7 UA track athletes qualify for NCAA's
Seven UA track and field athletes, four women and three men, qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track Championships in Indianapolis March 5-6. The NCAA selection committee officially released its list of qualifiers late yesterday afternoon.
Those who qualified include junior pole vaulters Jeff Dutoit and Andrea Neary, sprinters Patrick Nduwimana and Carolyn Jackson, distance runners Abdi Abdirahman and Tara Chaplin and Maureen Griffin in the 20-pound weight throw.
Although seven UA athletes qualified, only six will actually be competing this weekend.
Sophomore Patrick Nduwimana has made the decision to compete at the World Championships in Japan for his home country of Burundi instead of attending the NCAA's. The decision came after a consensus between head coach Dave Murray and Nduwimana as they decided the opportunity could not be missed.
"His country wanted him to compete," Murray said. "It's very hard to tell a person whose country wants him to say no."
Murray further added that competing at the World Championships will provide Nduwimana with the chance to test his ability against the best in the world.
"The opportunity to run against the best competition in the world and to run for his country is right now more important than running for us at the indoor NCAA's," Murray said.
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