June 6, 2006

FT. WORTH, Texas - The level of competition of the outdoor track and field season will reach its greatest height for TCU. The Flyin' Frogs are among the nation's elite competing at the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 7-10 at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex on the campus of Sacramento State in Sacramento, Calif.

Eighteen Frogs (10 men and eight women) will battle for a champion crown and All-America status in their respective events, with seven competing in the NCAA meet for the first-time ever.

Qualifying rounds for field events and semifinals for running events will take place Wednesday-Thursday, June 7-8. Sophomore Jonathan Jackson will hit the field Friday, June 9, to qualify for the finals in the men's triple jump.

For a complete list of results and schedule of the four-day national event, log on to www.sacsports.com or www.ncaasports.com.

Tickets for this year's national meet can be purchased online at www.sacsports.com and www.hornetsports.com or by calling 1-800-225-2277.

In addition, the NCAA Championships will be televised live with CSTV showcasing two hours of competition (7 p.m. to 9 p.m. CDT) on Friday, June 9. CBS will broadcast the final two and a half hours of the meet June 10 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. CDT.

TCU AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: TCU will be represented by 18 Frogs in the national meet this week, the most qualified and/or selected for the NCAA event under second-year head coach Darryl Anderson. Seven Frogs automatically qualified to the national meet based on their finish at the Midwest Regional, while 11 positioned themselves for at-large berths.

Eight Frogs - Julie Curtis, Delwayne Delaney, Jonathan Jackson, Kip Kangogo, Tommy Killen, Kishelle Paul, Bradley Reed and Justyn Warner - are making their first-ever appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Marquita Davis, Virgil Hodge, Nathandra John, Deborah Jones, and Jamee Jones are returning All-Americans on the women's team, while the men boast All-Americans Lewis Banda, Che Chavez, Jackson Langat and Otis McDaniel.

McDaniel and Hodge are the lone Frogs in their respective divisions to compete in three events. Both look to qualify in the 100 meters and 200 meters, as well as play a vital role in the 4x100 meter relays.

TCU MEN
Lewis Banda - 400m dash
Ché Chavez - Relays
Delwayne Delaney - Relays
Jonathan Jackson - Triple Jump
Kip Kangogo - 1500m run
Tommy Killen - Discus Throw
Jackson Langat - 800m run
Otis McDaniel - 100m dash, 200m dash
Bradley Reed - Relays
Justyn Warner - Relays

TCU WOMEN

Julie Curtis - 400m hurdles
Marquita Davis - 400m dash
Virgil Hodge - 100m dash, 200m dash
Nathandra John - 400m dash
Deborah Jones - 400m dash
Jamee Jones - 200m dash
Kishelle Paul - Relays
Calandra Stewart - 1500m run


MIDWEST REGIONAL RECAP: Twenty members of the TCU track and field team hit the track at the Midwest Regional in Austin, Texas, on May 26-27, with TCU placing seven automatic qualifiers in the NCAA Championships. The TCU women were exceptional at the regional meet as they posted a fourth-place finish out of 32 schools in their division.

The women combined for four medals at the Austin regional, including a silver in the 4x100 relay. Virgil Hodge won both the women's 100 meters and 200 meters, while Nathandra John placed third in the 400 meters.

TCU sent its women's 4x100-meter relay team to the national championships for the fourth time in five years. The foursome of Kishelle Paul, Hodge, Jamee Jones and Deborah Jones finished second with their second-fastest time of the season (44.16).

For the TCU men, senior Kip Kangogo and sophomore Jonathan Jackson each notched a medal as Kangogo picked up a silver medal in the men's 5,000-meter run, while Jackson collected a bronze in the men's triple jump.

TCU IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Flyin' Frogs have gained national recognition in 2006 with the women (tied for 22nd) making their first-ever appearance this year in the latest Trackwire.com Top 25 poll. The Frog men were ranked every week of the outdoor season except for two (April 24 and May 31).

The men's team earned its highest ranking (ninth) of the 2006 outdoor season on May 17. It was also the highest ranking under head coach Darryl Anderson since he took over the Frog track and field program prior to the 2005 outdoor campaign.

AMONG THE ELITE IN THE MWC: TCU dominated most of the running events in its first year of competition in the Mountain West Conference. Nine of the 21 men's events are held by a TCU sprinter, jumper or thrower - 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 5000 meters, triple jump, javelin, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay; while the TCU women are ranked at the top of the league in eight of the 21 events - 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 1500 meters, 400-meter hurdles, shot put, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay.

In addition, the Frog men occupies six of the seven (including the top four spots) in the 100 meters, four of the top six in the 200 meters, and the top two slots in the 400 meters. On the women's side, the Frogs hold all three spots in the 200 meters, as well as the top two places in both the 100 meters and 400 meters.

FLYIN' FROGS ON THE TRACK: TCU's sprint core (men and women) has been solid and consistent throughout the 2006 season. Heading into this week's national meet, three of the 10 Frog men competing were crowned MWC outdoor champions (Lewis Banda, Jackson Langat and Otis McDaniel), while five of the eight (Julie Curtis, Virgil Hodge, Nathandra John, Kishelle Paul and Calandra Stewart) from the women's team won their events at the MWC outdoor meet.

In addition, Hodge was the lone Flyin' Frog on the women's team to capture a pair of individual gold medals at the Midwest Regional in Austin, Texas, in late May.

In 2006, the TCU men sprinters broke four individual MWC all-time records with Banda accomplishing the feat back-to-back in the 400 meters at the conference championships last month.

The women's squad attained similar success on the track this year, as the Frogs broke a pair of TCU school records and established new team marks at four different meets. Julie Curtis broke her own personal-best and TCU school records with a 59.36 clocking in the 400-meter hurdles.

FROGS IN THE FIELD: TCU has fielded a young, but talented contingent this year behind junior Jonathan Jackson, sophomore Joe Brown and freshmen Tommy Killen and Candis Kelley.

Jackson sits atop of the MWC in the men's triple jump with a 53-00.00 (16.16m) leap, which he established at the Seventh Annual TCU Invitational in April. That mark is the best jump in the league, third-best mark in the Midwest Region and eighth in the nation.

Brown opened the 2006 outdoor campaign with a career record-breaking performance at the Dr Pepper Invitational. He tossed a 222-04.75 (67.79m) in the men's javelin, establishing a new personal-best and TCU school record. His mark is the best in the league and ranks second in the Midwest this year.

Freshmen sensations Killen and Kelley each have made their career marks in just their first year competing for TCU. Killen, who earned his first-ever trip to the NCAA meet with an at-large berth, recorded a 189-11.50 (57.90m) toss in the men's discus throw at the Flyin' Frogs home meet in April, which sits second in the league and fifth in Midwest Region.

Kelley, the lone female from TCU's field program to compete in regional last week, threw 50-06.25 (15.40m) in the women's shot put at the MWC Outdoor Track Championships in May. That mark is the best in the league and eighth in the Midwest Regional.

MWC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONS: The Flyin' Frogs combined for 15 gold medals at the 2006 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by BYU in Provo, Utah, on May 10-13.

The TCU men had six individual champions and notched one team gold, with sophomore Otis McDaniel named the MWC Outstanding Male Performer at the league meet. McDaniel was crowned the conference individual champion in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. He was also part of the winning 4x100 meter relay squad that ran a season-best time of 39.52.

The women's squad was stellar in their own right as they brought home six individual gold medals, as well as both the 4x100 and 4x400 team titles. The Frog women started off the day with consecutive winning performances from the 4x100 squad, Calandra Stewart (1500m), Kishelle Paul (100m hurdles) and Nathandra John (400m).

The 4x100 foursome set a new MWC meet record with a time of 44.23, and the 4x400 quartet capped off the meet with a new conference mark of 3:37.31. First-place finishers for the TCU women also included Virgil Hodge (100 meters, 200 meters), Julie Curtis in the 400-meter hurdles (59.40) and freshman Candis Kelley, who tossed a personal-best 50-06.25 (15.40m) to win the women's shot put in both the conference indoor and outdoor meets this season.

AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH: Last month at the 2006 MWC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, TCU entered the final day of the league meet at the bottom of both the men's and women's team standings. The Frog men had 12 points, while the women collected five.

The tide quickly shift for TCU in Saturday's finals as the Frogs climbed their way into contention. After it was all said and done, the Frog men and women both secured a third-place finish in their respective divisions. The men's team picked up an additional 131 points for a total of 143, while the women collected 139 on the day to finish with 144 points.

TCU set six new conference meet records, as well as a new TCU school record, en route to bringing home 15 gold medals - 12 individuals and three team.