Juniors make impact at US Championships
CARSON, Calif. – University of Arkansas freshmen Dacia Barr and Tominique Boatright each represented the Lady Razorback track and field team well with strong showings at the USA Track and Field Championships in Carson, Calif.
Barr, a semifinalist at the NCAA Championships, once again ran at her career best in the 1,500-meter run to pick up the Lady Razorback’s best showing off the weekend, fourth. Her time of 4:26.93 was just a second off her personal best but the fourth time this season that she has run under 4:27 making her perhaps the fastest freshman to ever run at Arkansas.
“We came to the US Championships with a couple of seniors, but more juniors,” Arkansas head coach Lance Harter said. “We had a very young team this year and I believe that their performances are an indicator of what we can expect for years to come at Arkansas. They proved that they were among the best to compete in the junior ranks and soon will show what they can do against the Southeastern Conference and the country.”
Boatright’s performance in the 400 meters continued to show the improvements that Arkansas’ coaches hoped would come after she spent most of the outdoor season with a lingering hamstring injury. Running 54.51 seconds, Boatright dropped her season and career best by two-tenths of a second to finish seventh overall.
The former Lady Razorbacks were led by Gi-Gi Miller in the heptathlon who finished second overall with a spectacular score of 6,192 points. Finishing second overall, Miller earned herself a spot on the U.S. roster for the World Championships by hitting the ‘A’ qualifying standard of 6,100 points. Opening the two-day event with a time of top tine of 13.03, Miller held the lead into the high jump where she leaped to a mark of 5 feet, 6 ½ inches. In the shot put, Miller put together the competition’s third best effort at 42-9 ¾ before ending the first day with a 200-meter run of 23.68 seconds, the best time of the competition.
Day two of the heptathlon began with the long jump and Miller was ready as she put together the third best jump of the competition at 20-1 ½. The javelin came next and Miller took the fourth best throw of that competition at 141-2. She wrapped up her day with the 800-meter run and finished second overall in 2:16.55 to end with a final score of 6,192 points, 16 points from Hyleas Fountain the competition’s winner.
In the 1,500-meter run, former Lady’Back Christin Wurth-Thomas also held the lead for a moment when she came down the back stretch of the final lap, but was passed along the final curve to complete the three-plus lap race in 4:08.80. Finishing sixth overall, Wurth looked very strong throughout the race, but seemed to make a bid for the lead a little early allowing her competition to use her as a wind shield before they broke for the finish.
Arkansas’ former Lady’Back’s competition concluded with the pole vault where April Steiner made a strong bid for the World Championship team, but finished sixth with a clearance of 14-1 ¼. Passing on the first bar, Steiner cleared the next two heights on her second attempts. She had three very good attempts at 14-5 ¼, but clipped the bar each time to place herself in a three-way tie for fourth but was awarded sixth-place on misses.
For more information about Lady Razorback track or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to www.ladybacks.com.
