University of Connecticut Athletics
Blount, Wilson and Mendel in Action at NCAAs
3/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
FAYETTEVILLE, AR (Mar. 8, 2002) -- Seniors Elliott Blount (Freeport, NY) and Dan Wilson (West Haven, CT) and junior Joe Mendel (Wayne, NJ) of the University of Connecticut men’s track and field team competed in preliminary action on Friday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship, hosted by the University of Arkansas.
Wilson ran to a seventh-place finish in his preliminary heat in the mile, but his time of 4:08.41 placed him 15th overall, initially missing the cut of 10 competitors for the finals. However, the NCAA Games Committtee later ruled that he was eligible to advance to the finals due to incidental contact he suffered during his preliminary heat. The finals of the men's indoor mile are scheduled for 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 9.
Wilson had qualified for the NCAA Championship by virtue of a performance of 4:01.32 in the mile at New England Championship.
Like Wilson, Blount, who qualified for the NCAA Championship in the 800-meters with a school record time of 1:48.66 at the Penn State Tri-Meet, placed seventh in his preliminary heat with a time of 1:51.32. The time ranked Blount 14th overall, with only the top eight times advancing to the finals.
The appearance was the second at the NCAA Indoor Championship for Blount and Wilson. Both athletes were members of UConn’s distance medley team that captured All-America honors with a fourth-place finish at the 2000 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship.
In his first NCAA Championship, Mendel failed to advance to the finals as well, running a time of 47.36 in the 400-meters en route to the 15th-fastest time overall. Only the top eight times advanced to the finals.
Mendel qualified for the NCAA Championship by virtue of a time of 46.69 at last weekend’s IC4A Championship, where he took home top honors in the 400-meters.
The UConn men’s track and field team begins its outdoor season on Saturday, Mar. 23, at the Florida International Invitational in Miami, FL.
