June 9, 2004

The opening day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship was delayed on Wednesday due to heavy rain and thunderstorms that swept through the Austin, Texas area. Only a handful of field events and the 4X100-meter women's relay preliminaries were contested.

Of importance to the Patriots was the 110-meter hurdles, which was slated to have its preliminary and semifinal heats on Wednesday evening. Richard Phillips and Ricardo Melbourne are scheduled to represent George Mason in that event. Instead, that event along with most of Wednesday's other races, will be postponed until Thursday, when the women's 4X400-meter relay prelims will also be held.

As of 11:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, the new meet schedule had not yet been released by the NCAA. Check www.GMUsports.com on Thursday for more information about the meet.