After failing to place in the top three at the NCAA Regional meet on May 30, the Arizona men’s 4×400 meter relay team thought its season was over.

Instead, after receiving an at-large bid for the national championships, relay team seniors Bobby McCoy, Jeremie Brower and Roberto Chozet and junior Chris Titsworth are packing their bags and heading to the NCAA National Championships in Des Monies, Iowa, beginning today.

“”There’s a lot of excitement on their part,”” said coach Fred Harvey of the 4x400m relay team. “”It was a very outside opportunity that realistically we didn’t think we were going to get it.””

The relay team was not the only event McCoy snuck in with. The senior also earned himself an at-large bid in the 400m dash. despite falling short of a qualifying time in the NCAA Regional meet two weeks ago due to running the fastest time in the event out of the remaining runners not earning automatic bids at 45.31 seconds.

Throwers Shawn Best and Nicole Lloyd also earned at-large bids to the NCAA Championships, despite failing to qualify at the regional and will round out Arizona’s squad of 16 total participants in the meet.

Carrying the load of being one of the Wildcats’ best chances to bring home an individual title is thrower Zach Lloyd, who holds the longest throw in the country in outdoor competition.

With 11 men going, coach Harvey said there should be a good chance the No. 18 Arizona men’s team could improve on last year’s 11th-place finish by placing in the top eight. “”I’m very excited for them because it’s an experience they will remember the rest of their lives,”” Harvey said. “”The national championship in track and field is not like anything else.””

Christina Rodgers and Shevell Quinley will lead the No. 23 women, who look to improve on their 24th place finish last year.

Quinley placed third in the pentathlon at the indoor national meet on March 14, while Rogers is looking improve on a personal best in the 800m.

Also looking to claim individual championships are high jumpers Liz Patterson and Jasmine Day. The pair currently holds the No. 2 and 4 rankings in the nation, respectively, and will look to outdo Jasmine’s sister, Cal Poly’s No. 1 jumper, Sharon Day, to move into the top two spots nationally.