Tracksters Head to NCAA Mideast Regional

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Fifteen Middle Tennessee tracksters begin action Friday in the NCAA Mideast Regional at Audrey J. Walton Stadium on the University of Missouri campus. The Top 5 finishers in each event qualify for the NCAA Championships in two weeks. Competitors may also qualify for the national championships with an at-large bid after all four NCAA regionals are completed. Seniors Orlando Reid and Juan Walker head the list of sprinters this weekend. Reid has qualified in both the 100- and 200-meters and Walker will take part in the 110-meter hurdles and the long jump. Both athletes are also part of the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays for the Blue Raiders. Reid's time of 20.53 in the 200 ranks fifth nationally and his mark of 10.29 in the 100 is 12th in the country. He was an All-American in 2006 in the 200-meters, earning the 80th All-America honor in program history under 43rd-year head coach Dean Hayes. Walker's time of 13.80 in the high hurdles ranks 18th in the nation and his mark of 25-6.25 in the long jump is 11th in the country. Walker also qualified for the regional meet in the 400-meter hurdles and the triple jump, but will not participate in those events. Teammate Carlos Morgan also jumped 25-6.25 in the long jump two weeks ago at the Sun Belt Championships and will be joined in the field events by senior James Thomas, who will compete in the hammer throw. Senior Sean Waller will run in the 400-meters as well as the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. Sophomore Samuel Adade, junior Jermaine Barton, freshman Phillip Tanner and Waller are also part of the relay squads and alternates for the regional meet. For the Middle Tennessee women, senior Veronia Patterson owns the 20th best time in the Mideast Region in the 400-meters (54.00) and the 13th fastest mark in the 400-meter hurdles (59.60). Sophomore Erika Palmer ranks 19th in the region in the 100-meters with a time of 11.62, while the women's 4x400-meter relay team of sophomore TraMayne Gillyard, freshman Sarah Nambawa, senior Shanna-Kay Campbell and Patterson owns the 14th best mark with a time of 3:38.12. In the field events junior Stephanie Tamgho ranks 10th in the Mideast in the long jump with a mark of 20-3 and Nambawa is 10th in the triple jump with a mark of 41-10.75. Freshmen MeLyn Thompson and Brittany Cox both qualified in the shot put, posting marks of 50-8.75 and 48-2.5, respectively. A schedule of events as well as live results for this weekend's meet may be found at http://mutigers.cstv.com/ncaatrack/schedule.html.

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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