region, according to TFRRS. Senior Jessica Young is currently the No. 5 woman in the country in the 100 meters (11.12w), No. 11 in the 200 meters(23.05) and No. 5 in the 400 meters (52.27).
Sophomore Charles Silmon is No. 8 in the men’s 100 meters (10.19w) and No. 7 in the 200-meters after posting a time of 20.60 at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational. Senior Mychal Dungey ran his personal-best at the Michael Johnson Classic to be ranked No. 11 in the men’s 400 meters (45.64). In the men’s 800 meters, Jack O’Brien enters this weekend ranked No. 14 nationally. The men’s 4×100 currently sits No. 7 in the NCAA, while the women’s 4×400 is currently No. 16. The women’s 4×100 is listed at No. 20.
From the infield, women’s long jumper Whitney Gipson ranks third in the NCAA this spring with a long leap of 20-8 1/4, while men’s triple jumper Cameron Parker is listed at No. 12 with a distance of 51-9 1/4 from the Texas Relays. Sophomore Kelsey Samuels is currently ranked No. 19 in the women’s shot put with a top mark of 51-10 1/2.
TOP MARKS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
After the completion of the 2011 MWC Outdoor Championships, TCU holds the league’s top mark in 14 different events. Overall, the Horned Frogs lead the conference in the men’s 100, 200, 400, 800, 110-meter hurdles, 4×100, 4×400 and triple jump. On the women’s side, the Purple and White top the conference in the 100, 200, 400, 4×100, 4×400 and long jump.
