Seven Cougs advance at NCAA meet

DES MOINES, Iowa – Seven Washington State Cougars, three Idaho Vandals and one Eastern Washington Eagle advanced after Wednesday’s first day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

WSU’s Jeshua Anderson topped the preliminary field in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 49.90 seconds.

Teammate Rickey Moody stood in third place after the first five events of the men’s decathlon competition. Moody piled up 4,048 points and trails only Oregon’s Ashton Eaton (4,289) and Tennessee’s Jangy Addy (4,238).

Also advancing for the Cougars men were Jon Jeffreys, a West Valley High graduate, who was ninth in the javelin with a throw of 213 feet, 1 inch and Trent Arrivey, who cleared 7-1/4 in the men’s high jump.

McKenzie Garberg led the way for the WSU women with the top throw in the women’s discus. Garberg had a personal-best throw of 177-3, third best in school history. Garberg also qualified in the hammer with the fourth-best throw of the day at 204-1.

Teammate Ebba Jungmark, the NCAA Indoor champion, advanced after clearing 5-93/4 in the high jump.

Also advancing for WSU’s women were Central Valley grad Anna Layman, who clocked in at 2:06.85 in the 800 to place seventh among qualifiers and Lorraine King, who ran a 58.96 in the 400 hurdles to place 14th.

Three Cougars failed to advance – Sara Trane (19th) and Megan Leonard (20th) in the women’s 3,000 steeplechase and Barry Leavitt (21st) in the men’s 400 hurdles.

The Idaho Vandals were led by Marcus Mattox’s school-record throw in the men’s hammer. Mattox launched a personal-best 217-2 to break his previous school record by 5 feet. His throw was the fifth best of the prelims.

Teammate Elvie Williams, like Mattox competing in his first NCAA Championship meet, advanced in the men’s long jump with a leap of 25-13/4.

Idaho’s Russ Winger, in his third NCAA championship meet, advanced in the men’s discus with an 11th-place throw of 176-4.

Eastern Washington’s Mattie Bridgmon turned in the 10th-fastest time in the women’s 5,000 prelims at 17:18.39 to advance.

Florida State’s Walter Dix cruised into the finals in his bid for a third and final NCAA 100-meter title.

The 5-foot-9 cannonball won his first heat, even though he swiveled his head to watch the opposition in the final 50 meters. He ran a 10.34 semi to finish second in the heat to LSU’s Trindon Holliday’s 10.34 and advance to Friday’s‘ finals.

“A nice, relaxed finish,” Dix said. “I tried to focus on my start.”

Travis Padgett of Clemson won the other semi in 10.20. LSU’s Richard Thompson was second at 10.33.

Texas A&M’s bid for the women’s team title suffered a setback when Porscha Lucas failed to make it to the 100 finals. The sophomore was fifth in her heat in a slow 11.79, 0.61 off her season’s best.

The sprints were run into a strong headwind, with evening gusts reaching 35 mph in advance of a storm front that was moving toward already water-soaked Des Moines.

“It was a tough start. I think the wind got me a little bit,” Lucas said. “I’m sad, but I’ve got to get my head back together for the 200 tomorrow.”

LSU, meanwhile, qualified three to the finals – Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Samantha Henry and Juanita Broaddus. Baptiste was the fastest qualifier in 11.28.

Two-time defending champion Florida State and LSU are expected to fight for the men’s‘ team title. Defending champion Arizona State figures to join LSU and Texas A&M in the mix for the women’s crown.

There were no finals on the opening day of competition on the powder blue track of Drake Stadium, hosting the NCAAs for the first time in 38 years. The stadium is high and dry, far from the swollen Iowa rivers and streams that have caused severe flood damage across the state.

A thunderstorm delayed the decathlon competition for 21/2 hours.

Dix, seeking his fifth individual NCAA outdoors title, was sidelined for a month with a strained left hamstring and said he has done full training for just three weeks.

Thompson, a senior from Trinidad who swept the 100 and 200 at the SEC championships, entered the meet with the field’s best time of 9.93 seconds. Only Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay have run faster in the world this year.

Dix cruised to victory in his first-round heat. Running from lane eight, he turned his head to the left, watched his competitors and still ran 10.57 into a 6.5 meters-per-second headwind.

Thompson was a close second to Teddy Williams of UTEP in his first heat. Both were clocked at 10.57. Florida freshman Terrell Wilks was the fastest first-round qualifier at 10.49.

LSU and Texas A&M men and women cruised into Friday night’s finals in the 400 relay.

LSU was the fastest men’s qualifier at 39.11. Texas A&M was second fastest at 39.13. Texas A&M was the fastest women’s qualifier at 43.19, followed by LSU’s 43.35.