Dess Meek headed to NCAA Indoor nationals
3/10/2009 1:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Dess Meek has become the first NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships national qualifier from Sam Houston State.
The sophomore from Newton enters the championships ranked No. 6 nationally in the high jump with her school record leap of six feet at the University of Houston Invitational on Jan. 31
Meek won the Southland Conference indoor high jump on Feb. 20. Last May, she qualified for NCAA outdoor nationals by winning the NCAA Midwest Regional high jump.
The 2009 NCAA Indoor championships will be held at the McFerrin Indoor track and field center Friday and Saturday, March 13-14.
“Dess had her best high jump practice ever Friday and she enters the meet with the sixth best mark in the nation,” SHSU head track and field coach Curtis Collier said. “We've certainly got high hopes for Dess. It is always a challenge to reproduce top level performances week after week and meet after meet, but I like Dess's chances. She made some slight adjustments in the rhythm of her approach that seem to make a big difference in her jumping consistency. So, her physical preparation seems to be at a peak for this point in the year, she feels prepared to compete at the highest level, and it's almost like competing at home."
Elizabeth Patterson of Arizona and Destinee Hooker of Texas rank number one in the nation with high jumps of 6' 3”. Other top ranked national high jumpers include Becky Christensen of Harvard, Raevan Harris of Auburn and Epley Bullock of Nebraska.
