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This is always a pretty good early indoor meet held by A-State for the non-elite teams.

http://www.ucasports.com/sport.aspaction=news&sportid=14&article=3482

Some comments on how UCA fared.....note that early meet team results mean nothing as athletes are jockeying for qualifying times or trying out new events, etc...it is all about conference meets then NCAAs....everything else is about learning how best to compete at those meets...

1. Four school records and record 10 qualifying marks for the Southland Conference Indoor Championships in late February ... good start...the more qualfiers the better the chance to score points....

2. Courtney Efurd, a freshman from Rogers, Ark., qualified in two events, winning the mile race in 5:12.65 and taking third in the 800 meters in 2:24.54. This is a good mile and a so-so 800m...probably ran the 800m just to get a time and some practice in doubling in one meet. Courtney is a very solid runner and has a 5:10 best in mile..... PR in 800 about 2:15....stay healthy and she breaks a bunch of school records and does some damage at SLC meets...top NCAA D1 times would be sub 4:40 for the mile and sub 2:05 for the 800m....both within her reach as she develops...5 flat won SLC indoor last year and 5:12 would have been 4th but you have to run a qualifyiing race the day before.....in 800m 2:13 won and 2:18 scored...

2. Freshman April Martin of Yellville, Ark. won the triple jump with a leap of 11.45 meters (37 ft.-6.75 in.), breaking the school mark and qualifying for the SLC. She also finished sixth in the long jump at 5.09 meters (16 ft.-8.5 in.). The TJ is a good high school mark in Arkansas and the LJ is middlin. April won the Class 3A State at 36' for the TJ and 2nd in LJ at a nice 17' 6.75". Top NCAA D1 marks woud be low 40s for the TJ and 20+ for the LJ....for someone from a small school in a conference not known for jumpers, she is off to a good college start....in TJ at SLC 40' won and 37' 9" scored....in LJ 19' 6" won SLC and 17'9" scored....

3. Freshman Tasha Bryles also qualified for the Southland Championships in the shot put with a toss of 11.68 meters (38 ft.-4 in.), finishing seventh. SP is a hard adjustment to make from high school to college as the weight you are throwing (or technically "putting") increases notably. Top Arkansas high school girls get out to 43-45' and you expect a several feet fall off when you get more wieght until you built more muscle and get better foot work....it took 47' to win SLC indoor last year and 40'+ to score.......good footwork (ie, better use of leverage) can add a foot or two...

4. Junior Matthew Mason in the 800 meters (5th, 1:58.28)...it is time Matt got to a new level...he has good foot speed but has been stuck at the 1:56-58 level .......this is a tough race and requires speed, endurance, mental toughness and good race tactics....1:52 won SLC in 2009 and 1:57 scored....

5. Sophomore Jaron Criswell in the long jump (2nd, 6.93 m, 22' 8'). ......it took 23' 9 to win last year and 22'8 to score....Jaron won the Class 7A outdoor meet in LJ at 22' 1 in 2008 so he has improved....

6. FR Tony Stewart in the 3,000 meters (3rd, 8:55.04).....Tony is a real wildcard..he ran for Class 3A England , AR and emerged late in season last year to run a sub 4:30 mile and 9:50 two mile....this 3000m time is about 9:30 for two miles so he has come down quite abit with just a few months of college training.....a distance running friend who has seen Tony run says he is the find of the decade....it took 8:24 to win last year and 8:42 to score....his best event long term could be anything from mile to 5k....to get to elite D1 level count on sub 8:10..... trust me when I say that it is possible to get there for someone just really starting his running career...

7. 4x400 relay team of Harrison, Raphael, Courtney Houff and Nick Miller (3rd, 3:22.85).....it took 3:17 to win and 3:22 to score last year at SLC...in the old days, UCA would run 3:12 or so...actually won a NAIA national title in this event.... I know Coach would love to get this down to sub 3:10 some day...elite D is sub 3:06....

8. Freshman McKinley Rea of Conway broke her own school record in the pole vault with a SLC qualifying mark of 3.31 meters (10 ft.-10.25 in.), .....she won the 2009 Arkansas Meet of Champs at 11' 1" and the Class 7A State at 11' 4"....it took 11'11" + last year to win SLC and 11" to score.....vaulters are often erratic (I once saw the defending NCAA D1 champ at 19"+ feet barely clear 17" to place 8th....) but that also means they can surprise on the upside (no pun intended)....if she can do 11'4 then it should be no surprise if one day she does 4-6" more out of the blue.....

9. Others....

Mary Douglas in 400m at 60.16...count on having to run prelims at SLC iin 57-58 range.....

Sage Raphael in 400m at 49.50....it took 48.20 to win last year and sub 50 to score...have to run prelims days before at about same times....very tough duty to run two 400s like that plus the leg on the mile relay.....D1 elites run sub 47...

Freshman Daniel Reese of Texarkana, Ark.(Class 3A Genoa Central) also broke the school record and qualified in the pole vault with a mark of 4.47 m (14 ft.-8 in.)....this might get into finals at SLC and have a chance to score.....Reese ws 2nd in 2009 Arkansaa Meet of Champs at 15' so he could finish much better with a good day....