May 24, 2007

Six Track Athletes Set For Mideast Regional on Friday

    Youngstown -- Automatic qualifier Bethany Anderson will join five other Youngstown State track and field athletes at the NCAA Mideast Regional starting Friday at the University of Missouri.
    Anderson, who has qualified for the regional in the hammer and the shot put, will join Horizon League 100m hurdles champion Aaliyah Gillespie and the 4x400m relay of Jennifer Roman, Darcelle Formby, Katie Betts and Kari Kreutzfeld.
    Anderson hit the regional qualifying mark in the hammer in the first meet of the season, and she has posted a personal-best mark of 187'1". That distance ranks her 13th in the region. She qualified in the shot put by capturing the league title for the third consecutive year. She finished 23rd in the hammer at the regional last year and 28th in the shot put as a freshman in 2005.
    Gillespie won the 100m hurdles for the third time in her career at the Horizon League Championships. She has already competed in the hurdles twice at the Mideast Regional in her career.
    Kruetzfeld and Betts both competed in the 4x400m relay at last year's regional, and Roman and Formby will be making their first appearance.
    The top five finishers in each event automatically gain entry to the national championships in Sacramento, Calif., starting June 6.
    Kurt Michaelis is YSU's top ever finisher at the Mideast Regional, placing 10th in the 1,500m in 2003.