June 9, 2009
By Elaine Stefanou
Maryland Athletics Media Relations
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Two of Maryland's track stars have earned the right to represent the Terps at the NCAA Track and Field Nationals this week.
Michelle Fedrick and Kiani Profit will be competing in the NCAA Nationals in Fayetteville, Ark., from June 10-13. Fedrick will be competing in the 400-meter dash. She qualified for Nationals automatically with her fifth-place finish at the East Regionals with a time of 53.36 seconds.
Profit will be running in the 400-meter hurdles and competing in the heptathlon. Profit was invited to Nationals based on past performances throughout the season.
"We'll get here and they'll prepare to go to battle," said Head Coach Andrew Valmon. "They're both well-prepared for this type of competition based on what they faced in the East Regionals. With so many schools competing in this region, this was the most competitive of the four and I think that will help."
Fedrick is running some of her best races of the season at the right time. Her best mark of 53.22 came in the final of the ACC Outdoor Championship, where she placed second. Fedrick's season-best of 53.22 is 2nd all-time at Maryland and the fastest in the past 10 years. She is ranked 20th nationally in the 27-athlete field in the 400 meters.
"The reason why I am peaking right now is because last summer I got a really good base," said Fedrick, a Terrapin senior." I put a lot of mileage in. I moved to training with Coach Valmon, and he really helped me get to a level that I have always had the potential to get to. It took a lot of work and a lot of fall training to get where I am today."
For Fedrick, competing in the 400-meter dash at the NCAA Nationals will be a welcome challenge.
"I have control over the race. I have an advantage with my (tall) stature, it comes easily. I like it because its fun and I can beat people," said Fedrick.
"I feel confident now. Everyone is fast at this level, and I feel I can be as good as everyone else. When I get out there I'm just going to have to leave everything on the track. I'm going to put out everything that I have worked for."
Consistency is a key to success in track and field, and Profit has also been very steady this year.
She won her heat in the East Regional with a time of 59.54, finishing 10th overall and just missing the final. Her best mark of the season is 58.16, as she won the ECAC Championship in the 400 hurdles. With that mark, she is within striking distance of the school record of 57.73 set by Thema Napier in 2002 at the ECAC Championship.
Profit also has the second-best score at Maryland in the heptathlon of 5,276, behind only Linda Spenst, who scored 5,594 in 1984
"They've both been very consistent this year," said Coach Valmon. "At this level, the more consistent you are, the more you have an opportunity to be an All-American."
Valmon agrees that running at Nationals will be challenging, but has great confidence in both Fedrick and Profit.
"I think Michelle is coming into her own right now. Obviously both of them have a challenge ahead of them," said Valmon. `They're running three rounds at Nationals this year since the NCAA has increased the size of the fields. At this level, everybody's fast, everybody's in shape and everybody's ready."
The increased size of the fields may be an obstacle for Fedrick and Profit to overcome. However Valmon does not believe that summer heat in Arkansas will be an issue.
"The heat and humidity in Arkansas won't be a factor for either of them, I think," said Valmon. "Michelle went to Arkansas-Pine Bluff for two seasons and Kiani is from Southern California. They'll be ready."
Start Lists Out for First Rounds
Fedrick will compete in the first of five heats of the women's 400 on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. EDT at Arkansas. The top three from each heat, plus the next three fastest times will move on to the semifinals in the 400 meters, which take place on Friday evening.
Jessica Beard, a sophomore at Texas A&M, is in Fedrick's heat and is the fastest qualifier in the field with a 51.24 clocking this season. Fedrick is the only student-athlete from the Atlantic Coast Conference in the field for the open 400.
Profit's first appearance on the track at the University of Arkansas will also be on Wednesday evening in the first round of the women's 400 hurdles. Profit is drawn into the first of five heats, scheduled for 7:30 EDT, with the advancement to Thursday's semifinals being in the same format.
The second-fastest qualifier in the field for the 400 hurdles, USC freshman Dalilah Muhammad, is also in Profit's heat. Five of the 27 student-athletes in the field for the 400 hurdles are from ACC schools, and nine of the 27 come from the East Region.
Profit will begin her competition in the heptathlon on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. EDT with the 100 hurdles. Student-athletes compete in the high jump, shot put and 200 meters on Thursday before finishing the combined event on Friday afternoon with the long jump, javelin and 800 meters.
Three student-athletes from the ACC are among the competitors in the heptathlon.
