May 24, 2002

The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee has announced the participants in the 2002 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The TCU Horned Frogs have secured eight entries in the meet, which will be held May 29-June 1 at Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

TCU will have six entries on the men's side and two entries on the women's side. Sophomore sprinter Michael Frater will represent the Frogs in the 100 meter dash. Frater, the Conference USA Outdoor Men's Track Athlete of the Year, enters the NCAA meet with the second fastest time in the short sprint, with a season-best mark of 10.05 seconds. Defending outdoor 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin of Tennessee is the favorite to take the gold, with a season-best time of 10.00.

TCU junior Jermaine Joseph will vie for the 200-meter title. Joseph, who has a season-best time of 20.64, enters the meet tied for 15th place among those declared in the race. Junior college transfer Terrance "Punch" McBryde will compete for the Frogs in the quarter-mile. The 2001 national junior college champion ranks 15th among the qualifiers with a season-best time of 45.93 at 400 meters.

The TCU men's 4x100 meter relay team has once again qualified for the national meet. The quartet of Steve Slowly, Michael Frater, Jermaine Joseph and Demario Wesley own the nation's third fastest time this season with a mark of 39.17, behind only Tennessee and Mississippi State. The Frogs are the defending national champion in the event and have captured the sprint relay title seven times in their history. Last year's quartet of Lindel Frater, David Spencer, Darvis Patton and Kim Collins circled the track in a winning time of 38.58 in Eugene, Oregon.

TCU will have a pair of long jumpers expected to be among the nation's best. Freshman sensation Cleavon Dillon, who finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, owns a season-best jump of 8.01 meters (26-03.50), which places him fourth on the list entering the meet. He is just ahead of sophomore Aundre Edwards, who has recorded a long jump of 8.00 meters (26-03.00) this spring.

On the women's side, TCU will be represented by Monica Twum in the 100-meter dash and by the 4x100-meter relay team. Twum, a junior who placed seventh in the 100-meters at the national meet a year ago, enters this year's championships with the 17th best time, a mark of 11.45 seconds. She will also anchor the 4x1 unit which includes freshman La' Toya White, senior Chaunte Baldwin and junior Tiffany Starts. That foursome owns the nation's seventh best time of 44.25 seconds.

"We expect those who are in the meet to do well," said TCU head coach Monte Stratton. "We could have doubled Michael (Frater) in the 200, but he's young and we didn't want to overuse and abuse a younger athlete. We just want him to concentrate on the 100 and the relay. Steve Slowly is coming off a hamstring injury, so we did not declare him for the 200," continued Stratton. "I think the men's 4x1 has a chance to win the relay title and, if things go well, we can hope for a top 10 finish. On the women's side, Monica (Twum) has a tender hamstring, so how that holds up will have an effect on how she does. I look for the relay team to reach the finals."

A total of 776 participants will compete in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championships by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.