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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State men’s and women’s track and field teams will be represented by five qualifying student-athletes during competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championship held in Eugene, Ore., beginning on Wednesday, June 5.
After posting the ninth best time in the east region during preliminary competition, the women’s relay team of
Cynthia Davis (Norcross, Ga./Norcross HS),
Alicia Whittle (Douglasville, Ga./Harvester Christian Academy),
Kentrell White (Conyers, Ga./Salem HS), and
Hannah Wood (Carrolton, Ga./Mt. Zion HS) will run in the 4x100m relay semifinals beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday.
With its appearance, the team will be making history as the first-ever members of the KSU women’s team to compete at the championship meet and will look to continue the record-breaking season they have enjoyed.
Sophomore
Andre Dorsey (Chalmette, La./Chalmette HS) will represent the men’s squad as he leaps for a top spot in the triple jump beginning at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 8.
The Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Most Valuable Performer has the ability to break into the top-five at the meet, sitting twelfth overall in the nation, less than two feet behind the top mark.
THE FACILITY
Hayward Field
At the heart of Eugene's successful bid for the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials, Hayward Field looms as one of the world's most famous track and field venues.
In 2010, Track Town USA welcomed the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the 10th time since 1962 – the most of any venue in modern history. It's also the only facility to ever host three consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials (1972, 1976, 1980), while six U.S. Championships have graced the storied venue, including recent events in 1999, 2001, 2009 and 2011.
The centerpiece of 'Track Town, USA,' Hayward Field attracts athletes, coaches and fans from thousands of miles away because of its renowned crowds well-versed in the sport and ready to roar in approval. Hayward Field's historic, covered grandstands are equally beloved, and comparable to many famous European venues. The 'Carnegie Hall' for American track and field plays host annually to the nation's finest single-day track and field contest, the Prefontaine Classic, which features the top mix of national and international talent on American soil each year.
Oregon's fabled track and field-only facility is named for the first of several legendary coaches, Bill Hayward, who guided the Oregon men's team from 1904-1947.
Hayward Field was initially constructed for football in 1919. Two years later, a six-lane cinder track was installed and a full schedule of track events were transferred from Kincaid Field on the opposite edge of campus. The facility was utilized for both sports until the opening of Autzen Stadium in 1967.
The stadium (current capacity: 10,500) has undergone significant improvements in modern history, including a new track surface, permanent lights, a video board and newly configured infield.
In 2007, distance running fans celebrated a new permanent lighting system that was unveiled for the Oregon Invitational distance carnival. The grand venue can now easily accommodate the most televised hours of Olympic Trials coverage ever, thanks to eight, 110-foot light poles and additional lighting system fixed to the top of west and east grandstands.
Powell Plaza
Unveiled in 2005 to welcome fans into the fabled facility – details UO's rich track and field heritage and is named after the family of Lloyd Powell, a track teammate of former coach and athlete Bill Dellinger. That same year, the facility welcomed a new four-lane, fully-lit 400-meter all-weather track that encircles six new tennis courts on the southwest edge of the track.
Situated on the northwest corner of the facility, the $2 million Bowerman Building was completed in 1992 and dedicated to Bill Bowerman and his family who donated funds necessary to construct the all-purpose building. The two-story, 15,000-square foot brick building houses the university's hailed International Institute for Sport and Human Performance along with athletic treatment, locker rooms and meeting rooms. Memorabilia and various exhibits commemorate great athletes, teams and moments of the program's history.
One of the biggest renovations to date came prior to the 1988 NCAA Championships with a two-year project to convert the track from a 440-yard dimension to a 400-meter oval with 85-meter straightaways. To accommodate the size changes, the east grandstands were moved back to the east approximately 11 meters (or 35 feet, 9 1/2 inches) – with the structure reconditioned later in the process.
Keep up with Owls track and field teams by following KSU on Twitter at
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUTrackFieldXC or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on
Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
