Spartans Earn All-Mideast Region Accolades
5/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 31, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State's John Childress, Jonathon Allen, Nicole Bush, Sarah Price and Alissa McKaig received All-Mideast Region honors as announced Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Student-athletes earn All-Region honors when they finish in the top eight of an event at their regional championship.
"I'm proud of all five of our athletes and it speaks volumes to their work ethic," director of track and field Walt Drenth said. "This was great for John Childress in his last year and a good send-off for those going to nationals. The Mideast region was very competitive and to finish as high as they did was a very important accomplishment."
Childress, a senior, earned All-Mideast Region accolades by placing eighth at the NCAA Regional in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.25.
Allen, a 2007 Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, leaped his way to a sixth-place finish in the triple jump, with a mark of 15.69 meters (51-5 3/4). Although he did not finish in the top five, (which guarantees an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships) Allen has earned an at-large bid, as announced by the NCAA.
Also earning regional honors were Bush and Price for their performances in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Bush, a 2007 Second Team All-Big Ten award winner and 2006 All-American, ran her second-best time of the year at the recent competition (10:10.35), to finish second. Not only did Bush earn All-Mideast Region honors, she automatically qualified for her second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Price earned All-Mideast Region honors and her first bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Mankato, Minn., native finished fourth, posting a personal-best time of 10:22.17.
Rounding out the list of honorees was sophomore McKaig, whose time of 16:27.32 in the 5,000-meter was good enough for seventh place at the Mideast meet. Despite falling two places short of an automatic bid, McKaig received an at-large bid for the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 6-9 on the campus of Sacramento State University, and will feature 544 athletes from each gender competing for a national title in their respective events.
Players Mentioned
