Story Links
June 19, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE – Six Virginia student-athletes have earned berths in the 2007 USA Track and Field national championships and will compete this week in Indianapolis, Ind. All-Americans and school record holders Erin Crawford (400IH) and Tomika Ferguson (triple jump) and three-time school record holder Kellen Blassingame (400m) will compete in the senior division while first-years Alex Bowman (800m), Meghan Briggs (jav) and Stephanie Garcia (steeple) will compete in the juniors meet. The meet will take place at the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Ind.
“It’s always a feather in our program’s cap to have our student-athletes represented at the U.S. Championships and the U.S. Junior Championships,” saod head coach Randy Bungard. “This is the best in the world and you have to qualify to get there. I’m proud of and excited for our group. They have earned this opportunity.”
Crawford, who earned All-American honors in the 400 intermediate hurdles in 2006, set the school record with her All-American performance at the NCAA meet in 2006. She is the only person in school history to run a sub-57 in the intermediates and she also ranks in the top-10 all-time at Virginia in the indoor 400m dash.
Ferguson earned All-American honors indoors in 2007 and is one of only two Cavaliers in history to leap 43 feet in the triple jump. She ranked second in the nation in 2007 in her specialty with her 43′ 4.25″ that she hit at the ECAC meet.
Blassingame holds the school records in both the indoor and outdoor 400m dashes and also helped set the school record in the distance medley relay. Blassingame ranks in the top-10 in school history in both the indoor and outdoor 200m dashes as well.
Briggs took home runner-up honors in the javelin at the ACC meet in her first year as a collegiate thrower; her 45.84m (150′ 5″) ranks her fifth all-time in school history. She ranked sixth in the nation among freshman. Garcia qualified for the NCAA meet as a true first-year and ranked third nationally among freshmen in the steeplechase. She ranks third all-time in Virginia with her 10:26.78. Bowman ranked second on the team in the 800m, running a 1:52.55.
Bowman, Ferguson and Blassingame will open up competition on Thursday, June 21 while Crawford, Garcia and Briggs will compete on Friday.