-t.jpg)
49ers Open NCAA Track Championships Wednesday Evening
• 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships - Heat/Lane Assignments• LIVE Results
June 6, 2006
Sacramento, Calif. - The 4x100-meter relay semifinals will get things started for the Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday evening, as a school-record six student-athletes begin competing in five different races at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hornet Stadium on the Sacramento State campus. All six of the 49ers at the national competition are women.
The 4x100 relay semifinal is the first of four races on the meet's opening day that will feature Charlotte 49er competitors.
Also on Wednesday, Shareese Woods will open her quest for 200-meter dash fame with first-round action, while Tsehaye Dagnachew will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinals. Cassie Ficken will close out the night in the 5,000-meter run semifinals. Woods and Courtney Patterson will compete in the 100-meter dash opening round on Thursday evening.
Should any of the Niners advance to their event finals, it could mean national television exposure. CBS will air 2 1/2 hours of live coverage (3:30 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern) on Saturday, June 10, the final day of the four-day collegiate championships. CSTV will broadcast three hours (8-11 p.m. ET) on Friday, June 9, the first time the next-to-last day has been televised live.
"We're thrilled to continue this historic year, with the advancement of a record number of qualifiers plus the first-ever relay qualification to the NCAA Championships," said Atlantic 10 and Southeast Region Coach of the Year Robert Olesen. "It's gratifying to see all the hard work these student-athletes and coaches have put in pay off with this trip to Sacramento.
"It will really be fun to have a larger group on a national trip, as there will be more for a team dynamic that can really enhance the national championship experience."
4x100-meter relay
The 4x100-meter relay, consisting of juniors Courtney Patterson & Shareese Woods and freshmen Lamarra Currie & Pat Springs, will be one of 20 teams to run in four semifinal heats beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Charlotte is running in lane 7, heat 2, competing against Houston, LSU, Miami and Arizona.
Each heat winner, plus the next four fastest times, will move on to the finals. Should Charlotte advance, the finals will be run on Friday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The 49ers' 4x100 team is the first relay at Charlotte - in either gender - to qualify for nationals. They are seeded 14th overall with a season-best time of 44.46.
200-meter dash
With a season-best time of 22.70 in the 200-meter dash, Woods has already put her name on the national map. She is seeded fourth out of 28 competitors overall at the NCAA Championships, behind sprinters from USC, South Carolina and TCU.
That race begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with Woods running out of lane 9 in the first of four heats. Woods is tied for the fastest seed time among competitors in her heat.
The top three finishers from each heat plus the next best six times move on to the semis. The top 4 from each semi plus the next best time move to the final.
The semifinals are run on Friday at 8:45 p.m., while the finals will be run live on CBS TV at 4:35 on Saturday.
3,000-meter steeplechase
Dagnachew will run in the second of two semifinal races for the 3,000-meter steeplechase, beginning at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The A-10 champion in that event is seeded 21st out of 27 competitors with a season-best time of 10:22.44. She starts in the #2 position on the waterfall start line.
The finals are scheduled for 9:35 p.m. on Friday. The top five finishers from each heat plus the next four fastest times will advance.
5,000-meter run
Ficken rounds out Wednesday night's action with the 5,000-meter run semifinals at 10:50 p.m. She is seeded 20th out of 27 runners with a season-best time of 16:27.72. Ficken starts in the fifth position in the 13-woman first heat.
The 5K final is at 10:00 p.m. on Friday. The top six finishers from each heat, plus the next four fastest times, will advance.
100-meter dash
Courtney Patterson and Woods will compete in the 100-meter dash first round, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Woods is ranked 13th (11.26) heading into nationals, while Patterson is seeded 15th (11.30).
Patterson will run first, in lane four of heat one. Woods runs from lane four of heat three.
The top three finishers in each of the four heats, plus the next best four times, will move on to the semifinals about two hours later, at 8:20 p.m. From there, the top four from each semi plus the next best time move on to the final, part of Saturday's live CBS TV coverage at 3:35 p.m.
The top eight American-born finishers in each event are awarded All-American certification. Both Woods and Ficken have earned All-America honors in past seasons, and are each making their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Please continue to check back with Charlotte49ers.com for links to live meet results, updates and recaps throughout the week.
CHARLOTTE 49ERS RACE TIMES
ALL TIMES CONVERTED TO EASTERN
Wednesday, June 7
6:00 p.m. 4x100 relay semifinal (Woods, Patterson, Currie, Springs)
8:10 p.m. 200 meter dash first round (Woods)
10:00 p.m. 3,000 meter steeplechase semifinal (Dagnachew)
10:50 p.m. 5,000 meter run semifinal (Ficken)
Thursday, June 8
6:30 p.m. 100 meter dash first round (Patterson, Woods)
8:20 p.m. 100 meter dash semifinal
Friday, June 9
7:00 p.m. 4x100 relay final
8:45 p.m. 200 meter dash semifinal (CSTV)
9:35 p.m. 3,000 meter steeplechase final (CSTV)
10:00 p.m. 5,000 meter run final
Saturday, June 10
3:35 p.m. 100 meter dash final (CBS TV)
4:30 p.m. 200 meter dash final (CBS TV)
CHARLOTTE 49ERS COMPETITORS
• Lamarra Currie (Freshman, Apex, N.C.) - 4x100-meter relay
• Tsehaye Dagnachew (Junior, Jacksonville, N.C.) - 3,000-meter steeplechase
• Cassie Ficken (Senior, Conifer, Colo.) - 5,000-meter run
• Courtney Patterson (Junior, Fayetteville, N.C.) - 100-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay
• Pat Springs (Freshman, Winston-Salem, N.C.) - 4x100-meter relay
• Shareese Woods (Junior, Fort Lee, Va.) - 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay
|
|
 |
