Austin Advances to NCAA Championships
5/27/2011 12:00:00 AM
May 27, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - University of Alabama senior Meghan Austin finished 12th in the javelin at the NCAA East Regional on Friday afternoon to earn a berth in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Austin's throw of 151-4 was good enough to finish in the top 12 of the field and earn the final spot from the East Regional to the NCAA Championships June 8-11 in Des Moines, Iowa.
"I think we had some challenges with the weather as it was cool very and wet, which is obviously much different than what we're used to," UA head coach Sandy Fowler said. "But we competed well and have two young ladies advancing to nationals. I think they're determined to do a good job in Des Moines."
In other throws, Wilamena Hopkins just missed qualifying for NCAAs with a 19th-place finish in the shot put and a mark of 50-3.5. Talaya Owens and Kia Wansley also missed the 12 qualifying spots in each event. Both finished 20th in the 400m hurdles and triple jump, respectively.
Kaylon Eppinger also competed in the 100m hurdles and did not advance to the event's finals with a 29th-place time of 13.95 in the preliminary. However, the junior will still make the trip to Des Moines in the heptathlon where she owns the seventh-best score in the nation.
Friday's action is the last for the Tide at the NCAA East Regional with no entries in Saturday's events.
NCAA East Regional
Alabama Results
100m Hurdles (Prelims)
29. Kaylon Eppinger, 13.95
400m Hurdles (Finals)
20. Talaya Owens, 1:00.69
Triple Jump (Finals)
20. Kia Wansley, 40-7
Shot Put (Finals)
19. Wilamena Hopkins, 50-3.5
Javelin (Finals)
12. Meghan Austin, 151-4
41. Bekah Hoppis, 127-7
Players Mentioned
