Handful Of U.S. Olympians Entered In NCAA DI Champs

Source:  USATF

1,088 athletes are set to take center stage at the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 10-13 at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

At the 2008 Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, LSU won the women’s team crown for the first time since 2003 and Florida State repeated as men’s champions. Arizona State was the runner-up on the women’s side while the LSU men tied Auburn for second place.

Heading into this year’s Championships, Texas A&M leads the men’s and women’s power rankings released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Following right behind them is Oregon.

A quintet of U.S. Olympians are scheduled to compete this year, including Purdue’s Kara Patterson (women’s javelin), Oregon’s Andrew Wheating (men’s 800m) and Florida’s Calvin Smith (men’s 400m).

Two-time Team USA member (’07,’08) Galen Rupp, who has three individual NCAA titles so far this year, is the favorite in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m and is hoping to lead the men of Oregon to their first Outdoor team title since 1984. Should Rupp accomplish this goal, the Ducks’ would be the third team to sweep the outdoor, indoor and cross country crowns in a school year and the first since Arkansas in 1998-99. The Hogs did it five times, Texas-El Paso three.

Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, who recently broke the women’s 1,500m collegiate record and became only the third American ever to break the four minute barrier when she finished as the runner-up at the Nike Prefontaine Classic in 3:59.90, will be running her specialty this weekend: the 3,000m steeplechase. Already the American record-holder from her ninth-place finish at the Olympic Games (9:22.26), Barringer is the clear favorite to win.

For more information and complete results from the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, visit www.NCAA.com. The championships will be streamed live on www.cbssports.com at http:/https://www.podiumrunner.com/all/
-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&media=129515. The meet will also be broadcast live Friday, June 12, from 7:00-10:00 p.m. ET on CBS College Sports and Saturday, June 13, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports.