March 4, 2013

NCAA Championship Central

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Thea LaFond and Amber Melville qualified for the 2013 NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, announced Monday night.

LaFond won the pentathlon at the ACC Indoor Championships at Virginia Tech with a mark of 4,111. That total was the second highest in Maryland history and ranks seventh in the NCAA heading into the championships, which will take place Friday and Saturday at Randal Tyson Track on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Melville joins her fellow classmate at the championships after winning the high jump at the conference championships. The sophomore cleared 5-10 to win Maryland's first gold in the event since 1987. She cleared a career-best 6-0 earlier this season.

The championship broadcast will be shown on ESPN3 live beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. NCAA.com will stream supplemental coverage as available when ESPN3 is not live. Additionally, ESPNU will air a tape-delayed two hour show at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, March 17.

As a team, Maryland finished with fifth overall with 59 points - its highest point total since 2002.