March 11, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Freshman Dwight Barbiasz will represent the University of Maryland this weekend when he participates Friday in the men's high jump at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Texas A&M University.

In his freshman year, Barbiasz has qualified 10th in the 17-man field for the high jump event. Last week he was named ACC Indoor Track Freshman of the Year after placing first in the high jump at the ACC Championships, jumping 7-2.25.

Junior Paul Hamilton of Nebraska is the top seed in the event at 7-4.25, with Trent Arrivey of Washington State and Ed Wright of California at 7-3.

"Dwight is a great competitor. We are excited to see what he can accomplish on the national stage," said Coach Andrew Valmon.

The trip to a national championship is Barbiasz's first. On January 10th, Barbiasz immediately made his presence felt with a record 7-0.25 mark in the high jump. He broke that mark the following week with a NCAA qualifying leap of 7-1.75 that placed him first in the event.

"To have a freshman athlete qualify for the NCAA Championships is a great accomplishment," said Valmon. "Dwight has shown a desire to compete and accepts the challenges placed before him. He has shown a spirit of competition that is contagious and he is an exciting athlete to watch."

Maryland's hurdle coach, Frank Costello, who was a national-champion high jumper for the Terps in the 1960s and was head coach of the Terrapins when world-record hurdler Renaldo Nehemiah was at Maryland, looks forward to escorting another NCAA athlete to the championships this indoor season. A member of the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame, Costello led All-American Dominic Berger the NCAAs in 2006 and 2008.