File photo from HamptonPirates.com
Hampton University senior Francena McCorory successfully defended her title in the 400-meter dash Saturday night at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center. McCorory, the high school national indoor record holder in the 400 and 300 meter dash from her prep days at Bethel High School, certainly has returned back to that top level from her high school glory days with her performance today. In the women's 400 meter finals, McCorory, broke a 19 year old American indoor 400 meter dash record with her NCAA and school record breaking performance of 50.54!
Also in the same meet, Queen Harrison of Virginia Tech, a product of Hermitage High School in Glen Allen, Va, went 1-2 in the women's 60 meter hurdles with her Hokie teammate Kristi Callan in a time of 7.95. Harrison became the first female athlete from Virginia Tech to win a NCAA track title. The Virginia Tech senior was a 2008 Olympian in the Beijing Games in the women's 400 meter hurdles, which McCorory is definitely gearing up to make a run for the US Olympic team in the 2012 London Games in two years. Hampton High School graduate and current University of Miami junior Ti'erra Brown placed third in the hurdles finals against Harrison and earned All-American honors with her time of 8.08.
The George Mason University men's 4x400 meter relay placed 7th overall with a time of 3:08.50 and their entire relay is comprised of all former Virginia high school stars in Kevin Wilson from Landstown, Nick Vaughn from South Lakes, David Verburg from E.C. Glass, and Ja-Vell Bullard from Bethel.
Hampton University Press Release on Francena McCorory
Virginia Tech Press Release on Queen Harrison
Press release below from Hampton University Athletics
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Hampton University senior Francena McCorory successfully defended her title in the 400-meter dash Saturday night at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
McCorory (Hampton, Va.) set both a school record and American record with a 50.54, winning the second section of the race. Keshia Baker of Oregon won the first section with a 51.63, which wound up being the second-best overall time.
Diane Dixon held the old American record, having run a 50.64 in 1991. McCorory’s time was also a collegiate, NCAA meet and facility record.
“I just put it all in God’s hands,” McCorory said in an interview on ESPN360.com webstream. “I knew I had to get out from the beginning, and I knew I had to lead at the (200-meter) break, and then it was just a matter of pushing through as hard as I could.”
In last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships, McCorory ran a 51.54 – which was a school record at the time. McCorory, a First Team All-MEAC honoree in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay, gave Hampton its fourth-ever NCAA title.
Yvette Lewis won the triple jump title twice for the Lady Pirates – she won the indoor title in 2006, before following that with an outdoor crown in 2007.
McCorory has won 11 event titles in all over the course of the 2009-10 indoor season, and has been named MEAC Athlete of the Week three times. She was also the Most Outstanding Runner at the 2010 MEAC Indoor Championships in February, tallying 27.5 points.
Texas A&M’s Jessica Beard ran a 52.08, finishing second in her heat and third overall.
A 90-minute tape-delayed broadcast of the NCAA Championships will air on Wednesday, March 17, at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2. For more information on Hampton University track & field, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.