Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Ayala, Jordan Earn Second-Round Bids at NCAAs
6/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
June 10, 2009
Live NCAA Championship Results
FRESNO, Calif. - Sharon Ayala and Latrisha Jordan, the two Bulldogs at the NCAA Championships, earned the right to continue their seasons with solid performances during Wednesday's preliminary rounds at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Ayala moves on to the finals in the hammer throw while Jordan captured a spot in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles.
Jordan will continue her freshman campaign with the semifinals Thursday at 4:45 p.m. PST.
The WAC Freshman of the Year ran a 58.40 in the quarter-mile hurdles, earning an automatic bid to the semifinals as one of the top three finishers in her heat.
"She not have her best race, but she still advanced, which is a good thing because there is room for improvement," said head coach Scott Winsor. "She is going to have to step it up in the semis or she won't advance, and she knows that."
Jordan came to the championships ranked No. 20 of the 27 competitors. With only 18 racers advancing, she earned the No. 15 seed. The Top 4 finishers and the next best time overall will move on to run for the championship on Friday.
The freshman from Ceres, Calif., broke the Fresno State record in the 400 hurdles repeatedly over the season, marking her career-best 58.17 at the WAC Championships.
Earlier Wednesday, Ayala earned a bid to the hammer throw finals. Ayala, ranked third nationally entering the competition, had the second-best throw of the day to earn the No. 2 seed heading into Friday's finals. The senior easily advanced on a throw of 206 feet, 2 inches (62.83 meters). Ayala set a career-best of 218-3 (66.52m) at the WAC Championships three weeks ago.
Ayala will throw in the finals of the hammer Friday at 9 a.m. PST.
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