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June 2, 2007
The NCAA has extended bids to the 2007 NCAA Track and Field Championships to nine Virginia student-athletes, including 2006 All-American Erin Crawford and 2007 All-American Tomika Ferguson. In addition, four Cavaliers will compete in the 10K and two will run in the steeplechase, and school-record holder Yemi Ayeni, who ranks sixth nationally, will throw the discus. The NCAA meet will be held at Sacramento State in Sacramento, Calif. June 6-9.
Ayeni will open the competition in the discus after throwing a school-record 200′ 6″ in the East Regional. He opened the 2007 season with a school record in his first meet of the year; he has since smashed that record by becoming the first person in Virginia history to toss over 200 feet. The second-year will compete in the first round on Wednesday, June 6 at 7 p.m.
Jan Foerster and Stephanie Garcia, Virginia’s two steeplechasers who earned bids, will also compete on Wednesday night. Foerster took runner-up honors at both ACCs and the East Regional; his 8:44.74 ranks third in Virginia history and 13th nationally. Garcia also ranks third in Virginia history; she ranks 19th nationally and is third among true first-years.
Crawford, who set the school record in the 400 intermediate hurdles en route to her All-American finish at the NCAA meet in 2006, is ranked 12th nationally. She will open on Thursday, June 7.
The 10K finals will take place on Thursday night; Andrew Dumm, Virginia’s Fulbright Scholar, will compete before leaving for Jordan as part of the Fulbright program. The All-ACC honoree will run at 8:00, just before the women’s race at 8:40. The Cavalier women have three representatives in the 10K, including cross country All-Americans Kara Scanlin and Emily Harrison. Scanlin ranks fourth in UVa history and 12th nationally heading into the meet. Harrison has the sixth-fastest time at Virginia and is ranked 18th in the field, just ahead of Katie Read, who ranks seventh and 20th, respectively.
Tomika Ferguson, who earned All-American honors in the triple jump indoors, will open up competition in the triple on Friday afternoon at 3:15. She ranks 15th nationally but is only seven inches behind the no. 8 competitor nationally. Ferguson holds the school record both indoors and outdoors.