Heidelberg Represented In Five Events At Outdoor Track & Field Nationals
Heidelberg College, under the guidance of third-year head coach Kevin Lucas, will be represented in five events at the 2007 NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh May 24-26 in Oshkosh, Wisc. Heidelberg will have participants in the long jump, 200-meter dash, 400-meter hurdles, 4x400-meter relay and the 4x100-meter relay.
Leading the way will be five-time indoor and outdoor track All-American Greg Tyson, Jr. (Lima, Ohio / Lima Senior). Individually Tyson, Jr. will participate in the long jump and 200-meter dash, and will be a member of the 4x400-meter relay team. It is the third-consecutive season Tyson, Jr. will be leaping for an outdoor National Championship in the long jump. The junior has finished one spot shy of a championship in his previous two trips. Working on Tyson, Jr.’s side is his 2006 and 2007 indoor long jump National Championships and his 2007 Ohio Athletic Conference Championship in the long jump and runner-up finish in the 200-meter dash. Tyson Jr.’s qualifying leap in the long jump of 24’3.50” ranks third among the 18-person field at nationals.
Making his second-straight appearance at the outdoor national meet is sophomore 400-meter hurdler Cory Beebe (Medina, Ohio / Cloverleaf). Beebe finished in sixth place a season ago, earning All-American accolades. On the outdoor track in 2007, Beebe won his second-straight OAC Championship in the 400-meter hurdles and was tabbed the Most Outstanding Sprint Athlete for the second-consecutive season. Heading into the preliminaries, Beebe’s qualifying time of 52.26 stands second in the 17-person field.
Beebe will join Tyson, Jr. and freshmen Julius Salgado (Fremont, Ohio / Fremont Ross) and Justin Shields (Lorain, Ohio / Amherst L. Steele) in the 4x400-meter relay. In 2007, Beebe, Tyson, Jr., Salgado and Shields set a new school record at 3:13.65, which stands seventh in the 16-team field heading into the championships.
Shields will join senior Steven Malone (Shaker Heights, Ohio / Shaker Heights) and fellow classmates Julius Higginbotham (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) and Paris Hilliard (Lorain, Ohio / Admiral King) on the 4x100-meter relay team. In 2007, the 4x100-meter relay team has set a new school record on three occasions, with that latter standing at 41.53.
Preliminary action for Heidelberg begins on Thursday, May 24 starting with Tyson, Jr. in the long jump and the 4x100-meter relay team. Beebe will take to the track in the 400-meter hurdles at 5:00 p.m followed by Tyson, Jr. in the 200-meter dash at 6:10 p.m. and the 4x400-meter relay at 7:20 p.m. For the latest news and updates on the championships visit the official website at http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/NCAATFChampionships/2007/index.html.