May 31, 2003
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Senior pole vaulter Pooh Williams entered the NCAA Mideast Regional Championship ranked No. 3 in the region, but left Ohio State's Jesse Owens Track and Field as No. 1.
Williams impressed the field with his first-place leap of 5.36 meters (17 feet, 7 inches), which ties his personal record. He registered his first17-7 flight in January against Indiana State at Lambert Fieldhouse. Williams' leap was four inches higher than that of runner-up John Russell of Akron.
Joining Williams at the NCAA Track and Field Championships will be Kenneth Baxter, who placed third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.56. Teammate Jacques Reeves placed sixth at 21.47, and will wait to see if he receives an at large bid to the national championship meet in Sacramento, Calif.
Baxter and Reeves' performances completed a bittersweet day for both men. Early Saturday, the 4x100 team of Baxter, Reeves, Jamar Green and Prentice Stovall was hit with a false start penalty and disqualified.
The team showed tremendous potential coming into Saturday's final, after scoring a third-place preliminary time of 39.67 seconds. Only LSU and Middle Tennessee State recorded quicker marks.
Nedzad Mulabegovic broke his school record in the shot put for a third time this season, after registering a distance of 19.51 meters (64-1/4). Mulabegovic, who will head to the national championships for a second consecutive outdoor season, broke his previous school mark by one centimeter.
In the women's steeplechase both Amber Ferner and Kara Lahey had respectable finishes. Ferner came across 16th in 10:50.72 and Lahey placed 16th with a time of 10:55.24.
Laura Stier and Carrie Long tied for 18th in the high jump. The Boilermaker duo each recorded a top height of 1.66 (5-5 1/4).
The women's 4x400 squad of Ragina Harvey, Ina Jackson, Kim Jordan and Krissy Liphardt placed 11th with a time of 3:46.00.
Purdue's afternoon started in the field where Courtney Maguson finished 21st in the hammer throw with an effort of 51.63 (169-5). Brian Smith, also an early riser for the Boilermakers, placed 18th in the javelin with a launch of 58.15 (190-9).
The Boilermakers' NCAA National Championship roster currently consists of Williams, Baxter, Mulabegovic, Keith McBride, Shaun Guice and Simona Kovacic. John Paul Smolenski, Scott Hecht and Jacques Reeves are on the bubble waiting to be invited as at-large selections since they all placed just outside the top five. Their partcipation will hinge on how competitors from the West, Midwest and East regions perform this weekend.
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place in Sacramento, Calif., from June 11 to 14.
Complete results and final team standings can be accessed by clicking on the Mideast Region link at www.deltatiming.com.