| Junior Teddy Williams peeled off yet another SLC record on Friday with his 6.59 clocking. |
COLLEGE STATION ? Junior Teddy Williams set a Southland Conference record for the fourth time in the last two years and easily advanced into the NCAA Championships 60 meters final on Friday evening at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
Williams peeled off a 6.59 in finishing second to LSU's Trindon Holliday in the first preliminary heat. The Tyler native, who entered the meet with the nation's 10th-fastest time (6.61), posted the third-quickest mark of the night and shaved two one-hundredths of a second of his SLC standard set five weeks ago at the New Balance Invitational in New York City. He edged out Florida's Terrell Wilks in a photo for runner-up honors by a mere two one-thousandths of a second.
"I felt really good out there today," Williams said after the race. "My start was good, but I know it can be better. I thought my acceleration phase was really good, but I am going to need to put everything together tomorrow. I feel great and am looking forward to representing UTSA and the Southland Conference in the finals. The difference between this year and last was experience and confidence. I know I can compete against the best sprinters in the country."
"I knew Teddy was ready because he has been practicing very well the last three weeks," head coach Aaron Fox said. "He not only did what he was supposed to, but he did it against one of the top fields he's ever run against. Now he knows he is one of the best in the country and that's half the battle when you line up in the blocks. "
Saturday's final is scheduled to go off at 6:10 p.m. and the race can be seen live on espn360.com. Williams will line up in lane three inside national leader Jacoby Ford of Clemson, who clocked Friday's top time (6.51).
Hanging with Teddy Williams
NCAA Indoor Championships
Friday, March 13, 2009
Junior Teddy Williams will look to put a final stamp on the finest indoor season of his brilliant three-year Roadrunners career this weekend when he competes in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Championships in College Station. UTSA fans will be able to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Tyler native's quest for his second All-America certificate, as goUTSA.com will give a hourly account of his preparations for Friday's preliminary heat, which is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
4 p.m.
Sorry for the delay, folks. It's been a busy time with the women's basketball team winning a couple hours ago. Congrats to them for getting one step closer to defending their title and making the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
Williams has been here for about an hour-and-a-half, stretching and warming up. He has a look of focus and intensity on his face. All indications are that he is ready to run a big race and move into Saturday's final. Williams has been working with both Coach Fox and Burnett and they have been discussing the strategy for tonight's preliminary race. He will run in the first heat in lane eight. LSU's Trindon Holliday, Texas A&M's Gerald Phiri and Tennessee's Evander Wells are in the same race and Williams faced all three at the New Balance Invitational last month when he ran a Southland Conference-record 6.61. It should be another outstanding race.
On a personal note, I must tell you this facility is incredible. Great atmosphere and well-designed. This is what they call state-of-the-art. Another job well done by the powers that be in Aggieland.
The winner of each of the evening's two heats automatically advance and the next six fastest times also will qualify for the final. Check back about 6:30 p.m. to see if Williams gets one step closer to another All-America certificate.
1:30 p.m.
Macy’s was the store of choice, but only Coach Burnett pulled the trigger on spending money when he bought himself some new dress shoes that were on sale for 50 percent off. I must say they were quite nice. Williams found a Ecko, Ltd. button-down shirt he liked, but he said he’d wait for his mom to get it for him.
After an hour or so in the mall, it was time to eat lunch. Everyone ordered chicken penne with basil sauce from Fazoli’s and it was quite filling and delicious.
The plan is to leave for the track in about 45 minutes, so we’ll have another update after we get settled in there.
Noon
Time to head out to the mall for a while and grab some lunch. Williams says the trip will allow him to relax and get his mind away from the upcoming race. Unfortunately, the rain has picked up and doesn't look to be going away anytime soon. Good thing we're inside tonight.
11 a.m.
Back to the hotel to change clothes and relax in the room for a half hour or so. Williams watches a little TV and lays down on his bed after the morning workout. The morning is almost over and he has done a lot for a kid who supposed to be on spring break.
10 a.m.
Williams, head coach Aaron Fox and assistant David Burnett load up their Dodge Durango and head over to the Gilliam Indoor Track Complex for a pre-race workout. Williams works on some explosion exercises. He knows his start tonight is going to be a key component in whether or not he advances to Saturday's final. Williams, who saw the facility for the first time at practice yesterday, says it is one of the nicest tracks he's ever been to. He anticipates it being a fast track tonight.
9 a.m.
As they say, breakfast is the foundation to any successful athlete and Williams is no different. He has a bagel, some juice and an apple, but he does not want to eat too terribly much heading into tonight's race.
"I always eat light on race day," he said. "I want to feel as light as possible when the gun goes off tonight."
8:45 a.m.
Williams is able to avoid the rain that is forecasted for the day and he jogs for about 15 minutes around the hotel in the parking lot.
"I just want to get out and stretch my legs out before I head over to the track for a workout."
8:30 a.m.
Williams wakes up feeling excited, just as he does on any day he is scheduled to compete.
"I always wake up excited when I am competing, but I have to make sure I stay focused and not got too amped up," he said. "I am really looking forward to running tonight. I feel fresh and am ready to go."