May 12, 2004

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LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The University of Memphis Men's and Women's Track & Field teams will travel to Louisville, Ky. for the 2004 Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Louisville will host the 2004 C-USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the second time in league history this week. The competition will be held at Cardinal Park Track Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville from May 13-15.

The University of Memphis has several athletes that could contend for event titles and the men's team is aiming for a top-three finish in the final team standings. The Men are led by their throwers and 2003 C-USA Outdoor Male Athlete of the Year Senior Gaute Myklebust. Myklebust won both the shot put and discus at last year's C-USA Championships with marks of 18.78m and 56.82m respectively. His mark of 18.78m in the shot put set a new school record and remains his career personal best mark. In 2004, his marks of 18.12m (shot put) and new school record mark of 60.85m (discus) both rank No. 1 in C-USA entering this weekend's meet making Myklebust the favorite in each event. Senior Throwers Adam Martin (hammer, shot put) and Stein Syverson (shot put) both rank in the top five in the shot put and Martin ranks seventh in the hammer throw entering the meet. Martin has battled a back injury that has kept him out of competition much of this spring. In 2003 he placed third in the hammer throw. If healthy, he is capable of duplicating that performance giving the Tigers an opportunity to score an abundance of points in the throwing events. Freshmen Darius Frye and Norbert Gulyas are also entered in the shot put and discus. Both rank in the top ten in each event and could give the Tigers bonus points should they place.

In the distance events, the Hungarian trio of Senior Mate Nemeth, Sophomore Istvan Kerekjarto and Sophomore Szilard Toth are the top contenders for the Tigers. Nemeth won both the 3000m Steeplechase and 5000m run at the 2003 C-USA Championships, his time (8:45.88) in the steeplechase is 29 seconds better than the next best time in C-USA entering the race making him the clear-cut favorite to repeat as champion in the event in 2004. This weekend will be the first time Nemeth competes in the 5000m run. Kerekjarto enters the meet ranked No. 1 in both the 800m (1:48.13) and 1500m (3:44.22). These events are highly competitive in C-USA, but Kerekjarto enters each race as the top seed. Toth ranks third in the 1500m with a time of 3:53.34 entering the race. The Tigers are eyeing two top-five finishers in the race. Other distance runners competing this weekend are: Michael Mentz (800m, 1500m), Abraham Shaposhnik (800m) and Szaboles Karadi (5000m, 10000m). Women's distance runners Ali Baker (800m), Daniele Riendeau (1500m) and Kara Cassel (3000m Steeplechase) are the Lady Tigers strongest entering the meet. Baker ranks 12th in the conference entering the race and holds the school record (2:14.34) in the event. Freshmen Riendeau and Cassel have emerged this spring for the Lady Tigers and will compete for the first time in the C-USA Outdoor Championships hoping to gain valuable experience for the future. Mary Claire Dake (800m), Becca McMahon (800m), Shermekia Plez (800m), Nora Nemere (3000m Steeplechase), and Michel Wilson (1500m) will also compete in distance events for the Lady Tigers this weekend.

The Tigers have entered five sprinters in the meet. Ivan Williams, Willie Green and Michael Woods will compete in the 100m and 200m dashes. Williams enters the 200m ranked in the top-10. Freshman Larry Harris will compete in the 400m hurdles. He ranks fifth in the event entering the meet and will try to score points for the Tigers as a freshman. Preston Taylor will run the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles. In 2003, he placed seventh in the 110m hurdles. Austin Hunter has battled a knee injury this spring, but will compete in the 400m. Hurdler Daniel Kiss suffered a stress fracture to his left leg at the C-USA Indoor Championships. He has missed the entire outdoor season and has been ruled out for this weekend's outdoor championship. The junior from Budapest, Hungary hoped to recover in time to compete this weekend. In 2003, the Lady Tigers excelled in the sprinting events with Keenan Gibson winning the 100m and placing second in the 200m, Josetta Brooks placing in the 100m hurdles and Chanel Dunn placing in the 100m. Gibson has exhausted her eligibility and Dunn is not available for this weekend's meet. In 2004, Sue-Ann Bowen and Josetta Brooks return as the Lady Tigers' top sprinters entering the meet this weekend. Bowen ranks in the top-10 in the 400m with a time of 55.62. Brooks may not compete in the hurdles this weekend as she is battling injuries and is listed as an alternate. Freshmen LaShunda Flake and Alicia Marner will compete in the 100m and 200m, while Sheena Ohlig is entered din the 100m hurdles and Tabitha Russell is entered in the 400m hurdles.

The Lady Tigers strongest area is the jumps. Junior Victoria Crawford will compete in the heptathlon, an event she holds the school record in (4,708 pts.), the triple jump (ranks fourth in C-USA), the long jump and high jump. Crawford has been the Lady Tigers top athlete this spring and looks to showcase her talents at the conference meet this weekend. Freshman Cassandra Harding will compete in the triple jump and long jump. She ranks in the top-five in the triple jump. Last year, Lisa-Marie Hyman won the triple jump competition. Hyman will not compete for Memphis this weekend, but the Lady Tigers could have two top-five finishers in the event in 2004. Lindsay Cade and Shelly Alexin will compete in the high jump this weekend. The Tigers have two jumpers competing this weekend. Junior Janon Busby is entered in the high jump and triple jump. Busby is finally healthy after battling nagging ankle injuries this spring. He could be a sleeper for the Tigers and may place high in both events giving the Tigers points in events they did not have any competitors in last year. Freshman Cody Rushing will compete in the decathlon, pole vault and javelin.

The three-day meet begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 13, with the heptathlon and other combined events until 4 p.m. when the men and women will both compete in the hammer throw. Running events begin at 6:30 p.m. that night with the finals of the women's 10,000-meter run and the men's 10,000-meter run. On the second day of competition, the combined events will wrap up in the morning and field events will follow, beginning at 3 p.m. Trials for the running events will start at 4:30 p.m. The meet concludes on Saturday with the last of the field events at 10 a.m. and the finals of the running events, beginning at 1 p.m.

An awards presentation, in which the Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year Awards for both men and women will be announced, is scheduled for 3:50 p.m. on Saturday, May 15 immediately following the conclusion of the meet.

Last year, TCU claimed the crown on the men's side while USF took top honors for the women. Greg Thiel of USF was named the women's Coach of the Year while Monte Stratton of TCU garnered the men's Coach of the Year honors. This year's championship will see the return of All-American thrower Dayana Octavien of USF. Octavien, the 2003 C-USA Athlete of the Year, will look to defend her outdoor titles in the discus (2002, 2003) and hammer throw (2003). On the men's side, Jackson Langat and Jabari Fields of TCU will return to lead the Horned Frogs. Langat and Fields won two events apiece at last season's championship.

For live results during competition go to All Trax Timing at www.alltraxtiming.com/ To view updated performance rankings from throughout the season, go to Flash

Results Texas (www.flashresults.com/flashtexas ).

2004 C-USA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

Thursday, May 13

Field Events
10:00 a.m. Heptathlon
10:30 a.m. Decathlon
4:00 p.m. Women's Hammer Throw
5:30 p.m. Men's Hammer Throw

Running Events
6:30 p.m. Women's 10,000m
7:15 p.m. Men's 10,000m

Friday, May 14

Field Events
9:00 a.m. Decathlon
9:30 a.m. Heptathlon
3:00 p.m. Women's Discus
3:00 p.m. Women's Long Jump
4:00 p.m. Men's Shot Put
5:00 p.m. Women's Javelin
5:00 p.m. Men's Long Jump
5:00 p.m. Women's Pole Vault
6:30 p.m. Women's High Jump

Running Events
4:30 p.m. Women's 1500m Trial
4:45 p.m. Men's 1500m Trial
5:05 p.m. Women's 100m Hurdle Trial
5:20 p.m. Men's 110m Hurdle Trial
5:30 p.m. Women's 400m Trial
5:45 p.m. Men's 400m Trial
6:00 p.m. Women's 100m Trial
6:10 p.m. Men's 100m Trial
6:20 p.m. Women's 800m Trial
6:35 p.m. Men's 800m Trial
7:00 p.m. Women's 400m Hurdle Trial
7:20 p.m. Men's 400m Hurdle Trial
7:35 p.m. Women's 200m Trial
7:55 p.m. Men's 200m Trial
8:15 p.m. Women's 3000m Steeplechase
8:30 p.m. Men's 3000m Steeplechase


Saturday, May 15

Field Events
10:00 a.m. Men's High Jump
10:00 a.m. Men's Discus
11:00 a.m. Women's Triple Jump
12:00 p.m. Men's Javelin
1:00 p.m. Men's Pole Vault
1:30 p.m. Men's Triple Jump
2:00 p.m. Women's Shot Put


Running Events
1:00 p.m. Women's 4x100m Relay
1:10 p.m. Men's 4x100m Relay
1:20 p.m. Women's 1500m Final
1:27 p.m. Men's 1500m Final
1:35 p.m. Women's 100m Hurdles Final
1:40 p.m. Men's 110m Hurdles Final
1:45 p.m. Women's 400m Final
1:50 p.m. Men's 400m Final
1:55 p.m. Women's 100m Final
2:00 p.m. Men's 100m Final
2:05 p.m. Women's 800m Final
2:10 p.m. Men's 800m Final
2:20 p.m. Women's 400m Hurdles Final
2:25 p.m. Men's 400m Hurdles Final
2:30 p.m. Women's 200m Final
2:35 p.m. Men's 200m Final
2:40 p.m. Women's 5000m Final
3:05 p.m. Men's 5000m Final
3:25 p.m. Women's 4x400m Relay
3:35 p.m. Men's 4x400m Relay
3:50 p.m. Presentation of Awards