North Carolina Central University

TRACK & FIELD

     DURHAM, NC - Thirteen North Carolina Central University student-athletes will compete at the 2006 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships from May 25-27 at Fran Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.
     NCCU's six women and seven men are among the NCAA championship field of 620 participants, who qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.
     NCCU freshman Jessica Mills (Thorefare, N.J.) enters the national championship meet as the top triple jumper in the country with a season-best leap of 41-feet, 8-inches. Mills, the 2006 CIAA indoor and outdoor triple jump champion, earned indoor All-America honors with a seventh-place effort in her first national championship meet in March.
     A pair of NCCU seniors - Sharonda Arnold (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Christina Harris (Charlotte, N.C.) will be busy in their final collegiate competition.
     Arnold, a 2006 indoor All-American in the 400-meter dash, has qualified 11th in the 400m dash (55.27) and 14th in the 200m dash (24.39), while Harris has qualified for the long jump with the nation's second-best leap of 19-11.00. 
     The duo will then team up with junior Tiffany Mitchell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and freshman Tyfia Lee (Virgin Islands) for the nation's eighth-ranked 4x100m relay team, while Lee and freshman Ambria Alexander (Landover, Md.) make-up the eighth-ranked 4x400m relay squad.

NCCU Men Look For Top Five Finish
     The NCCU men are coming off their most successful NCAA indoor national championship with a sixth-place finish in March. The Eagles are hoping to become just the sixth men's team in school history to place in the top five at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. NCCU placed fifth in 1964 and 2002, fourth in 1965 and 1971, and third in 1963.
     NCCU junior Hakeem Mohammed (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and sophomore Maurice Gailey (Pensacola, Fla.) will compete in four events at the national championship meet.
     Mohammed currently ranks fourth in the 400m dash (46.44) and fifth in the 200m dash. Mohammed claimed All-America honors during the indoor season by placing third in the 400m dash. 
     Gailey, a 2006 indoor All-American in the 200m dash, ranks 12th in the 100m dash (10.53) and 14th in the 200m dash (21.14).
     Both Mohammed and Gailey will also run in the men's 4x100m and 4x400m relays. They will be joined by junior Jason Jowers (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and junior Dorian Turner (Irmo, S.C.) for the nation's fourth-ranked 4x100m relay team, while Turner and freshman Brandon Jones (Raleigh, N.C.) round out the sixth-ranked 4x400m relay squad.
     Jones is NCCU's top male qualifier as the second-ranked 800m runner in the nation with a time of 1:50.20. Jones was named male track MVP at the 2006 CIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships after winning the 800m, 1500m and 5000m runs.
     Turner, one of three NCCU All-Americans in the 2006 indoor 200m dash, will have a chance to repeat his honor during the outdoor season as the 17th qualifier (21.15) in the event.
    Other NCCU men's qualifiers are junior Shareef Muhammad (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the 400m hurdles (21st, 52.52) and freshman Eric Smalls (Raleigh, N.C.) in the shot put (12th, 55-02.75).

RESULTS:  http://flashresults.com/2006_Meets/outdoor/ncaa2
HOST SITE:  http://www.emporia.edu/athletics/track/champ/index.htm

Championship participants announced 
May 16, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee has announced the participants for the 2006 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. 

A total of 620 participants will compete in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event. 

The championships will be held May 25-27, at Fran Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. 

The complete list of qualifiers is available on the following Web sites:
Women's - www.flashresults.com/flashwest/lists/2006/06d2out-fnl-w.htm,
Men's - www.flashresults.com/flashwest/lists/2006/06d2out-fnl-m.htm. 

These Web sites are maintained by Flash Results West, a sports data service. 

For more information regarding the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, log on to www.NCAAsports.com.