May 11, 2005

Memphis, Tenn. - As the Memphis track and field teams travel to Houston for the Conference USA Outdoor Championships on Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14, three U of M athletes will enter the meet topping the conference rankings in their events.

Leading the way is senior Daniel Kiss, who heads the conference list and ranks second in both the nation and the Mideast Region with his time of 13.49s in the 110m hurdles. After posting five of the top six times in the conference this season, the Budapest, Hungary will be a favorite to pick up his first C-USA title, a feat he narrowly missed earlier this year when he finished second in the 60m hurdles at the indoor championships.

A second Tiger to lead the C-USA rankings entering the meet is Janon Busby, who has registered the top mark of 51-00.25" (15.55m) in the triple jump. The senior will look for a sweep of the conference triple jump crowns in Houston after taking the indoor title in March. The Mobile, Ala., native will also have a strong chance to score in the high jump, an event in which he ranks fifth entering the meet and placed fourth in at indoor championships.

A third senior, Lisa-Marie Hyman will enter her final conference meet in a familiar position, as she tops the C-USA rankings in the women's triple jump with a bound of 42-00.75" (12.82m). The three-time Conference USA Triple Jump Champion, who won an indoor title in 2003 and outdoor crowns in 2002 and 2003, will be a favorite to pick up her fourth medalist honor and become the first Lady Tiger ever to win four conference championships in one event.

Outside the conference leaders, numerous athletes sit in position to make significant scoring contributions at C-USA Championships. On the men's side, Regional qualifiers Brandon Winbush and Norbert Gulyas rank fourth in the long jump and discus, with marks of 24-06.25" (7.47m) and 165-04" (50.39m), respectively. Gulyas also sits at eighth in the shot put with a toss of 50-03.25" (15.33m).

Additionally, Austin Hunter, who ranks eighth in the 400m with a time of 47.99s, Darius Frye, who ranks eighth in the discus with a mark of 151-04" (46.12m), and the 4x100m relay team of Kiss, Gary Nemeth, Willie Green, and Daniel Bandy, with a time of 40.79s, all sit in scoring position entering the meet. Frye and Green will also have solid chances to enter to top eight in the shot put and 100m, respectively, where they currently rank ninth with marks of 49-11.25" (15.22m) and 10.54s.

On the women's side, Chen Edri and Daniele Riendeau are the second highest ranked Lady Tigers entering the meet. Edri sits at fifth in both the high jump and javelin with marks of 5-08.00" (1.73m) and 136-03" (41.52m), respectively, while Riendeau ranks fifth in the 1500m with a time of 4:32.56.

Josetta Brooks and Sivan Aballi are the only remaining U of M athletes to go into the C-USA meet with top-eight rankings, as the sit at eighth in the 400m hurdles and discus, after posting marks of 1:03.01s and 144-10" (44.15m), respectively.

Just outside the scoring picture entering the meet are Annette Uzoh, Mary Claire Dake and Sue-Ann Bowen. Uzoh ranks ninth in both the shot put and hammer with tosses of 43-01.75" (13.15m) and 148-10" (45.37m), while Dake is ninth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 11:31.53 and Bowen is tenth in the 400m with a time of 56.21s.

The track and field teams will travel to Houston Wednesday morning in preparation to begin competition on Thursday morning. Events are scheduled to begin with the decathlon and heptathlon at 9 a.m. Thursday, and will run throughout the day on each day of the meet.

Live results for the C-USA Championships can be followed at www.flashresults.com/flashtexas, while results and recaps for each day will be posted at gotigersgo.com.