Thursday, June 2, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa--The best collegiate track and field athletes are
coming back to Des Moines. Drake University hosts the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor
Track and Field Championships beginning Wednesday, June 8 and running through
Saturday, June 11, 2011, at Drake Stadium.
This year is the third time the
NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held in Des Moines (1970, 2008), and the
event is scheduled for Drake Stadium again in 2012.
Below
is a breakdown of the pertinent information for fans and for coverage of the
2011 Championships, including tickets, television coverage and events to watch.
TICKETS: All-session passes and single-day tickets are
still available by calling (515) 271-DOGS or visiting www.NCAA.com/tickets.
TELEVISION: CBS will provide television coverage on Friday
and Saturday. Saturday's coverage, from 12-2 p.m. (CDT), will be carried on the
CBS network, with Ian Eagle calling the
action, along with analysis and interviews from Larry Rawson, Carol
Lewis and Dan O'Brien. Coverage on Friday, June 10, will be provided
from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
ONLINE/WEBSTREAM: The entire NCAA Championships will stream live
online at NCAA.com, and feature two separate streams to cover the majority of
the action both on the track and with the field events. Fans and media can find
all the information they desire throughout the NCAA Championships on the
official Drake Athletics website, www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.
Look for the Championships Central page, which will feature updated information
throughout the meet.
SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, June 8-Decathlon, 12p; Field events 3p; Running events
5:30-9:30p.
Thursday, June 9-Decathlon/heptathlon, 12p; Field events, 3p;
Running events, 5:30-9:30p.
Friday, June 10-Field events, 3p; Heptathlon, 4p; Running events,
6:35-8:30p.
Saturday, June 11-Field events, 11a; Running events, 12-2p.
A
complete schedule of events can be downloaded here: http://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/files/2011FinalOutdoorSchedule.pdf
THE COMPETITION: A total of 24 men's and women's winners from the
University Division of the 2011 Drake Relays return to the Blue Oval seeking
NCAA glory just six weeks after their Relays triumphs.
Oklahoma's
Mookie Salaam, who is on the men's watch list for the Bowerman, won the
2011 Drake Relays 100-meter dash in 10.20 and has qualified for the NCAA
Championships in both the 100 and 200. He is ranked No. 1 in the 200 meters
with a national-best time of 20.05, which is the No. 2 outdoor time in the
world in 2011. Salaam also ranks 13th in the 100, according to the
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Drake's
Jon DeGrave (Lake Villa, Ill.) qualified for the Championships in the
400-meter hurdles, and will compete in the semifinals on his home track at 8:30
p.m. on Wednesday, June 8. If he advances he will compete in the finals on
Friday, June 10, at 6:45 p.m. That event is headlined by Washington State's Jeshua
Anderson, whose top qualifying time of 48.13 at the Pac-10 Championships is
the No. 2 outdoor mark in the world for 2011.
OTHER EVENTS TO WATCH:
- Men's 400-Texas A&M's Tabarie Henry has
posted the No. 2 outdoor 400-meter time in the world in 2011 (44.83), leading a
field that includes the holders of five of the top 8 outdoor marks in the world
this year.
- Men's 110 hurdles-Features individuals who hold two of the eight best
times in the world in 2011, led by LSU's Barrett Nugent's wind-aided
time of 13.19, which would rank No. 5 on the 2011 world outdoor list, and Texas
Tech's Omo Osaghae (13.22w), who would rank eighth.
- Men's Pole Vault-Scott Roth of Washington holds the world's
fourth-best height for 2011 entering the NCAA Championships, clearing 18-9¼ on April
14.
- Men's Long Jump-Two of the top five marks in the world this year
belong to the NCAA's No. 1-ranked Ngonidzashe Makusha of Florida State
(27-6¾ w) and No. 2-ranked Will Claye of Florida (27-2½), who will
battle it out in Des Moines for the NCAA title. Clay also ranks first in the
triple jump with the world's sevent-best mark of 2011 at 56-6¾ (w).
- Women's 100 meters-The NCAA leader, Jeneba Tarmoh of Texas A&M,
has a qualifying time of 10.94 (w) that would tie for fifth on the 2011 world
outdoor list. LSU's Semoy Hackett has the world's No. 7 mark for 2011,
clocking 10.98 (w) earlier this year.
- Women's 200 meters-Features competitors who hold four of the top eight
times in the world for 2011: LSU's Kimberlyn Duncan (22.18w) has the
world's No. 2 time, while teammate Hackett has the No. 6 (22.41w). Auburn's Nivea
Smith (22.44w) and Texas A&M's Jeneba Tarmoh (22.46) hold the
world's No. 7 and 8 times, respectively, for 2011.
- Women's Pole Vault-Arkansas' Tina Sutej is the NCAA's leader
with a height of 15-1½ that ranks No. 2 on the 2011 world outdoor list.
LOCAL FLAVOR: Several notable former Iowa prep standouts are
scheduled to compete in the NCAA Championships, including five from the
University of Iowa (Ethan Holmes, Clinton; Steven Willey, West
Monona; Nicole Erickson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Tiffany Hendricks,
Burlington and Betsy Flood, West Des Moines Dowling).
Northern
Iowa's Holli Hosch, from Independence, will compete in the 800 meters,
while the Panthers' 4x100 relay team consists of former Iowa prep athletes Jarred
Herring (Burlington), Wilmot Wellington (Fairfield) and Derek
Kramer (Cedar Rapids Xavier). Tipton native Ashley Miller, now with
Nebraska, competes in the 1,500, as does former West Des Moines Dowling star Katie
Flood, now at Washington.
FAN
ZONE: The popular Fan Zone, presented by the Des
Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, returns for the NCAA Championships,
featuring a variety of food options, interactive kiosks, track & field
exhibits and other activities for fans of all ages. It is open throughout the
meet, located in the parking lot bordering the west side of Drake Stadium.
Admission is free.
