May 28, 2010

Complete Results

Complete Results

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Junior Richard Lowe improved his school record in the 400m hurdles to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships as five University of Memphis track and field athletes wrapped up day two of competition at the 2010 NCAA East Regional on Friday.

A school record holder in the 400m hurdles, Lowe entered Friday looking to improve his record and advance to Eugene, Ore, for the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships slated to begin June 11. Lowe posted a time of 50.79 seconds to break his previous record of 51.13 seconds and advance as the 12^th qualifier from the NCAA East Regional.  The Kansas City, Mo., native is the first Tiger 400m hurdler to advance and he joins senior thrower Steffen Nerdal as qualifiers for the National Championships from the U of M.

"Richard ran a great race and he finally gets a shot to run in the national championships," head coach Kevin Robinson said. "He is a warrior on the track and I couldn't be happier for him."

Competing in temperatures approaching 90 degrees at North Carolina A&T's Irwin Bell Track, sophomore hurdler Robert Jackson clocked a time of 13.92 seconds in heat four of the 110m hurdles to advance. The Snellville, Ga., native will lace up his spikes for the semi-final scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday.

"Robert ran very well today," Robinson said. "He posted the second-fastest time of his career and if he can duplicate that performance tomorrow, he will assure himself a spot at the NCAA Championships."

Junior sprinter LaShundra Kershaw attempted to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 100m dash, but fell .06 seconds shy of qualifying. With a time of 11.517 seconds, Kershaw missed the 12^th-place qualifying time of 11.46 seconds.

Just prior to a severe weather delay, Kershaw returned to the track for the 200m dash. The Lambert, Miss., native posted a time of 23.85 seconds to advance to the semi-finals tomorrow night at 7:50 p.m.

"LaShundra just missed the cut off in the 100m dash which was very tough to handle," Robinson said. "It is hard to bounce back after that, but she is a fighter and refused to accept defeat and she qualified for the semifinals in the 200m dash. She ran a smart, conservative race to advance in the 200m dash."

After posting a bronze medal finish in the high jump at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships, junior jump specialist Jerome Leslie looked to build on the late season momentum and advance to Eugene, Ore. Leslie cleared the first height of 2.01m (6-07.00) on his first attempt, but couldn't clear 2.06m (6-09.00) in three attempts.

"Overall, it was a great day for us today," Robinson said. "I look forward to coming out here tomorrow and seeing who else we can send to Eugene, Ore."

At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, senior thrower Seth Major and Nerdal will start day three of competition for the Tigers in the discus throw competition.