Pitt Men's Track and Field Earns Four NCAA Bids
5/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 30, 2006
PITTSBURGH - Four members of the Pitt men's track and field team will head to Sacramento, Calif., for the NCAA Championships. Held June 7-10, the competition will be hosted by Sacramento State University at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex. Pitt's 2006 qualifiers include Sam Bair, Tony Bonura, Keith Higham and Mike Wray.
Bair (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) will be competing in the 1,500 meters in his first NCAA outdoor bid. He recorded a personal-best time of 3:43.50 from the Texas Relays earlier this season and finished fourth at the Big East Championships. Bair was additionally an indoor national qualifier in the mile this season.
Bonura (Plum, Pa./Canisius College), a 2006 NCAA All-American in the javelin, returns with hopes of earning honors again this season and possibly finishing in the top three of the event. He set a school record this season with a throw of 71.65 meters at the Sea Ray Relays. Bonura is a two-time Big East champion in this event as well.
Higham (Carlisle, England/Trinity Carlisle), a sophomore, is one of the nation's leading pole vaulters, having earned his third NCAA berth last weekend. A three-time Big East champion, Higham also won the IC4A Championships this year and recently placed second at the Regional Championships. He holds a school record of 5.37 meters which was also a conference meet record. Higham was a 2006 outdoor qualifier and also qualified for this year's indoor championships.
Wray (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) has earned his first NCAA berth after finishing fourth at the Regional Championships where he set a personal-best time of 13.70. He finished third at this year's Big East Championships after leading the conference for most of the season. Wray was also the indoor conference champion in the 60-meter hurdles this year.
The 2006 NCAA Championships will broadcast live for the first time on network television. CBS will air the live competition from 3:30 to 6 p.m. EST on Saturday, June 10. The network has carried the championships since 1986. CSTV will also be airing live footage on Friday, June 9, from 8 to 10 p.m. EST. More information is available at www.hornetsports.com.