May 31, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Junior Murielle Ahoure became an eight-time national championship qualifier on Saturday at Mike Long Track as she finished fourth in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash at the NCAA East Regional Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Florida State University. Along with Ahoure, three other Patriots competed in the triple jump events to round out Mason's performances on the day.

Senior Ryan McCoy and freshman Dwight Webley each took part in the triple jump, while junior Ryann Hendricks competed on the women's side in the event as well.

Ahoure ran in lane two of the 100-meter dash. After capturing the fifth slot following her preliminary time of 11.45, Ahoure, the defending East Regional champion in the event, broke out of the start and crossed the finish line in 11.71, good for fourth place and a berth in the NCAA National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, in two weekends. Florida's Lakecia Ealey took the East Regional title with a first-place finish of 11.43.

Besides Ahoure and Ealey, three others advanced to the next level. South Carolina's Shayla Mahan and Gabrielle Glenn finished two-three in 11.47 and 11.70, respectively, while Charlotte's Lamarra Currie (11.72) rounded out the top five. The third through sixth place finishes were each decided by one hundredth of a second.

In her second event of the day, Ahoure matched her outstanding performance as she finished fourth in the 200-meter dash as well, clocking in a time of 23.59. Penn State's Shana Cox took first in the event with a 22.92 mark.

McCoy produced the highest finish of the Mason jumpers, as he finished sixth with a 15.92 meter distance. While he narrowly missed one of the five automatic qualifications into the national championships, McCoy is eligible for one of the NCAA's at-large slots which will be announced in the coming days. Webley earned 26th place out of the 33 jumpers with a 14.66-meter mark in the first preliminary flight. Muhammad Halim of Cornell won the title with a 16.60-meter jump, setting a new meet record.

On the women's side, Hendricks competed but registered a foul and did not record an official distance. Kimberly Williams of Florida State won the event with a 13.83-meter jump.

The host Seminoles of Florida State captured the men's East Regional team title with 88.50 points, while the Virginia Tech women took home the crown, edging Penn State, 92-91.

The 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships will be held from June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa.