March 11, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - For the second consecutive year, junior Murielle Ahoure will run amongst a group of elite athletes in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. At last year's championship meet, Ahoure earned All-America status in the event.

Ahoure earned a spot in the field by topping the provisional qualifying standard of 7.44 seconds in the 60-meter dash. Ahoure's top time this season is 7.32 seconds, which she ran at the Patriot Games on Jan. 26. The time is a personal record for the Ivory Coast, Africa native and is the second-fastest time in school history in the 60-meter dash. Ahoure holds the school record in the 100- and 300-meter dash, and is tied for the school record in the 55-meter dash.

The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee announced the participants last night. A total of 568 participants will compete in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.

The championships will be held on March 14-15 at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. The preliminary heats of the women's 60-meter dash will take place at 5:30 p.m. ET on Friday and the finals are scheduled for 6:25 p.m. ET on Saturday.