North Carolina Central University

OUTDOOR TRACK

     EDWARDSVILLE, IL - North Carolina Central University senior sprinter Jason Smoots qualified for the 200-meter dash finals Friday at the 2003 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Edwardsville, Illinois.
     Smoots, a six-time National Champion from Gadsden, Alabama, posted a career-best time of 20.99 to place third in the fourth heat of the 200m preliminaries. He will now have two chances to win his seventh national title on Saturday - his last day of competition as an amateur - running in the 100m dash finals at 5:50 p.m. (6:50 p.m. EST) and the 200m dash finals at 6:50 p.m. (7:50 p.m. EST).
     Freshman Brian Hope (Raleigh, NC) missed the finals by just two spots with the 10th fastest time in the 200m preliminaries (21.33), while sophomore Detric Branch (Garner, NC) ran a 22.42.
     Sophomore Chanda Powell (Durham, NC) posted the fourth fastest time (14.16) in the 100m hurdles preliminaries to advance to Saturday's final at 5:20 p.m. (6:20 p.m. EST). She will also compete in the long jump final at 6:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. EST).
     Sophomore Steven Enoch (Burlington, NC) earned All-America honors for the second straight outdoor season after an eighth place leap of 7.21 meters (23' 8") in the long jump.