May 10, 2005

Houston, Texas - The University of Houston is the host for the 2005 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 12-14 at the Carl Lewis/Tom Tellez Complex. Houston will compete against men's and women's teams from Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, East Carolina, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane, USF, along with the women's team from UAB.

The C-USA Championships begin with heptathlon and decathlon competitions at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 12. The men and women's hammer and javelin throws also are held that day. The only running event scheduled for Thursday is the men's and women's 10,000-meter races beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The heptathlon and decathlon competitions conclude on Friday, May 13. The field events that day include the men and women's discus and long jump events along with the women's pole vault and high jump competitions.

Friday's running events are the men's and women's steeplechase finals and preliminary heats in the men's and women's 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter, 800 meter and 1500 meter races. The preliminary rounds of the women's 100-meter hurdles, men's 110-meter hurdles, along with the men and women's 400-meter hurdle races also will be held on Friday.

The meet concludes on Saturday, May 14. Field events scheduled that day are the men and women's triple jump and shot put competitions, along with the men's high jump and pole vault. Saturday's running events are finals in the men's and women's 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter, 800 meter and 1500 meter races. The other final races include the women's 100-meter hurdles, men's 110-meter hurdles, along with the men and women's 400-meter hurdle races and the men's and women's 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relay races.

Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Individual Awards
Following the 2005 championship meet, the Conference USA coaches will select a Coach of the Year and a Freshman of the Year. The Athlete of the Meet award will be given to the top-scoring male and female athlete at the Conference Championship.

The top three finishers in each event are considered All-Conference. The Coaches also select a male and female Athlete of the Year following the NCAA Championship.

Houston Looks To Sweep 2005 Track and Field Championships For Third Time
After winning both the men's and women's team championships at the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field meet earlier this year, Houston will be looking to win both the C-USA Outdoor titles for the third time in school history this week. The Cougars also won both the C-USA men's and women's outdoor titles in 1998 and 2000.

A Possible Triple Crown
The Cougars also looks to become the first Conference USA men's track and field team to win the Conference USA cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field championships during the same season.

Houston won its first conference cross country championship in 45 years last fall and won its third consecutive C-USA Indoor Track and Field Championship last February.

Marquette won the women's triple crown in 1996.

Defending Conference USA Champions
The Lady Cougars are the defending Conference USA champions after winning last year's C-USA outdoor team title by one point over TCU. Senior All-American Krystal Ward and sophomore LaDedra Guy are defending individual C-USA individual champions.

Ward won her second C-USA heptathlon championship last season with 5,173 points. She won her first Conference USA heptathlon title in 2002, and missed the 2003 campaign with a broken foot.

Earlier this year Ward won her second straight C-USA Indoor pentathlon championship. She won her first pentathlon championship in 2003 despite competing with the broken foot.

Guy was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2004 after winning the 100-meter dash and tying the C-USA meet record with a time of 11.45 seconds. She also was the runner-up in the 200 meters and ran on Houston's 4x100-meter relay that finished in second place.

Houston's 2005 Conference USA Indoor Champions
In addition to winning both team championships, Houston also had nine student-athletes win their individual events at the 2005 Conference USA Indoor Championships.

Andrew Carruthers won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.81 seconds, and Houston won the men's 4x400-meter relay race with a time of 3:15.11. Tristian Whitley won the men's high jump after clearing 2.13 meters (6-11.75), and Tom Rusteberg was the pole vault champion after he cleared 5.05 meters (16-6.75). Brandon Bray won the men's long jump with a leap of 7.50 meters (24-7.25).

Ron Veillon won his third straight pentathlon championship with 5,134 points. Veillon also was the 2003 C-USA outdoor decathlon champion before sitting out the 2004 outdoor campaign.

In the women's division, Cheryl Garner earned 20 points for the Lady Cougars after winning the 200 meters in 23.79 seconds and 400 meters in 54.43 seconds. Jasmin Jackson was the women's long jump champion with a leap of 6.21 meters (20-4.50), and Krystal Ward was the pentathlon champion with 3,833 points.

Meet Results
The 2005 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will have live results on the Internet that is provided on the worldwide web by www.flashresults.com/flashtexas. The results also will be available on the Official University of Houston website, www.uhcougars.com, at the end of each day.

Last Week
Seniors Tinisha Wesley and Sesar Figueroa won the women's shot put and men's 1500-meter run at the Houston Invitational on May 7 at the Carl Lewis/Tom Tellez Track and Field Complex. Wesley won the women's shot put and qualified to compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships with a throw of 14.65 meters (48-00.75").

Figueroa won the men's 1500-meter run as he easily out-ran the rest of the field with a time of 3:52.06. Houston also won both 4x100-meter relay races. The Cougars won the men's race with a time of 40.38 seconds, and the women's race in 45.34 seconds.

UH sophomore Caresir Hamilton finished third in the high jump after she cleared 1.75 meters (5-08.75").

In the men's high jump, Tristian Whitley finished in second place after clearing 2.15 meters (7-00.50"). Ivan Diggs also had a fourth-place finish after he cleared 2.05 meters (6-08.75"), and Nicholas Garza equaled his season-best performance after clearing 1.95 meters (6-04.75") to finish in 10th place.

Hamilton also had a sixth-place finish in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.71 meters (18-09.00"), while senior Brandon Bray finished in third place with a wind-aided leap of 7.58 meters (24-10.50").

Vincent Marshall was the runner-up in the triple jump with a wind-aided leap of 15.14 meters (49-08.25"). It was the first time he has competed in the triple jump since the C-USA Indoor Championships.

Allie Booker also had a third-place finish in the women's discus with a throw of 45.06 meters (147-10.0"), and Zuela Adom had a leap of 11.73 meters (38-6) for a third-place finish in the women's triple jump.

Johnathan Reeves had a fourth-place finish in the discus with a throw of 51.36 meters (168-06.0"). Tom Rusteberg had a fourth-place finish in the men's pole vault after clearing 5.06 meters (16-07.25").