DES MOINES, Iowa -- Texas sophomore Destinee Hooker matched
her own mark for the best high jump in the United States this year
by clearing 6 feet, 4 inches at the NCAA Midwest Regionals Friday
at Drake Stadium.
Hooker, one of America's brightest young track and field stars,
will be a strong favorite to win her second straight NCAA title at
next month's National Outdoor Championships in Sacramento. Her
winning jump Friday beat the one that gave her the national title a
year ago, and broke the Drake Stadium mark set by former U.S.
Olympian Amy Acuff in 2001.
Hooker, 19, is on pace to join Acuff at the U.S. Olympic Trials
in 2008.
"I've always wanted to break one of her records," Hooker said
of Acuff. "She's an inspiration to a lot of high jumpers."
Kansas took a strong lead in the men's team standings with 41
points. Nebraska is in second, 19 points behind the Jayhawks,
followed by Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Colorado. Texas Tech is one
point ahead of Texas and Texas A&M in the women's standings.
Texas-El Paso's Erma Gene Evans, who didn't leave Texas until 4
a.m. Friday because of weather trouble in Dallas, took the women's
javelin with a throw of 177 feet, 7 inches.
"I was hoping to throw better, but considering just getting
here 90 minutes before the meet I guess I did all right," Evans
said.
Egor Agatonov of Kansas, the winner of the men's hammer throw at
this year's NCAA Indoor Meet, threw 223 feet on his second-to-last
throw to take the hammer throw and qualify for the Outdoor
Championships. His teammate, Jordan Scott, took the men's pole
vault at 17 feet, 5 inches.
Northern Iowa's Andrea Poljanec, who shares the top collegiate
mark this season with Scott at 18 feet, 2 1/2 inches, failed to get
untracked and fell short of qualifying for nationals. His best leap
was just over 16 feet.
"Today's accomplishment was just another dream come true,"
Scott said. "I hope to carry over the momentum from today's event,
and from the Big 12 Championships, to the NCAA national
championships."
Kansas junior Barrett Saunders took first place in the men's
long jump, while Funmi Jimoh of Rice won the women's long jump at
20 feet, 10 inches.
Texas senior shot putter Michelle Carter, who won the 2006 NCAA
Indoor Championship, fell short in her quest for a third Midwest
regional title. Texas State's Abigail Ruston finished first with a
put of 56 feet, 6 1/2 inches, though Carter's second-place finish
was enough to qualify her for nationals.
The track events were mostly preliminaries, but TCU's Virgil
Hodge made a splash in the women's 200 meters, setting a Midwest
Regionals record at 22.68. Colorado's Brent Vaughn broke his own
Midwest Regionals mark in the men's 5,000 meters finals, winning
the race in 13:57.36. He had set that record in 2005 at 13:59.39.
The Midwest Regionals are the first major event -- other than the
Drake Relays -- since Drake Stadium underwent extensive renovations
in 2006. The improvements, which included a new track, press box
and scoreboard along with permanent lighting, persuaded NCAA
officials to award the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships to Des
Moines.
One concern for Saturday, when most of the track finals will be
held, is the weather. Forecasts call for scattered thunderstorms in
central Iowa throughout the day.