Six members of the 2004 Bulldog track and field
squad used Saturday’s ESU Twilight Qualifier to begin final tune-ups or make one
last ditch effort to qualify for the NAIA national outdoor championships in 10
days.
Deidre Frager, McPherson’s lone female qualifier for
the nationals, tossed the spear 115’5” to register her best mark since hitting
her provisional national qualifier on April 10th at the ACCK
Championships.
The meet was used as part of the final tuning
process for sprinters Seth Cavenee and Preston Taylor.
While the meet
was Cavenee’s first time back under the competitive gun after pulling a
hamstring during the sprint medley relay at the Drake Relays, Taylor was back
on the track for a final tuning after running his season bests at the KCAC meet
the first weekend of May.
Both competed in the first round of the 100-meter
dash, and clocked identical, hand-timed marks of 10.9. America Patton also toed the line in the 100,
and came away with a hand-timed 11.0.
All three joined Kris Smiley in a final attempt to
qualify the Bulldogs’ 4 x 100-meter relay for the NAIA championships. Stretching the exchanges to the edge in an
attempt to knock the final three-tenths of second off their season, the
Bulldogs failed to get the baton through the full 400 meters.
Tim Cox also took one more shot at the NAIA national
qualifying mark for 800 meters (1:54.20).
And while Cox ran a season best 1:57.61, he fell short of the necessary
mark.
Frager, Cavenee, and Taylor will spend the next 10
days tapering workouts and fine tuning technique as they continue final
preparations for their trip to Louisville, Kentucky, May 27th
through 29th.
MEN –
100m Dash – Seth Cavenee 10.9hp; Preston Taylor 10.9hp; America Patton 11.0hp
800m Run – 1. Tim Cox
1:57.61SB
4 x 100m Relay – McPherson
DNF (Kris Smiley, America Patton, Preston Taylor, Seth Cavenee)
WOMEN –
Javelin – Deidre Frager 115-5