April 26, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md -
Led by a dozen ECAC qualifiers and three NCAA qualifiers, the
Maryland women's track team is ranked 27th in the latest National Dual Meet Power Rankings, compiled
by Idaho State University.
Last weekend the Terps finished sixth at the ACC Championships in Orlando, Fla. The team
begins competition today at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., which will not be team-scored. The
Maryland men's team is 56th in the same power rankings.
Leading the way for Maryland have been a dozen athletes who have already qualified for Eastern
Colleges Athletic Conference (ECAC) competition. Sophomore Tia Burley (Baltimore, Md.) has qualified
in the 200 meters and the 400 meters, sophomore Punnie Chittchang (Mount Airy, Md.) in the long
jump, sophomore Natalie Dye (Myersville, Md.) in the pole vault, sophomore Lynn Harris (Newark, Del.)
in the long jump, sophomore Devenn Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) in the 400, sophomore Heather Houston
(Fort Washington, Md.) in the long jump, freshman Toni Jefferson (Baltimore, Md.) in the 100 and the
200, senior Vanessa Jones (Olney, Md.) in the high jump, senior Ruth Kura (Potomac, Md.) in the
discus and hammer, junior Thema Napier (Columbia, Md.) in the 100 hurdles and the 400 hurdles, junior
Tracy Ojeniyi (Sewell, N.J.) in the shot put and the heptathlon, and junior Amber Stanley (Saratoga
Springs, N.Y.) in the heptathlon. In addition, the 4x100 relay team and the 4x400 relay team have
qualified for the ECAC Championships, which will be held May 18-20 in Princeton, N.J.
Three of Maryland's ECAC qualifiers have also qualified for the NCAA Championships, which will
be held May 30-June 2 in Eugene, Ore. Napier (400 hurdles), Jones (high jump), and Harris (long jump)
have recorded NCAA provisional marks in one event each.
Three members of the men's team have qualified for Intercollegiate Association of Amateur
American Athletes (IC4A) competition. Sophomores Phillip Barrett, Jr. (Washington, D.C.) and Dontae
Bugg (Newport News, Va.) have both qualified in the 110 hurdles, and senior Cedrick Rogers (Fort
Wayne, Ind.) has qualified in the long jump. Also, the 4x100 relay team has qualified for the IC4A
Championships, which will be held May 18-20 in Princeton, N.J.
Those who haven't qualified for ECAC/IC4A/NCAA competition still have three meets remaining
to do so.
