Tulane University
NCAA East Regional
DeBowles, George Open Stay at East Track Regional
May 27, 2011 | Track & Field
May 27, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The postseason is a different beast than the regular season track and field meets. The intensity is ratcheted up a notch and it is a situation that many have never experienced. On Thursday afternoon at the Haugh Track and Field Complex a pair of Tulane track and field athletes got their first tastes of the NCAAA postseason as they competed at the NCAA East Regional on the Indiana University campus.
In the first running event of the afternoon, senior Zandria Debowles took to the lanes in the 400-meter hurdles where she entered as the 21st fastest competitor in the event. She drew lane two in the race and posted a time of 61.48 in the final heat of the event. It was her eighth fastest time of the season and the first time she has not gone under 60-seconds in the event since April 23.
"I feel really bad for (Zandria) today," said Tulane head coach Eric Peterson. "She has been so consistently good this year and came into the meet with very high expectations. She ran the first half of the race really well, but didn't execute down the home stretch like she had for most of the year. Unfortunately, it cost her a chance to advance to the finals. On a bright note, she does have one more season of eligibility in her career and I am excited that she is going to return next season and complete her eligibility in a Green Wave uniform. She is upset with today's result, but she has made a lot of progress this season. She can look back on the season and really see a lot of positive things and can move forward from there."
Freshman Tiffany George opened her first NCAA Regional experience in the 100-meter dash with a 41st overall finish in a time of 12.00. The rookie was the sixth best finisher among the freshman class. She will now move on to the 200-meter dash prelims on Friday, where she will look to qualify out of the 48-person field.
"Tiffany has been bothered by a foot injury that occurred in practice on Monday, of this week, so we knew she was coming into the meet a little tentative," said Tulane head coach Eric Peterson. "That showed a little today and in this type of meet you really have to be on your game. She didn't kick the meet off like she wanted too, but she still have the 200-meter prelim tomorrow and the 4x100-meter relay on Saturday. She still have a lot to look forward too and she will move forward and press on with the same energy she has all season."
Ana Ruzevic will take to the runway at Noon to compete in the javelin throw, an event which she placed ninth in at the NCAA National Meet last season. The junior is coming off of a Conference USA championship and set the school record in the event earlier this season.
"We are looking forward to Ana's event now," said coach Peterson. "She will start competition in the javelin at noon and she had a lot of success at this meet last season. She is feeling good after winning the Conference USA title a couple of weeks ago and we are very hopeful that she can have a strong day tomorrow and is able to advance to the national championships."
--TulaneGreenWave.com--
Players Mentioned
