The NCAA Track and Field Championships is really a process of elimination, and on that account, Utah's entries are holding their own. Of Utah's original 17 qualifiers, 10 have survived the trials to advance to the finals. Another Utah athlete, decathlete Dave Draney, doesn't face a qualifying round.
On Thursday, BYU's Frank Fredericks, Per Karlsson and Hui-Chen Lee and Weber State's Teri Okelberry-Spier all survived the trials to qualify for finals on Saturday. Utah State's Craig Carter and Lola Ogunde were not so fortunate.Seven Utahns will compete in final events tonight:
- Weber State's Kris Cary in the steeplechase.
- Utah's Brenda Alcorn and BYU's Chris Wilson in the high jump.
- Utah State's John Kelly in the javelin.
- BYU's Christy Opara in the long jump.
- BYU's Cathy James in the discus.
- Fredericks in the 200-meter dash.
Draney, a BYU junior, began the first of two days of decathlon competition this afternoon.
Fredericks, who on Wednesday ran the second-fastest qualifying time in the 200-meter dash trials (a personal and school record of 20.31), had more difficulty surviving Thursday's 100-meter dash trials. He finished a close fifth in his heat with a time of 10.24 - the second-best time of his life but well off the 10.02 he ran Saturday.
"I came out (of the blocks) all right, but the middle part of the race wasn't so good," he said.
Houston's Leroy Burrell won the heat with a time of 10.12. Only .04 of a second separated runner-up Slip Watkins of LSU and Fredericks. TCU's Raymond Stewart won the second heat in 10.05. Overall, Fredericks had the seventh-fastest time in the two heats.
The pre-meet favorite to win the 100, Florida's Dennis Mitchell, was disqualified after false-starting in the trials. A day earlier, another pre-meet favorite, Baylor's Michael Johnson, failed to advance to the finals of the 200 because of a hamstring injury. All of which should make Fredericks' task easier.
Today Fredericks will face Mitchell, among others, in the 200 final. Mitchell had the fastest qualifying time in the 200 trials, 20.29.
"I don't concentrate on who's in the race, only on what I need to do," said Fredericks.
In the meantime, Okelberry-Spier, a newlywed of three weeks, qualified for the javelin final with a throw of 169-feet-6, which ranked fourth in her flight and sixth overall. Lee finished second in her flight and fifth overall with a throw of 170-10.
"I still think I have a better one in me," said Okelberry, who has yet to throw farther than 171 feet since finishing sixth in last summer's U.S. Olympic Trials.
Karlsson, who has been picked to finish as high as fourth in the hammer, finished fifth in his flight (and fifth overall) Thursday with a throw of 214-2 on his first attempt - just one foot off his personal record. Karlsson fouled his other two attempts.
Carter, a junior from Clearfield who has been throwing consistently in the 200-foot range, made legal throws of 193-8 and 197-0 and fouled his third attempt. He finished sixth in his flight and failed to advance to the finals.
Ogunde, a USU senior from Nigeria, finished eighth in her 100-meter dash heat with a time of 11.76 and failed to advance to the finals.
"I was with them for 60 meters, but after that . . . ," she said.