Meet Results
June 9, 2007
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - TCU concluded competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with Virgil Hodge and Jonathan Jackson earning All-America honors on Saturday at the Alex G. Spanos Athletic Complex.
Jackson placed third in the triple jump, while Hodge finished fifth in the 200 meters. Hodge also earned All-America honors on Friday running the anchor leg of the women's 4x100 relay team that finished fourth. Overall, TCU's women's team tied for 27th with nine points, earning its highest finish since placing 12th with 24 points in 1993.
In the men's triple jump final, Jackson narrowly missed becoming the first TCU student-athlete - male or female - to win an NCAA title in a field event. Jackson, who was the first jumper of the day, fell to third place in the sixth and final round after posting his top leap of 52-09.50 (16.09m) in the fifth round.
In the sixth round, Jackson was unable to improve on his mark with a leap of 16.04m, while Cornell's Ray Taylor registered a winning leap of 53-08.50 (16.37m) and Louisville's Andre Black moved into second with a leap of 53-00.00 (16.15m).
"I thought we had a respectable meet today," head coach Darryl Anderson said. "For Jonathan (Jackson) to come in and do what he did was very good for him and the program. He finished just a little out of first and did the best job by a guy at the meet.
"We've been working him hard and he has been cooperating and listening to us, and working hard all season. It is going to be a huge step for us and our program for the future."
The finish by Jackson was the best by a TCU triple jumper since Jason Howard finished third at the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Last season, Jackson finished 10th at the championships.
After posting a time of 22.77 in the prelims and 22.74 in the semifinals, Hodge improved her time again in the finals by clocking a mark of 22.70 to place fifth in the finals of the 200. Hodge was running a close second to meet champion Kerron Stewart (22.42) of Auburn until the last few meters of the race.
"Virgil (Hodge) started off strong and she just missed getting second place," Anderson said. "She lost her focus and broke down at the end and went from second to fifth in the matter of three steps. She ran better each round. She learned a lot from the meet and she's got a lot more left in the tank. I thought Virgil did a super job."
The fifth-place finish was a career best for Hodge, who had placed seventh at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships and 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships.
The All-America honor for Hodge was the fifth of her career and third in the 200 meters. Her other two All-America certificates have come in the 4x100 relay. She has now earned All-America honors in the 200 meters at the last three NCAA Championships (2006 outdoor, 2007 indoor and 2007 outdoor).
After earning five points with a fourth-place finish in the 4x100 relay on Friday, the four points earned by Hodge in the 200 meters brought the women's team score to nine points.
Arizona State won the women's team title with 60 points over LSU, who scored 53 points. Florida State won the men's team title with 54 points over LSU (48 points).
In 2008, the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
TCU's Results - Saturday
MEN
Triple jump (finals) - Jonathan Jackson (52-09.50) (16.09m)@
WOMEN
200 meters (finals) - Virgil Hodge (22.70)@
@ - All-American
