Okafor, Relay Set School Records at Last Chance

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Rosemary Okafor and the 4x400-meter relay team each set school records Saturday for Middle Tennessee at the Last Chance Invitational in Ames, Iowa.

Okafor broke the 400-meter mark set last week by Kishara George, running a personal-best 52.93 to take second in the event at the meet. Okafor's time should get her into the national championships next week.

George also set a personal-best, placing fifth in the event in a time of 54.13.

In the men's 200-meters, senior Xavier Darden set a personal-best in running 21.29. Sophomore Sean Waller ran an NCAA provisional time of 47.23 in the 400-meters, a personal indoor record for the Hunters Lane High School product.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Victor Okorie, Darden, Tim Hicks and Waller placed fifth in a school-record time and NCAA provisional mark of 3:08.32, almost two seconds faster than last week's winning time at the Sun Belt Championships. The relay team will be right on the edge of making next week's national championships.

The only other Middle Tennessee participants on Saturday were 60-meter hurdlers Linnie Yarbrough and Garland Martin, who posted times of 7.96 and 7.97, respectively, in the prelims and did not make the finals.

Qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be announced Monday. The Championships take place March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Ark.