LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Middle Tennessee's Sarah Nambawa and Stanley Gbagbeke each qualified for the NCAA Championships in the long jump events Friday at the NCAA Mideast Regional meet in Louisville, Ky.
Nambawa's jump of 20-4.5 (6.21m) placed her fifth overall out of a field of 32 female entries giving her an automatic bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., in two weeks. Sophomore Kortney Thurman placed 31st with a mark of 18-8 (5.69m). Nambawa will compete tomorrow in the 4x400 meter relay and triple jump competitions.
Gbagbeke's leap of 25-3.5 (7.71m) in the men's long jump placed him fifth overall with a lifetime best also earning him a spot at the NCAA Championships. Teammate Carl Morgan placed 10th with leap of 24-8.25 (7.52m). Gbagbeke will compete tomorrow with the men's 4x100 meter relay team and Morgan will jump in triple jump competition.
Junior Brittany Cox set a lifetime best of 165-9 (50.52m) in the discus breaking her previous standard by almost five feet. Her toss placed her seventh overall in the competition and makes her eligible for an at large invitation to the NCAA Championships. Cox will not know if she has qualified for NCAA Championships until Monday when all at large marks from all regional meets have been totaled.
On the track, Zamzam Sangau qualified for the finals of the 1500 meters tomorrow placing fifth in today's preliminary race breaking her own Middle Tennessee record in a time of 4:24.22.
Other Middle Tennessee performers featured Festus Chemaoi, who placed 16th in the men's 1500 meter preliminary with a time of 3:49.41. Freshman Roscoe Payne placed ninth in the 110 meter hurdles in a time of 14.11 and 14th in the 400 meter hurdles in 53.53. Greg Franklin came in 15th in the 200 meters in 21.27. All athletes were unable to qualify for tomorrow's finals.
The men's 4x100 meter relay team of Franklin, Gbagbeke, Curtis King and Samuel Adade placed ninth in a time of 40.43, just missing a qualifying place for tomorrow's final heat.
The athletes return to the track Saturday with the women's javelin beginning at 11 A.M. Full results will be available posted on goblueraiders.com and uoflsports.com.
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