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Dix, Florida State Sprinters Qualify For Finals

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By MICHAEL McGUFFIE

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 31, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Florida State sprinter Walter Dix got right back on track Friday, and in doing so put his team in position to contend for its fourth straight NCAA Outdoor East Regional.

Dix qualified Friday in both the 100 and 200 meters and joins a talented cast of Seminole qualifiers heading into today's finals. In fact, of the three FSU sprinters to qualify one, two and three in the 200 prelims, Dix ran the slowest time.

Charles Clark led the qualifying trio in the 200 with a time of 20.55 seconds, followed by Michael Ray Garvin's 20.73 and Dix's 20.80. However, it was evident Dix pulled up and cruised to qualifying times in both races.

"I just wanted to qualify in that 200," Dix said. "I just wanted to hop out strong off the curb and hold one. Tomorrow I'll try to go out there and run some good times."

Dix, who was limited for most of the season by a left hamstring injury, admitted he had some concerns going into his first race of the day and his first 100 since qualifying for regional April 12. But despite a slow start, Dix bounced back to qualify third in 10.21.

The 4x100 relay team of Garvin, Drew Brunson, Brandon Byram and Clark qualified third in 39.83.

Tampa native Teona Rodgers qualified fifth in the 100-meter hurdles for FSU's women's team and will run in the finals today.

Georgia leads in the men's team competition with 18 points followed by Florida with 15, Villanova 15, Norfolk State 12 and Florida State 11. Virginia Tech and Penn State share the women's lead with 28 points followed by Florida at 22.

For South Florida, Mikese Morse placed third in the men's long jump (24-11.25), while Taylar Stallings was fourth in the women's discus (167-1) and Denise von Eynatten third in the pole vault (13-3.75) to advance to the national meet.

Florida's men qualifiers: Jeremy Hall and Terrell Wilks (100), Carlos Phillips (800), Kallinka Pitt (110 hurdles) and the 4x100 relay team of Hall, Wilks, Lutz's Calvin Smith and Bernard Middleton. Florida's women qualifiers: Lekecia Ealey and Natalie Knight (100), Knight (200), Dominique McLeggan (400) and the 4x100 relay team of Abigail David, Ealey, McLeggan and Knight.

Field events will start at 10 a.m. today at Mike Long Track, while track events will start at 4 p.m. with the women's 4x100-meter finals.

SOFTBALL: Rhiannon Kliesing singled home the decisive run in the seventh inning as Texas A&M (56-7) beat Louisiana-Lafayette (52-14) 2-1 at the Women's College World Series.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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