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Andrews and Collins to Represent Virginia at NCAA Indoor Championships
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Virginia freshman Robby Andrews has earned an at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships as announced by the NCAA. Andrews will join redshirt sophomore Ryan Collins at the national meet this weekend, hosted by the University of Arkansas. Events will take place at Fayetteville’s Randal Tyson Track Center.
ESPN360.com will stream the championships live beginning at 8:55 p.m. on Friday and at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday. The NCAA.com will stream supplemental coverage as available when ESPN360.com is not live. Live results can be found on VirginiaSports.com.
Collins earned a berth into the NCAA Championships by hitting the automatic mark in the 5000m at the Husky Classic on Feb. 12. Collins shattered Virginia’s 21-year-old school record with his fourth-place finish of 13:46.41, replacing Kris Herdt’s time of 14:02.00 atop the program’s record boards. His mark was also just 14 seconds shy of the all-time ACC record set by Clemson’s Robert deBrouwer at 13:32.00 in 1985.
The two-time ACC Champion in the 5000m, Collins won his second-straight title at this year’s conference meet, leading all competitors across the line in 14:23.81. He is Virginia’s only ACC Champion in the 5k and this will mark his first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He enters the meet ranked fourth nationally and will race at 9 p.m. on Friday. Northern Arizona’s David McNeill holds the top time of 13:39.32.
Andrews earned an at-large bid to the championships in the 800m following an extremely successful freshman campaign. Andrews is currently undefeated in the event, as he won the 800m at the Armory on Feb. 13 and followed that up by earning Virginia it’s first ACC Championship in the 800m since McGavock Dunbar claimed the crown in 2005, and became UVa’s fourth overall individual 800m champion.
In his first season, Andrews ran the program’s third-fastest 800m time – a mark of 1:48.02 – at the Armory, provisionally qualifying him for NCAAs. He also anchored Virginia’s 4x800m relay team to victory at the Millrose Games on Jan. 29 and was a member of the UVa’s 4x800m team that broke Virginia Tech’s facility record at the Hokie Invitational on Jan. 22
Andrews was also a member of Virginia’s ACC Championship distance medley relay team – running the 1600m anchor leg.
Andrews will be making his first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships and is currently ranked 10th nationally in the event. Oregon’s Andrew Wheating leads the field with a time of 1:46.36. He will race in the prelims on Friday at 7:55 p.m., attempting to qualify for Saturday’s 8:35 p.m. finals.