Trio of Roadrunners set for NCAA Outdoor Championships

June 7, 2004 
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907

Trio of Roadrunners set for NCAA Outdoor Championships

Complete Release     /   Official Web Site (www.texassports.com)

SAN ANTONIO - Seniors Carl Johnson and Justin Youngblood and sophomore Ryanne Dupree will represent UTSA at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Texas on Wednesday-Saturday, June 9-12, at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Johnson will compete in the men's 110-meter hurdles, Youngblood in the men's decathlon and Dupree in the women's heptathlon in the finale to the collegiate season. 

UTSA's NCAA Outdoor Qualifiers

2004 NCAA Indoor Rewind
At the 2004 NCAA Indoor in Fayetteville, Ark., senior Justin Youngblood earned his second All-America certificate with a seventh-place finish in the heptathlon. He scored a UTSA-record 5,512 points in becoming the school's first-ever male indoor All-American. Sophomore Ryanne Dupree posted 3,825 points to finish 11th in the pentathlon in her first NCAA appearance.

UTSA's NCAA Outdoor History
Curtis Johnson advanced to the semifinal round in the men's 200 meters and Letitia Gilkes finished seventh in 2:09.38 in her preliminary heat of the women's 800m at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Johnson clocked a 21.44 to finish fifth in his preliminary heat before posting a 21.80 in the semifinals of the deuce. In 2002, a pair of multi-eventers earned All-America accolades with record-setting performances. Justin Youngblood placed seventh in the decathlon with a school-record 7,642 points, while Rhonda Ray also finished seventh in the heptathlon with a then-UTSA-record 5,323 points. In all, 11 Roadrunners have combined to earn 15 outdoor All-America certificates (Women: 11/Men: 4) dating back to an top-eight finish in the women's triple jump in 1985 by Starlite Williams, the all-time leading scorer in UTSA women's basketball history. 

2004 Midwest Regional Recap
Senior Carl Johnson finished sixth in the men's 110m hurdles final to highlight action for UTSA at the NCAA Midwest Regional in College Station. Johnson, the Southland Conference champion in the highs, clocked a 13.97 in the finals and earned an automatic bid the nationals after third-place finisher Ryan Harlan of Rice, the NCAA leader in the decathlon, elected not to declare. Johnson's season-best of 13.84 likely would have made him an at-large qualifier anyway. For the women, senior Leticia Cerna capped her brilliant UTSA career with an eight-place finish in the 1,500m in 4:37.87. 

2004 SLC Outdoor Recap
UTSA collected four gold medals at the 2004 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships on May 15-17 in San Marcos. Senior Carl Johnson won the 110m hurdles with a personal-best and regional-qualifying 13.84, junior Curtis Johnson took top honors in the 100m with a regional 10.43 and freshman Larry Brooks raced to gold in the 800m in 1:51.29 to help the Roadrunner men finish fourth with 82 points. Sophomore Ryanne Dupree skimmed the 100m hurdles in a season-best and regional-qualifying 13.65 to win the only gold for the fifth-place women (62.5). Texas State swept both team titles.

SLC Accolades
UTSA garnered Southland Conference Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors eight times this year. For the men, Brandon Buteaux earned indoor weekly accolades on Feb. 17, while T.R. Sissel and Carl Johnson were named Outdoor Athletes of the Week on March 23 and April 13, respectively. On the women's side, Ryanne Dupree (March 23, April 6 and April 27), Letitia Gilkes (Feb. 10) and Leticia Cerna (April 20) have all been honored.

Super Sophomore
Sophomore Ryanne Dupree is emerging as one of the top young athletes in collegiate track and field. The San Antonio native won the SLC Indoor pentathlon and finished 11th with a personal-best 3,825 points at the NCAA Indoor. Outdoors, she has garnered top honors in the heptathlon at two of the more prestigious meets this year, posting a personal-best 5,383 points to win the Texas Relays and 5,087 to claim top honors at the Drake Relays. Dupree, a three-time conference athlete of the week, also won the 100m hurdles at the Whataburger Relays in 13.96 and picked up her first SLC Outdoor title in the event with a season-best 13.65 on May 17. The Junior All-American also leaped to a regional-qualifying 19-10 1/4 mark in the long jump at the A&M Invitational and a season-best 5-8 clearance in the high jump at the conference meet. Already qualified for the NCAA Outdoor in the heptathlon with the sixth-best mark in the field, Dupree competed in three events - 100m hurdles, long jump, high jump - at the Midwest Regional on May 28-29. Trackwire 25's Dandy Dozen has predicted a sixth-place finish at nationals for Dupree.

One-Two Punch
The UTSA men boast a solid and experienced one-two punch in the form of seniors Carl Johnson and Justin Youngblood. Johnson recently picked up his fifth Southland Conference hurdles crown with a win in the 110m hurdles at the SLC Outdoor on May 17. The 2003 SLC Indoor Outstanding Track Athlete also won three consecutive 60m hurdles titles from 2001-03. This season, Johnson posted a career-best 13.84, a time that meets the U.S. Olympic Trials "B" standard, in his conference victory and met the NCAA regional qualifying standard in all seven races leading into his sixth-place finish at the Midwest Regional. Youngblood enjoyed an exceptional indoor campaign, winning the SLC heptathlon, earning SLC Indoor Athlete of the Year honors and gaining All-America status with a seventh-place finish in the heptathlon (school record 5,512 points) at the NCAA Indoor. Outdoors, he registered a season-best 7,403 points in finishing fourth in the decathlon at Texas Relays. He enters the NCAA meet with the 14th-best mark in the field and is predicted to finish 12th by respected track and field statistician Gary Verigin in his latest Trackwire 25 Dandy Dozen.