With everything on the line, UA track and field athletes Bobby McCoy and Christina Rodgers ran the best races of their life Saturday to qualify for this weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
This was the last weekend of competition for athletes across the country to put their best times on the board and earn a last-second qualification. McCoy and Rodgers didn’t disappoint in their performances at the Iowa State Last Chance Meet in Ames, Iowa. Both not only earned qualifying times, but times good enough to earn them high seeds when they head to Arkansas.
“”Everyone is coming out here for the exact same reason,”” said UA head coach Fred Harvey. “”They all know this is the last chance to make that push and so the stress level was high for Bobby and Christina.””
McCoy was ranked No. 20 overall in the country in the 400-meter dash, but with only the top 16 times qualifying, he needed a time of at least 46.83 to reach the last spot. He ran a 46.61 – a personal best in both indoor and outdoor competitions – finishing fourth overall in the meet, achieving the No. 9 spot nationally.
Rodgers needing to shave almost a whole second off her season’s best of 2:08.47 to have a shot at cracking the top 16. Not to be outdone by McCoy, Rodgers ran a 2:06.14, also a personal indoor and outdoor best, and finished third in the meet, boosting her all the way up to No. 12 in the country.
“”The addition of these guys will greatly help us in the team portion of the NCAA’s,”” Harvey said. “”Anytime you can have at least three or four athletes who can get points on the board, you have a chance at a national championship.””
The UA will be sending five athletes from the men’s squad to the NCAA Championships with the addition of McCoy, joining throwers Zack Lloyd and Jarred Sola and jumpers Daniel Marshall and Luis Rivera. On the women’s squad, pentathlon athlete Shevell Quinley and high jumpers Jasmin Day and Liz Patterson will accompany Rodgers.
Harvey also said he hopes the addition of Rodgers and McCoy will help the confidence of the other athletes as it increases the probability of placing in the top-10 nationally.
