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June 1, 2005
Eight Cavaliers, led by three-time NCAA participant Inge Jorgensen, will make their way to Sacramento for the NCAA Track & Field Championships, which will take place June 8-11 on the campus of Sacramento State. Jorgensen, who was an All-American in 2001 and 2004, is currently ranked fourth in the nation in the javelin. Kellen Blassingame, the school-record holder in the 400m run, is making his second appearance at the NCAA meet, while Annie Bobiak, Billie Jo Grant, McGavock Dunbar, Tomika Ferguson, David Sullivan and Erin Crawford are all making their inaugural appearance at the NCAA meet.
Jorgensen is a four-time ACC Champion in the javelin, having won in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. She took fourth in the javelin in 2001 and eighth in 2004, earning a pair of All-American honors. She is also a two-time invitee to the US Olympic Trials (2000, 2004). Jorgensen followed up her 2005 ACC title with the NCAA East Regional title, earning her a berth in the NCAA meet.
Bobiak, the 2003 ACC javelin champion, earned an at-large bid to the NCAAs thanks to her PR 46.90m earlier this year. At the NCAA East Regional meet, Bobiak had a very consistent series, defeating three athletes ranked above her going into the meet to finish sixth overall. This appearance in Sacramento will be Bobiak’s second in five years; she also participated in the Golden West Invitational as a senior in high school (Villa Maria Academy). Bobiak and Jorgensen will open up competition on Wednesday (June 8) at 8:30 pm (PT).
Grant, in her first year at the University of Virginia, won the ACC discus title and already ranks as the #2 performer all-time in that event at UVa. Her 174′ 4″ is just 3′ 1″ short of the UVa record and she is ranked 16th going into the NCAA weekend. The discus competition starts on Wednesday (June 8) at 11:00 am.
School record holder Crawford is ranked seventh in the nation in the 400 intermediate hurdles, and she is making her first appearance at the NCAA meet. Crawford ran a 57.06 en route to her bronze medal at the ACC Championships, beating the old record by .05. The first round of the NCAA competition starts at 6:10 (PT) Thursday (June 9).
Ferguson set a personal-best leap of 13.08m in the triple jump at the Lou Onesty/Milton G. Abramson meet. She will begin competition in the triple jump on Friday (June 10) at 7:30 pm (PT).
School-record holder Sullivan will compete in the pole vault competition, where he enters the meet ranked eighth in the nation. His 17′ 6.75″ jump at ACCs earned him a silver medal. He will open up on Wednesday (June 8) at 6:00 pm.
Blassingame is making his second appearance in the NCAA meet. He hold the record at UVa in the 400m, running a 46.02 at ACCs where he took second. He bested his record of 46.18 set last year en route to the runner-up finish at ACCs. The 400m competition begins on Wednesday (June 8) at 6:10 pm (PT). He is ranked 15th in the nation entering the meet.
Dunbar won the ACC outdoor title in the 800m in 2003 and has scored in every outdoor 800m ACC race since his arrival at UVa. He ranks eighth all-time at UVa in the event. This is his first trip to NCAAs, and he opens competition on Wednesday (June 8) at 4:15 pm.