Third-year hurdler moves on; sophomore sprinter comes up short
(Photo Credit – Rob Knox)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 23, 2019) –
Howard University
junior Oluchi Ike (Upper Marlboro, Md.) inched one step closer to Austin
after surviving and advancing to the NCAA East 400-meter hurdles
Quarterfinals with a 58.81 mark. As a result, the
Maryland product finished with one of the fastest non-automatic
qualifying times.
“Oluchi
[Ike] went out and did exactly what she set out to do [and] qualified
for the next round,” said Howard Director of Track & Field David
Oliver. “She had a few shaky hurdles in the race,
but she has put herself in a great position to make it to the [NCAA]
semifinals in Austin [Texas].”
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Ike
moved on to Friday’s quarterfinals set for 7 p.m. at Hodges Stadium,
hosted by the University of North Florida. For her to reach Austin, she
must finish in the top 12 with either an automatic
bid or top 3 non-automatic qualifying time.
Other
notable Bison in action included second-year sprinter Ozioma Scott
(Georgetown, Guyana) falling just short of the quarterfinals by
one-hundredth of a second.
“My
heartbreaks for Ozioma [Scott],” Director Oliver stated. “Missing out on
the [NCAA] quarterfinals by one-hundredth of a second is a hard pill to
swallow. I've been there as a student-athlete
and it haunts you a bit [and] leaves you wondering what more could I
have done to get that fraction of a second.”
Despite the tough setback, Scott’s season is not over as she will represent HU in Saturday’s 4x400 relays.
“She is a
sophomore,” Director Oliver added. “She will definitely be back next
year. She will have that extra fire for her 4x4 leg on Saturday night.”
Ike,
Scott, junior Sydney Benson (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) and sophomore
Jessika Gbai (Philadelphia) race Saturday (May 25) at 9:25 p.m.
“Both
[Ike and Scott] ran their second fastest times of their careers,”
Director Oliver concluded. “This was their first time competing on this
stage. In Ike's case, she survived and advanced,
[and] unfortunately for Scott, it just wasn't enough."