University of Connecticut Athletics
Six Huskies To Compete At NCAA East Regionals
5/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
May 27, 2009
STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut men's track team is heading out to the NCAA East Regionals in Greensboro, N.C. this Friday and Saturday, May 29-30. Eight members of the outdoor squad have qualified for the meet and hope to further their season and make the NCAA Championship June 10-13 in Fayetteville, Ark.
All of the Huskies competing at the meet earned their spots during the 2009 regular outdoor season. Competing for Connecticut is senior Ellis Gaulden (Tallahassee, Fla.) in both the high jump and the long jump, senior Andrew Dubs (Holland, Pa.) in the shot put, sophomore Dan Holst (Smithtown, N.Y.) in the 800m run, sophomore Kyle Duggan (Staten Island, N.Y.) in the pole vault and juniors Anthony Burris (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Kyle Edmonds (Metuchen, N.J.) in the 400m intermediate hurdles.
The top five finishers in each event advance to the NCAA Championship. There are then approximately seven at-large spots per event that will be selected from the next best times or distances overall from the four regionals being held over the weekend. The other regionals this year are in Louisville, Ky. (Mid East), Norman, Okla. (Midwest) and Eugene, Ore. (West).
Smith, was the lone automatic qualifier for the Huskies in the decathlon. He took home his first BIG EAST Championship title and in doing so earned a spot in the NCAA Championship. His 6,946 points earned at the BIG EAST meet, a career-high, puts him in tenth in the east and 46th nationally.
The only Husky to qualify for two events this season, Gaulden, will be competing in the long jump and the high jump at the Regionals. He earned his long jump berth at the New England Championship on May 8 launching himself 7.38 meters. Gaulden qualified for the high jump with a height of 2.12m, an outdoor career high, at the world famous Penn Relays on April 24. Gaulden is the first Husky since Aaron Isaacs to compete in multiple events at the NCAA Regionals. Isaacs completed the feat in 2007 competing in the discus and hammer throw.
Dubs will make his third appearance at the NCAA East Regionals in the shot put. He qualified for the meet with his toss of 17.53 meters at the BIG EAST Championship which landed him in third at the meet. Last season, he finished in 12th place at the NCAA Regionals with a throw of 17.27 meters.
Competing for the first time at the meet are Holst and Duggan. Holst ran a career best 1:49.50 in the 800m during the BIG EAST Championship prelims and currently stands 18th in the east rankings. Duggan, who also qualified at the BIG EAST Championship, recorded a personal best height of 5.15m and stands tenth in the east rankings entering the meet.
Rounding out the pack are Burris and Edmonds who, for the second-straight year, will be competing in the 400 meter intermediate hurdles. This season, Burris broke the 30-year UConn 400m IH record with a career best run of 51.11 seconds at the BIG EAST Championship. His time puts him 10th in the east region and 33rd in the country. Edmonds also finished the season with a personal record time, finishing in 51.78 at the IC4A Championship and upping his east ranking to 19th. -UCONN-
Players Mentioned
