North Carolina State University Athletics
Track Sending Three Athletes to NCAA Championships
3/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State track and field squads will be sending three athletes to compete in four events at this weekends Indoor NCAA Championships being held at Arkansas. Senior Mitchell Pope will be competing in the shot put on the men’s side, while fellow seniors Jemissa Hess (mile) and Julia Lucas (3,000 and 5,000 meters) will be representing the women’s side.
Mitchell Pope enters the NCAA Championships with the third best mark nationally this year, with a season-best toss of 64’08.75”. For the season, Pope broke the school record in the shot put a total of four times, breaking a mark that had stood since 1977. Pope has recorded three NCAA Automatic marks this season, and notched NCAA Provisional marks in the other seven meets he competed in. Last season, Pope earned All-America honors with a 10th place finish, and will be looking to become the first Wolfpack athlete to earn back-to-back All-American accolades in the shot put since 1976-77.
Lucas enters the NCAA Championships ranking in the top-10 in both of her events, even though she only ran each race just once this season. Lucas recorded the fourth-best time in the 3,000 meters (9:03.47), and the sixth fastest time in the 5,000 meters (16:03.68). She earned All-ACC honors in the 5,000 meters this indoor season, and ran the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championships duing last years outdoor season.
Hess qualified for the NCAA Championships last weekend with her time of 4:42.72, which ranks 11th nationally this season. At last years NCAA Championships, Hess earned All-American honors in the 3,000 meters.
Lucas will run one race on each day. The finals of the 5,000 meters will be Friday at 7:50 p.m., and the 3,000 meters will be held on Saturday at 7:35 p.m. Hess will run in the prelims of the mile on Friday at 6:45 p.m., and if she advances to the finals she will run on Saturday at 6:15. Pope will throw in the finals of the shot put on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
