Troy University Athletics
Trojans Head to Mideast Regional
5/28/2009 3:30:00 PM | Track & Field
LOUISVILLE - After two weeks off for final examinations, the Troy University track and field program will return to competition this weekend in perhaps the biggest meet of the season for 11 individuals.
This weekend, the Trojans return to regional competition with hopes of qualifying for the national championships in Fayetteville in mid-June. Last season, Troy sent two student-athletes (Tawanna Meadows and O'Darien Bassett) to the national championships with their performances in the regional championships.
This year, 11 individuals will be competing for a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships next month, but to do so, need to finish in the top five of the NCAA Mideast Regional.
Troy has two student-athletes ranked in the nation's top 15 in their respective sports and are ranked in the top five in the Mideast Regional heading into this weekend's competition.
Senior Agata Cichoszewska will compete in two events this weekend, however, she has one event in which she has stood out in this season. The senior is currently ranked 11th in the nation and second in the Mideast Region in the triple jump. She trails on Middle Tennessee's Sarah Nambawa in the region with a jump of 13.20 meters (43'3.75").
Meanwhile, junior Tiphanie Baker ranks ninth in the nation in the discus and is ranked third in the Mideast Region. She will come in as the Sun Belt Conference champion, and will look to represent the university and the conference in the competition. Her best throw of the season came at the conference meet when she broke the school record, championship record and track record with a throw of 54.56 meters (179') at Middle Tennessee.
Both Baker and Cichoszewska will be competing in multiple events this weekend for the Trojans, as will senior Lamar Hicks.
Cichoszewska, along with her triple jump duties, will also compete in the long jump - an event in which she is ranked 61st in the nation.
Meanwhile, Baker will compete in the hammer and the shot put - two events in which she has won multiple medals this season and rewritten the record books at Troy University. She is currently ranked 107th in the nation in the shot put.
Hicks will compete in two individual sprint competitions, and then will team up with three other Trojans for the 4x100-meter relay. Although he has struggled this season in the 100-meters, he is still ranked 65th in the nation in the event and will try to bring back the sprinter who finished second in the Sun Belt Conference last season with his personal best. He is also ranked 102nd in the nation in the 200-meters, while he and his teammates come into regional competition with the 41st best time in the country in the 4x100-meter relay.
Hicks will team with four other runners who comprise the entire 4x100-meter relay team in Payton McGhee, Matavis Madden, Antonio McLeod and Burke Leonce.
Junior Leander McKenzie, along with Latoya Ragland and Naquita Rowe will compete in the respective hurdle competitions this weekend. McKenzie is ranked 40th in the nation in the event on the men's side, while Ragland is 45th and Rowe 62nd on the women's side. Both Ragland and Rowe ran their best races of the season at the Sun Belt Conference meet with a silver and bronze finish; while McKenzie proved he was the best hurdler in the conference by winning gold at the conference meet.
Meanwhile, Norman Austin will look to regain his form competing in his last regional competition in the javelin. The school recordholder has struggled at times this season, but has come up with a big throw when needed.
The meet will begin Friday morning and conclude on Saturday at Cardinal Park. For complete information on the Mideast Regional, click here.
