May 20, 2010

TUCSON, Ariz. – With the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships complete, three University of Memphis throwers will travel to Tucson, Ariz., for the Tucson Elite Throwers Classic hosted by the University of Arizona.

Competing for the Tigers at the Tucson Elite Throwers Classic will be seniors, Steffen Nerdal and Seth Major, and junior Knut Syversen. Nerdal will throw hammer and discus while Major will throw discus and shot put. Syversen has been entered in shot put, hammer and discus.

“This will be Steffen’s first true test of the outdoor season,” head coach Kevin Robinson said. “He goes in as the number four qualifier with the three guys ahead of him all professional throwers. It is a great opportunity for Steffen to compete against some really high quality hammer throwers and it will allow him to get a feel for a very high level of competition before the NCAA Regional next weekend.”

The men’s hammer throw competition begins at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the discus throw at 6:30 p.m. The shot put will be the nightcap with a scheduled start time of 8:30 p.m.

“For both Knut and Seth, it is an opportunity for them to compete against high level competition,” Robinson said. “This event will allow them to sharpen their skills and not be shocked by the competition level at the NCAA Regional.”

With the restructuring of the NCAA Track and Field Championships, the regional sites serve as qualifying rounds for the NCAA Championships, with the top 12 finishers in each event advancing to the NCAA meet June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore. Each regional will have 48 athletes in each event.

No results from the Tucson Elite Throwers Classic will count toward NCAA rankings.