June 12, 2008

6:45 UPDATE: Cache Armbrister didn't advance to the finals of the 200m, but the freshman made a good account of herself, finishing sixth in her heat with a time of 23.42 into a headwind. Her time ranked 11th in the semifinals overall and she was seeded 15th going in. With her and fellow freshman Joanna Atkins, who easily could have been here as well had she not been battling illness at the end of the year, the future of the Auburn women's sprints looks very good.

That's it for Auburn for tonight. A full recap will be on the website in a little bit.

6:10 UPDATE: Auburn is solidifying its reputation as a hurdles school, as two women and one man just advanced to the finals of the 400m hurdles. Reuben McCoy advancing was expected, as he entered the meet as the No. 2 seed. He had the fastest time in the prelims of 49.12.

Auburn entered the women's semifinals with Amelia Anderson seeded eighth and Danielle Gilchrist seeded 11th, and both made the final by finishing third in their heats, which was a nice accomplishment considering they are both competing at the outdoor championships for the first time. Gilchrist had a PR in her heat with a time of 56.84, and Anderson finished in 57.57.

Just one more race for Auburn tonight as we await the semifinals of the women's 200.

5:30 UPDATE: Freshman Cache Armbrister looked good in her first-round heat of the 200m. She finished third in her heat with a time of 23.52, and that ranked 12th overall which will put her in the semifinals, which are contested at 6:35 tonight. She'll have her work cut out for her to get into the finals against a very strong field, though.

5:00 UPDATE: Three Auburn athletes just competed at about the same time, as the men's shot put prelims was wrapping up as the men's 110m hurdles started. Cory Martin replicated his feat from yesterday, hitting the automatic qualifying mark in the shot put on his first attempt. Fortunately he should be conserving a lot of energy as he has only needed to make two throws in competition so far, but the warm-ups can take more of a toll. He'll have the hammer throw final Friday and the shot put final Sunday.

We haven't seen final results yet, but it does not look as though Eric Werskey advanced to the finals in the shot put. He appeared to finish eighth in his flight and only 12 advance to the finals.

Meanwhile, Ty Akins didn't run his best hurdles race, but his third-place finish in his first-round heat is good enough for him advance to the semifinals, and that's all that really matters at this stage.

3:15 PM: Day two of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is underway, although no Tigers have been in action yet. This is lighter day than yesterday was for Auburn, as just seven athletes are competing today. Today's schedule for Auburn student-athletes is below.

Four of the seven Tigers competing today were in action yesterday, while today will be the first competition of the meet for senior Ty Akins, sophomore Eric Werskey and freshman Cache Armbrister. Akins has been through these NCAA meets several times before so the magnitude of the event should not affect him, but Werskey and Armbrister are both making their first trip to an NCAA outdoor championship, although it should be noted that Werskey did also compete at this year's NCAA indoor meet.

First-timers at an NCAA meet often do not perform as well as they are capable due to a variety of factors, not the least of which is nerves, but Auburn did have a several first-timers yesterday - Amelia Anderson, Danielle Gilchrist, Hollie Knight and Felix Kiboiywo - who performed well and advanced.

Fortunately is doesn't look like weather will be an issue for the rest of the meet, but of course it has been and still is a big concern in Des Moines, in Iowa, and throughout the Midwest. The severe flooding continues and tornadoes have also wreaked havoc and caused a tragic incident in western Iowa yesterday.

In Des Moines, the rivers continue to rise but most of the city is still safe. It is a short walk from the team hotel to the downtown bridges, where a steady stream of gawkers and news trucks make their way to the edges of the river to snap photos and wonder how high the river might rise. There are sandbags bordering all the neighboring buildings, and it makes you appreciate the effort and sense of community that the people of Des Moines have shown in preparing for the possibilities. While the major flood that they endured in 1993 was disastrous, it at least prepared the city for the possibility of a reoccurrence, and it looks as though their precautions are paying off.

Here's the schedule for today:

Thursday, June 12
4:15 pm  M-Shot Put Qual.         Martin, Werskey
4:50 pm  M-110 Hurdles Round 1    Akins
5:10 pm  W-200m Round 1           Armbrister
5:45 pm  W-400m Hurdles Semi      Anderson, Gilchrist
6:00 pm  M-400m Hurdles Semi      McCoy
6:35 pm  W-200m Semi              Armbrister