Track Teams Host Blue Raider Invitational

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Middle Tennessee's track teams host the Blue Raider Invitational Saturday at Murphy Center, the second of three home meets this season. Senior Juan Walker and freshman Brittany Cox drew the most headlines at last week's Kentucky Invitational. Walker placed in four events, qualifying provisionally for the NCAA Championships with a personal-best 7.77 in the 60-meter hurdles. He also won the 60-meter dash, was second in the long jump and finished sixth in the triple jump. Cox broke the school record in the weight throw with a mark of 56-6, two inches better than the previous record held by Meaghan Byrd. Men's and women's teams from Western Kentucky, Milligan College, Southern Miss and Wallace State Community College and the men's team from Illinois will all be competing. Action begins at 10 a.m. and a schedule of events may be found at http://www.goblueraiders.com/content.cfm/id/22862. Also, results from the meet may be found at http://www.cfpitiming.com/2007%20Indoor%20season/MTSU_Jan_meet_2007/MTSU_Indoor_%20jan2007_meet.htm. WALKER HITS NCAA MARK: Senior Juan Walker posted a personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying time 7.77 in the 60-meter hurdles last Saturday at the Kentucky Invitational. Walker garnered All-America honors in 2006 in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Walker ranks first in the Sun Belt in five categories - 55-meter dash (6.31), 60-meter dash (6.77), 55-meter hurdles (7.33), 60-meter hurdles (7.77) and long jump (24-7), and also ranks second in the triple jump (48-10). Walker injured his knee just before the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships last spring and last weekend's meet was his first as a Blue Raider since then. His previous best time in the 60-meter hurdles was 7.85. "Coming back from being hurt, I was pretty happy to come back and do well in the first meet," Walker said. "And there was a professional athlete running in the race. I really wanted to beat him. Hopefully his coaches saw me for after this season." Walker says the practice activities he does for the jumping events help his running events and vice versa. "All of the bounding we do for the triple jump helps me with the hurdles and long jump. [The triple jump is] not really my favorite event, but I'm starting to get into it. And as I started progressing and getting bigger and stronger, the long jump has become one of my favorites. The bounding and the hurdles helps me with flexibility for both the long and triple jump." RAIDERS AT THE TOP: Middle Tennessee's men are ranked first or second in the Sun Belt in eight categories, with senior Juan Walker first in five of the lists. Walker leads the league in the 55-meter dash (6.31), 60-meter dash (6.77), 55-meter hurdles (7.33), 60-meter hurdles (7.77) and long jump (24-7), and also ranks second in the triple jump (48-10). Senior Orlando Reid is first in the 200-meters (21.37), while freshman William Songock ranks second in the mile (4:24.99). In the field events, junior Carlos Morgan is right behind Walker in the long jump (23-10.25) and senior James Thomas ranks first in the weight throw (54-8) and second in the shot put (49-1). On the women's side, senior Shanna-Kay Campbell is first in the 200-meters (24.90) and senior Veronia Patterson ranks second in the 400-meters (55.35). Freshmen Sarah Nambawa (2:22.49) and Sangau Zamzam (2:24.79) are first and second in the 800-meters. In the field events, junior Stephanie Tamgho leads the league in both the long jump (19-7.5) and triple jump (40-4) and junior Sierra Douglas is second in the long jump (18-2.75). Freshman Brittany Cox ranks first in the weight throw (56-6) and is second in the shot put (46-5). REID, WALKER BOTH IN DANDY DOZEN: Middle Tennessee seniors Juan Walker and Orlando Reid are both ranked in the Trackwire Dandy Dozen this week. Walker ranks 12th nationally in the 60-meter hurdles after his NCAA provisional mark of 7.77 in the finals of the event this past Saturday at Kentucky. His time in the hurdles is the third best in the nation so far this season. Reid is rated fifth in the country in the 200-meters after posting a time of 21.37 in the event at Kentucky. Reid's mark leads the Sun Belt and is just 17-hundredths of a second off his best time from last season.

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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