June 6, 2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sophomore Murielle Ahoure (Bristow, Va./Hayfield Secondary), the NCAA East Regional Champion in the 100-meter dash, advanced to the semifinals of the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by placing third in her heat in the first round on Wednesday afternoon at Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. Unfortunately, Ahoure was unable to advance to the finals of the event, scheduled for Friday at 6:25 p.m. PT (9:25 p.m. ET).

Running in the first of two heats in the semifinals of the 100-meter dash, Ahoure, the school-record holder in the event, got out of the blocks fast and would likely have automatically qualified for the finals of the event. However, with about 20 meters left in the race, Ahoure suffered what is likely a pulled quadriceps muscle. In spite of the injury, she closed out the race, crossing the finish line with a time of 11.93 seconds to place ninth in her heat and 18th overall. The top-four finishers in the heat were Texas A&M's Simone Facey (11.20), Texas' Chauntae Bayne (11.24), Tulane's Gloria Asumnu (11.28) and LSU's Sherry Fletcher (11.31). The top four in each heat plus the next fastest time all advanced to the final round.

Nine athletes will run in the finals of the event. In addition to Asumnu, Bayne, Facey and Fletcher, Houston's Ebonie Floyd (11.13), Auburn's Tracy Anne Rowe (11.25), Texas' Alexandria Anderson (11.30), USC's Jessica Onyepunuka (11.31) and USC's Carol Rodriguez (11.32) will all compete on Friday for a shot at the national title.

While she won't be competing in the finals of the 100-meter dash, there is a possibility Ahoure will run again tomorrow in the 200-meter dash if her injured leg allows her to. The first round of the event is scheduled for 3:50 p.m. PT (6:50 p.m. ET). There will be four heats, with the top three in each heat plus the next six fastest times all advancing to the semifinals, slated for 5:35 p.m. PT (8:35 p.m. ET) tomorrow. Ahoure is scheduled to run in the third heat against Texas A&M's Simone Facey (22.49), Tulane's Gloria Asumnu (22.70), LSU's Sherry Fletcher (22.87), Miami's Krista Simkins (23.08), USC's Jessica Onyepunuka (23.26) and San Diego State's Shana Solomon (23.59).

The first day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships wraps up tonight with the semifinals of the women's 5000-meter run at 9:30 p.m. PT (12:30 a.m. ET). Tomorrow's action begins at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) with the decathlon. The field events start at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET) with the women's long jump finals, while the running events get underway at 3:30 p.m. PT (6:30 p.m. ET) with the first round of the men's 200-meter dash. Live results from the meet can be found on the Web at http://www.flashresults.com.