Utah State's Silcock, Karren Qualify For Track and Field Nationals

Utah State [University] track and field will have at least two athletes competing at the NCAA National Championship meet as senior hurdler Nick Karren and junior high jumper Clint Silcock both qualified on Friday [May 28] in the second day of action at the NCAA Championship West Region Preliminary Round, in Austin, Texas. The meet is hosted by the University of Texas at Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium.

 

Silcock and Karren advance to the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 9-12 at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., hosted by the University of Oregon. It is the second-straight season that Karren has competed at the national meet, while Silcock is going for the first time outdoors, but earned All-American honors in the high jump at the 2009 Indoor National Championships.

 

"For both of them to qualify is a culmination of all their hard work and dedication they have put in," veteran USU head coach Gregg Gensel said. "Both of them have done a great job."

 

Silcock was one of seven jumpers to clear 2.16m (7-01.00), as they all qualified when they cleared that mark, with a jump off needed to determine the other five qualifiers to make up the 12 qualifiers to Nationals. The 2.16m jump is tied for Silcock's third-best mark this season.

 

"Clint is a great jumper, and I think he's figuring that out as he gets better and better," Gensel said. "He was the number one qualifier from the West coming in and he did what he needed to in clearing the bar to advance to Nationals."

 

Karren advanced with a time of 50.89, finishing as the 12th and final qualifier, just ahead of No. 13 finisher Adam Dailey of Nebraska's time of 50.90. Karren's time was also his third-fastest time this season.

 

"For Nick to advance by one one-hundredth of a second is typical of his career to always be in the thick of things and he deserves any break he can get for all of his hard work," Gensel said

 

Three Aggies were in the 3,000m steeplechase, as sophomore Daniel Howell finished 19th in the men's race with a career-best time of 8:59.76, bettering his previous career time by .08 of a second. Howell's 8:59.76 is also the No. 9 spot on USU's top 10 list for the steeplechase. Senior Steve Strickland was a disappointing 23rd, clocking a 9:03.83, in the men's race, as he entered the weekend ranked fifth in the West Region and sixth in the NCAA. Senior Erin Stratton was 33rd in the women's race with a 10:51.66 time.

 

Two USU women were in action in the discus, as junior Shannon Prince was 26th with a mark of 46.05m (151-01), while freshman Lindsey Spencer finished 44th with a 40.29m (133-02) distance.

 

Other track action for the Aggie men saw senior Dylan Nielson place 31st in the 110m hurdles, clocking a 14.54, while junior Armahd Lewis was 38th in the 200m with a time of 21.59.

 

"I'm really proud of all of them," Gensel said. "They competed hard and were trying their best to move on to Nationals. What I'm most proud of is that they put it all on the line, they just got beat by better athletes today. Steve (Strickland) and Erin (Stratton) are the only ones who ended their USU careers here today and I'm extremely proud of their dedication to Utah State track & field. They left a great legacy and I'm just so proud of them."