Becknek Competing in NCAA Regional
5/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO -Â Anthony Becknek travels to Bloomington, Ind., this weekend as the only Blue Demon competitor at the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships.
The Mideast Regional takes place at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex and is one of four regional sites across the country. Indiana University hosts the meet on May 27-28.
Becknek's specialty, the men's 3000-meter steeplechase, is one of the final competitions of the meet and will be held at 7:30 pm on Saturday.
Becknek's individual steeplechase title in the Conference USA Championships automatically qualified him for a spot in the NCAA event. A winning time of 9:10.19 at the conference championships in Houston marked a season and career best for the sophomore.
Throughout the season, Becknek steadily improved upon his performances each week. At the inaugural meet of the outdoor season, the Raleigh Relays, Becknek crossed the line in 9:27.05. Becknek shaved seconds the following weekend at the Chicagoland Championships by posting a 9:20.72 time.
The next two weekends continued the trend by registering a finish of 9:14.56 at the Mt. SAC Relays and a 9:12.31 time at the Penn Relays. Ranking 31st in the field of runners at the NCAA Mideast Regional, watch for Becknek's tendency to outdo his personal bests.
The NCAA Finals are set for June 8-11 in Sacramento, Calif. The meet will be held at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex and hosted by Sacramento State and the Sacramento Sports Commission.
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