Eight athletes to compete for chance at NCAA National Championships
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Two weeks after closing out Sun Belt competition with a conference championship, the Blue Raider track and field teams will travel to Greensboro, N.C., for the NCAA East Regional, held May 23-25.
The Blue Raiders will send the following athletes in their respective meets: Ann Dudley (High Jump), France Makabu (High Jump), Tahir Walsh (100 Meter Dash), Noah Akwu (200 Meter Dash), Emmanuel Tugumisirize (400 Meter Dash), Eliud Rutto (800 Meter Dash), Cordairo Golden (Long Jump and Triple Jump) and the team of Tugumisirize, Demetrius Shelton, Rutto and Awku(4x400 Meter Relay).
GoBlueRaiders.com sat down with head coach Dean Hayes to visit about the upcoming meet.
HEAD COACH DEAN HAYES
On Ann Dudley...
"Ann Dudley should make it to the NCAA. With the Regionals, you qualify 12, so first place and 12th place mean the same thing. She's been to the NCAA three times and been All-American, so she's got the experience."
On France Makabu...
"France Makabu is in the triple-jump. She's been to the NCAA once, last year indoors. She kind of struggled a little bit this year, but all of a sudden at the Sun Belt meet, she got it all together and got her lifetime best 43 feet, three and three quarters inches in the triple jump."
On the men's side...
"Eliud Rutto will definitely have a chance to get to the NCAA in the 800. He's run very well this year, and he's really helped our mile relay. Noah Akwu is in the 200. He'll have a decent shot to get there individually, but he's also on our 4x400 relay. Emmanual Tugumisirize, who came here this spring, he's from Uganda. He's ranked pretty high in the 400. So, he ought to have a good chance to get their individually and then on the relay.
On the 4x400 Meter Relay team...
"Our relay 4x400, or mile relay, I think we're ranked 10th at the time. In our region, they take 12. We've beat several of them in head-to-head competitions. We've beat several teams that are ranked ahead of us right now. So, those would be the main thing as far as running events for the men."
On Cordairo Golden...
"Cordario Golden, in the long-jump and triple-jump, he probably won't make it in the long-jump, but he has a good shot to make it in the triple-jump."
On looking at the overall weekend...
"The biggest thing is that we should have several athletes, including the relay team, that get to the NCAA Championships which would be in Eugene, Ore. That'll make it fun if we get that. That'll be our main goals."