May 26, 2007
Results
Columbia, Mo. - The Fighting Illini men's track & field team wrapped-up competition at the 2007 Mideast Regional Championships with four individuals and one relay team in action on Saturday at the Audrey J. Walton Track-Soccer Stadium on the campus of the University of Missouri.
Sophomore Lesiba Masheto, who came into the meet with the top time in the 400m, finished a disappointing sixth with a time of 46.28 and missed automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships by one place. However, he still has a good chance to earn an at-large spot at the national championships based on his season-best time of 45.41. The field for the NCAA Championships will be announced on ncaasports.com on Tuesday, May 29, 2 p.m. CT.
The 4x400m relay, which won the Big Ten title two weeks ago and was seeded fourth in the regional, was disqualified for running inside the lane line. Anthony Young replaced Adrian Walker, who was hampered by a sore hamstring, in the lead-off role and was joined by Tramell Smith, Paul Johnson and Masheto on the relay.
"This was just one of those meets where anything that could have gone wrong did," said head coach Wayne Angel. "Masheto drew lane eight in the 400 and that's a tough spot for anyone, and then we had some bad luck with the relay and Tramell (Smith) in the 800 yesterday. We'll just have to wait until Tuesday to see who gets in."
Also competing for the Orange and Blue on Saturday were junior Nick Brown, who placed 12th with a leap of 50'0.5" in the triple jump, and senior Jon Houseworth, who ran a season-best time of 9:00.48 in the 3,000m steeplechase to take 12th place. Sophomore Greg Shroka also competed in the high jump, but failed to clear a height. Like Masheto, Brown may still have a chance to make the field for the national championships based on the season ranked-performance list.
"I feel bad for our seniors because they've been so great throughout their careers here," Angel said of the five seniors that competed at the regional meet (Jason Bill, Jon Houseworth, Bryan Pratt, Tramell Smith and Adrian Walker). "I hope they had a good experience at Illinois and I'm very proud of what they've done during their time here."
In the team race, Illinois picked up three points from Masheto's sixth place finish on Saturday and tied for 22nd place with 11 overall points. LSU won the Mideast Regional Championship with 70 points.
At the regional, the top five finishers in each event automatically gain entry into the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., June 6-9. The national field will also usually have five to eight at-large bids to fill in each event. Those who are at the top of the national descending order list, and who do not automatically qualify will be the first at-large bids into the national championships, provided they finish in the top 12 of their respective event in the regional (and participate and finish a final in which they were entered).
Full results for the 2007 Mideast Regional Championships can be found at mutigers.com.
2007 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships Day 2 Illinois Results // Saturday, May 26, 2007
400m FINAL
6. Lesiba Masheto 46.28 3 points
3,000m Steeplechase FINAL
12. Jon Houseworth 9:00.48
4x400m Relay FINAL
--- Illinois DQ
(Young, Smith, Johnson, Masheto)
Triple Jump FINAL
12. Nick Brown 50'0.5"
High Jump FINAL
--- Greg Shroka NH
