Evan Hawkins and Roseline Addo will be competing in the 400-meter dash this weekend at Iowa State University in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
“There will be good fields and we hope they’ll qualify for nationals,” Track and Field Coach Matt High said.
Hawkins, who already has run the 400 in 47.82 seconds this year, will be looking to shave a second off that time to reach the NCAA qualifying time.
“He ran that time with no speed (work),” High said. “He should be ready to get it.”
Hawkins sits atop the Southern Conference rankings in the 400 and 200-meter dashes, and High hopes he will be able to win both at the conference meet.
“He should be able to win both,” High said. “The last couple of years some things have happened and he’s not had a good 200.”
Addo also hopes to reach the 400 standard that eluded her at the Pepsi/Walker Invitational, when after running 55.87 in the preliminary heat, an Achilles injury caused her to have to pull out of the final.
“She was better in a week,” High said. “She’s been doing great workouts.”
Addo also leads the conference rankings in the 400-meter dash and in the 800-meter run, but do not expect her to attempt a double in both events at the conference championships.
“It’s really a difficult double,” High said. “with trials for both and then the final.”
With her 55.87 in the qualifying round in the Pepsi/Walker Invitational, she stands a chance.
“I think I have a good shot (at qualifying for nationals),” she said. “The coaches have been taking us to the meets we need to be at. I think my fastest times are yet to come.”
Hawkins has also come within less than a second of the provisional standard of 47.45 seconds with his 47.82 in his first 400-meter race of the season at the University of Kentucky.
“It’s definitely a goal (to make it to nationals),” he said. “All the tools are there, it’s just a matter of putting down the time. I’m capable of doing it.”
Hawkins has a little bit of extra motivation.
“It would be nice to end my college career making nationals and be All-American, those are my goals,” Hawkins said.
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