Winthrop

ROCK HILL, SC--Four Winthrop track and field athletes have qualified for this week's NCAA First Round Meet that will be held Thursday thru Saturday on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, NC.

Senior discus thrower Ashley Howard, Winthrop's top qualifier, leads the group of four who will try to qualify for the final round championships which will be held in two weeks at the University of Oregon.  Howard is ranked 20^th for the discus in the East.  The Eagles will also be represented by a trio of juniors with Sasha Robinson ranked 39^th in the 400 meters, Keary Simms at No. 32 in the 110 meter hurdles, and Jared Baird, 40th in the javelin.  The new qualifying formula will take the top 12 finishers on to Eugene, OR for the NCAA Championships.  Howard narrowly missed the championships in 2008, being named to the All-East Region team that year before being sidelined last year to knee surgery.  Baird will be making his third straight regional appearance while Robinson and Simms are newcomers to post season competition.

"This is a very big meet," said Winthrop head coach Ben Paxton. "I like the odds of finishing in the top twelve as an individual. Being able to go head to head with the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big East is very important to us. If we perform to our abilities, then we might have a couple of performers who will be advancing to the championships. These guys are hungry and I know Ashley is really pumped having been so close  a couple of years ago.”