June 3, 2003

WACO, Texas - Steeplechaser Angela Marvin, heptathlete Jordan Willmann and the women's 4x400 relay earned at-large bids to the NCAA Championships, the NCAA announced late Monday night. They will join the six individuals and two relays that earned automatic bids at the regional meet last weekend. The NCAA Championships will be held at Sacramento State University's Spanos Sports Complex on June 11-14.

Marvin, a freshman from Kingwood, Texas, was the Big 12 3,000-meter steeplechase champion. She set school and meet records in the event at the Drake Relays with a season-best time of 10:23.73. She finished eighth in the event last week at the NCAA Midwest Regional.

Willmann just missed the automatic qualifying mark in the heptathlon with a school-record total of 5,499 points to finish third at the conference meet. She was one point shy of the 5,500 points need to qualify automatically. In the process of setting the school record, she recorded personal best marks in five of the seven events.

The final at-large bid for the Bears was granted to the women's 4x400 relay. Jasmine Opusunju, Lakadron Ivery, Tiffany Wise and Danielle Myricks recorded a season-best time of 3:36.37 to finish seventh at the Drake Relays. The quartet of Myricks, Shanta Bibbs, Wise and Ivery finished eighth at the regional meet with a time of 3:37.90.

The Bears are coming off a solid weekend at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The women brought home a fourth-place trophy while the men finished ninth in the 39-team event.

NCAA Qualifiers
April Holliness (Long Jump)
Lakadron Ivery (100; 200)
Angela Marvin (3,000 Steeplechase)
Debbie Thornhill (10,000)
Jordan Willmann (Heptathlon)
Women's 4x100
Woemn's 4x400

Darold Williamson (400)
Jordan Lewis (400 hurdles)
Kyle King (5,000)
Men's 4x400