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Three Tech Athletes Earn All-Conference Honors on Day Two
May 18, 2002
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Texas Tech sprinters were as good as billed in the second day of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships Saturday afternoon at the Audrey J. Walton Track-Soccer Stadium in Columbia, Mo. Entering the meet the Tech men held five of the top seven 400-meter times in the conference and will be well represented in Sunday's finals as three Red Raiders advanced in the prelims. Freshman Albert Booker (47.10) and junior Julieon Raeburn (48.07) won their heats and automatically advanced, while freshman Ivory McCann (47.50) turned in one of the four fastest times that did not win a heat and will also race on Sunday. The same three sprinters also ran their way into the finals of tomorrow's 200. "The plan was for us to get points," said Raeburn. "I won my heat in the 400 but my time was very disappointing, I think that I will do well in the finals. I am not giving up." In the women's 100, last year's conference champion Tiffany Green (11.45) ran the fastest time of the day and will be joined by senior Monique Wright-Cruse (11.74) in the finals. Green also qualified for the finals of the 200 and is in position to defend her two conference titles. The Red Raiders will have a runner in the men's and women's 800 as freshman Jonathan Johnson trotted the last 50 meters of his preliminary race and qualified with the second fastest time of the day and sophomore Shannon Spaulding drafted off the leaders until the final 100 meters when she used he kick to take first in her heat and advance.
Tech had three more athletes earn all-conference honors on the second day of competition.
Olavi Paavo was in fourth after nine events of the decathlon, but fell to seventh in the final event, the 1,500, upping Tech's point total to seven. A pair of female athletes combined to up the Red Raider's point total by four with seventh place finishes in the discus and long jump. Sophomore Megan Schuessler's fling of 156-09 earned her, her first all-conference honor, while freshman Geralda Dukuly soared 18-11.75 in the long jump, also her first conference honor. "I feel really good right now," said Dukuly. "My goal was to come here and place. I was shaky after my flight because I didn't know if I would make the finals, but after seeing some of the other girl's jumps I was confident."
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