Wims Races to 200-Meter Dash Crown

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Indianapolis ? Nebraska freshman Scott Wims ran away with the title in the 200-meter dash at the 2007 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday in Indianapolis. Wims clocked a time of 20.86 for the win, which also qualifies the Fort Wayne, Ind., native in the 200-meter dash for the 2007 Pan American games in Brazil.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Wims will now represent the United States in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash in the Pan Am games, July 6-8 in Sao Paolo, Brazil. He marked a time of 10.24 in Thursday’s 100-meter dash finale to finish second, trailing the leader by just one one-hundredth of a second. Wims’ time met the qualifying standards for the Pan Am games.

 

Wims sailed through the preliminary round of the 200-meter dash early Friday, posting a time of 21.09 to lead the round. Wims kicked into the next gear during the finals, topping the nearest competitor (21.02) by almost two-tenths of a second.

 

The Husker freshman’s incredible postseason success comes just weeks after Wims tallied the second All-America finish of his young career by finishing seventh overall in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Wims’ other All-America award came at the 2007 indoor championships as a part of the eighth-place NU 4x400 men’s relay team.

 

Also competing in Friday’s junior championships was freshman Eric Lund, who qualified for the finals in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.54.

 

Friday marked the beginning of the 2007 USATF Championships for Nebraska’s open competitors, starting with senior Ashley Selig in the women’s heptathlon. After four events, Selig is currently ninth and will need to finish with at least 5,800 points to meet the provisional standard for the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan. Selig recently set a personal best in the heptathlon with 5,794 points at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month.

Another former Husker saw action on Friday, as Becky Briesch, who won the women’s discus title at this event in 2005, look to regain her crown. Briesch, who competed unattached, just missed her chance in 2007, finishing second with a top spin of 196-6. Although Briesch’s mark does not meet the automatic qualifying standard for the IAAF World Championships, it does make the provisional mark, giving Briesch the potential to compete in Osaka, Japan in late August.

The championships continue Saturday for both Lund and Selig, with Lund taking on the 400-meter hurdle finals at 2:25 p.m., CST and Selig finishing up the final three events of the women’s heptathlon beginning at 11:30 a.m. Television coverage for the event is scheduled from 1-2 p.m. CST on NBC and from 7-8 p.m. (tape delayed) on ESPN2.

 

Finish Line USA Junior Outdoor Championships ? DayThree
Indiana University Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium? Indianapolis, Ind.

Women’s Heptathlon (100h, HJ, SP, 200m, LJ, JT, 800m)-Day One
9. Ashley Selig, 3,332 (14.23, 5-7 3/4, 36-7 1/2, 24.95)

Men’s 200m Dash-Prelims
1. Scott Wims, 21.09 FQ

Men’s 200m Dash-Finals
1. Scott Wims, 20.86

Men’s 400m Hurdles-Prelims
7. Eric Lund, 52.54 FQ

FQ ? Finals Qualifier