Five `Jacks Head to USA Championships
6/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
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EUGENE, Ore. - Four student-athletes from the Stephen F. Austin track and field program will compete this weekend during the USATF Junior and Senior Championships, hosted by the University of Oregon at Historic Hayward Field.
Competing at the senior level, 2015 NCAA Outdoor Women's Pole Vault Champion Demi Payne and two-time All-American Joshua Taylor enter the weekend with hopes of making the national team and representing the USA at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China from August 22-30. Each SFA standout will be aiming for a top three finish to secure a spot on the national team, granted they achieve the IAAF qualifying standard in the process.
Coming off arguably the best year in collegiate pole vault history, Payne carries a multitude of momentum into Track Town USA. The indoor collegiate record holder and NCAA outdoor champion enters the pole vault battle as the second ranked American in the field behind Olympian Jenn Suhr. She'll go for a top three finish when action gets underway on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. CT.
"It would mean the world to me if I could place in the top three this weekend," said Payne. "It would be the perfect ending to an incredible season. I want to make the national team so badly and I know it's not going to be easy. These are the pros - they're the best in the nation and it's definitely going to be a dogfight. I feel like I'm primed up and ready to go. I couldn't be more excited for Sunday."
Payne's career best jump is 15-7 set in New Mexico during the indoor season while she has gone up and over 15-5 (NCAA Championships) and 15-5.5 (SLC Championships) her last two times out. She has cleared a 15-foot bar more times (9) than anyone in the country in 2015.
Taylor returns to the scene of the NCAA Championships with a chance to start his post-collegiate career with a bang. He will run in the first round of the senior 400m hurdles on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. CT. The school record holder in the event posted a time of 50.03 seconds at the SLC Championships last month. He finished in 15th place last year at the USAs in Sacramento.
Sprints/hurdles coach Michael Courtney will take a quick break from coaching on Thursday to run in the first round of the senior 400-meter dash at 6:45 p.m. CT. A star at Sam Houston State during his collegiate career, Courtney was a USATF Champion in the quarter mile in 2011.
Racing on the junior side this weekend will be freshmen My'Lik Kerley (400m) and Brittany Innis (3,000m steeplechase). Innis competes at 6:00 p.m. CT and Kerley runs at 6:37 p.m. CT on Saturday.
A centerpiece on the men's 4x400m relay, Kerley had a huge freshman season for the Lumberjacks. He owns a personal best time of 46.51 seconds in the 400m - a time that was good enough for runner-up honors at the SLC Championships in May.
Innis also made a significant splash for SFA in her first season, breaking the 3,000m steeple school record three times in 2015. Her best time of 10:43.02 helped her to a second place showing at the SLCs.
Fans can watch all of the action at this year's USATF Championships online at USATF.tv. For live updates, follow SFA Track and Field on Twitter (@SFA_TFXC).
SFA Schedule of Events
Thursday
6:45 p.m. CT - Michael Courtney - 400m First Round
7:10 p.m. CT - Joshua Taylor - 400m Hurdles First Round
Saturday
6:00 p.m. CT - Brittany Innis - 3,000m Steeplechase Final (Junior)
6:37 p.m. CT - My'Lik Kerley - 400m Final (Junior)
Sunday
2:00 p.m. CT - Demi Payne - Pole Vault Final
-SFA-
