Frogs get three NCAA spots
Track team reaches No. 1 in Trackwire 25

By Jennifer Koesling
Staff Reporter

The TCU track team qualified three more athletes for the NCAA Championships at the Tyson Invitational Indoor Track and Field Meet in Arkansas this weekend.

Senior Roy Williams provisionally qualified for nationals in the 400 meters, senior Kim Collins automatically qualified in the 200 meters and senior Lindel Frater provisionally qualified in the 60 meters.

Head coach Monte Stratton said he was surprised with how well Williams competed.

David Dunai/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Senior sprinter Darvis Patton takes some practice strides after the rest of the team has gone home. The extra practice has paid off for the men’s track team this season as it has moved into a first-place tie with Arkansas in the Trackwire 25.

“I’m pleased with Williams’ performance,” Stratton said. “He has been struggling with back problems this season.”

TCU, previously ranked No. 2 in the Trackwire 25 poll for men, climbed into a tie with Arkansas for the top spot in the poll following the Feb. 6 meet in Houston.

The Trackwire 25 is generated from a form chart that projects the finish of every NCAA event.

The ranking marked the first time in the five-season history of the Trackwire 25 that Arkansas has ever shared it’s undisputed hold of the No. 1 position.

Media relations director Steve Fink said TCU’s actual position against Arkansas will not be determined until the NCAA Championships in March because no team scores were kept for the meet.

“I think everyone is saying we had a solid meet,” Fink said. “But there wasn’t much head-to-head competition with Arkansas because of different events, so we really can’t tell how Arkansas did.”

Arkansas qualified four athletes for nationals at the invitational.

Frater, who improved his provisional mark in the 60-meter dash to 6.67 seconds, said he was pleased with the meet’s results.
“We had a good meet,” Frater said. “I think we have qualified most of the people that we needed to qualify (for nationals).”

Senior Darvis Patton placed first in the long jump with a leap of 25 feet 1/2 inch.

Stratton said he was happy with the 4x400-meter relay team’s finish.

On the women’s side, school records in the 4x400-meter relay and in the distance medley relay highlighted the event.

Freshman Larissa Bakasa, senior Heather Hanchak and juniors Tarieka Paige and Perhona Tomlin ran a 3:43.79 in the 4x400-meter relay, beating the 1988 record of 3:44.27.

The distance medley foursome of senior Glady’s Keitany, junior Cindy Dietrich, Hanchak, and Tomlin completed the event in 11:50.15, nearly two seconds better than the time clocked Feb. 3. at the Cougar Indoor Invitational Feb. 3.

The Frogs resume action Feb. 22-24 at the Western Athletic Conference Championships in Reno, Nev.

Jenny Koesling
j.c.koesling@student.tcu.edu