May 30, 2006

Princess Anne, MD - "Were going to the show," said an elated Head Track & Field Coach Ernest Barrett when he found his women's 4 x 100 meter relay team was one of 20 schools to make the National Championship in Sacramento, Calif. The Lady Hawks squad, who set a school record with a time of 44.61 at the NCAA East Regional, earned a birth in the field because of that time.

"They take 20 teams and we are one of them," explained Barrett. The top three finishers in each of the four regionals automatically make the field with the next 11 selections being selected based on their best time from the season.

UMES ran in the East Regional, where seven teams, including fellow MEAC school Hampton, all qualified for the event. That is the most from any region; with the Mid-East Regional sending six schools while the Mid-West sends four and the West just three teams.

Texas enters as the top seeded team with a time of 42.84 while USC is second with a time of 43.26. The Hawks' time of 44.61 ran in the qualifying round of the regional stands as the 17th best time.

"That doesn't mean anything," warned Barrett. "If you look at the field, most schools ran slower times than their seed in their regional final so we have a shot just like everybody else. We ran our best time at the regional," he added.

The event will be held at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex and be hosted by Sacramento State University and the Sacramento Sports Commission. It will run from June 7-10, 2006 with ticket information being found by calling (916)-566-6560 or by visiting www.hornetsports.com

The team, made up of Shakira Robinson, Tanesha Wisdom, Danieth Pryce and Cierra Layne, all have eligibility remaining. If they don't improve their time in Sacramento they will return to the track to hopefully improve it next season. "This feat helps validate our sprinting program as one of the best," said Barrett. "I am very proud of these young ladies."