May 26, 2007

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A day after setting a new school record in the 100-meter dash at the NCAA East Regional Track and Field Championships, sophomore Murielle Ahoure (Bristow, Va./Hayfield Secondary) recorded another milestone moment in George Mason track and field history, becoming the first Patriot to capture an NCAA East Regional Championship in the five-year history of the meet with a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash. With the win, Ahoure advances to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled for June 6-9 in Sacramento, Calif. She also advanced to the national championships in the 200-meter dash.

In the 100-meter dash finals, Ahoure pulled away from Florida's Lakecia Ealey at the end of the race to capture the title, crossing the finish line in 11.42 seconds. Ealey finished second with a time of 11.49 seconds. Virginia Tech's Patrice Potts (11.63), Charlotte's Shareese Woods (11.66) and Virginia Tech's Britni Spruill (11.71) rounded out the top five. The top five finishers in each individual event automatically qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

"I just feel so blessed right now," Ahoure said. "I trained really hard in the last few weeks, getting ready for a chance at the title. I'm so excited to see all that hard work pay off."

The regional title was a perfect way to cap off an amazing weekend for Ahoure. The sophomore also automatically qualified for the national championships in the 200-meter dash, finishing fourth in the finals with a time of 23.34 seconds, her fastest of the season in the event. Also automatically qualifying for the national championships from the East Region in the 200-meter dash are South Carolina's Natasha Hastings (22.62), Charlotte's Shareese Woods (23.09), Florida's Natalie Knight (23.10) and Virginia Tech's Britni Spruill (23.43).

In the preliminary heats of the 100-meter dash on Friday, Ahoure got out of the blocks quick and blew away the rest of the competition in the third heat, crossing the finish line in 11.28 seconds, breaking the old George Mason school record of 11.39 seconds, set by Cydonie Mothersill in 1999.

Also competing on the second day of action was sophomore Ryann Hendricks (Chicago, Ill./Chicago Christian) in the triple jump. The initial athlete to jump in the first of four flights, each featuring 10 competitors, Hendricks registered a mark of 11.68 meters (38 ft. 4 in.) to finish 34th overall. The top five finishers in the event - Georgia Southern's Nicole Brown (13.26 meters/43 ft. 6 in.), Florida State's Alyce Williams (13.24 meters/43 ft. 5.25 in.), Clemson's Patricia Mamona (13.17 meters/43 ft. 2.5 in.), Hampton's Yvette Lewis (13.13 meters/43 ft. 1 in.) and Charlotte's Sharonda Johnson (13.06 meters/42 ft. 10.25 in.) - all move onto the national championships in the event.

In the team scoring, Virginia Tech won the women's title with 89 points. George Mason finished 14th on the women's side with 15 team points. Florida State took home the men's title with 91 points. Complete results from the meet can be found on the web at http://www.gatorzone.com.