Event Schedule

MONTGOMERY—Four members of the Alabama State University women's track and field team will be making their way to Jacksonville, Fla. for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regional.  The Regional will run Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26 at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.
 
Jasmine Pope, Tia Rolle, Asha Tavernier and Latrice Lee will be the representatives from ASU to compete for the opportunity to go on to the NCAA Championships which will be held June 6 in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
The four-some are members of the 4x100 meter relay team which won the Outdoor SWAC Championship with a season-best time of 45.03.  Rolle will also run in the 200 meter dash which she qualified for with her time of 23.85.  She ran the qualifying time at the War Eagle Invitation back on April 20.
 
“From one side of the Mississippi River all across the bottom of the southern states to the top of them we are number 12 (4x100m relay time) going into the Regional's,” head coach Ritchie Beene said.  “If you think about the amount of schools located from this side of the Mississippi River from north and south, we are the 12^th fastest team and that says a lot about this program and the young ladies that we have.”
 
“If we can hold where we are, we have a great chance of going on to what we call the final rounds of the Big Dance.  This is the Big Dance because you have to run fast to get to where we are now, but if we can advance on and hold where we are now and move up a couple more places we are there (NCAA Championship Finals).”
 
This is Rolle's second appearance in the 200 meter dash at the NCAA Regional.  She also qualified last season in the event where she ran a 23.79 at the NCAA Regional.
 
“Tia is ranked in the 200's so she has made it,” Beene added.  “This is an event we have qualified for every year and a lot of people don't know about it.  We have had some really good times going in.  Again, it is just being able to handle that pressure and whoever is good that day is who will go and I have a lot of confidence in these ladies.  Three of them are from the state of Florida so they are going to be able to go back home and not only represent ASU but their home state as well and it is very special to them.”
 
“These are a mature bunch of ladies and they understand what is at stake.  They know we take one race at a time, one practice at a time and one drill at a time because it is amazing how you train all year for less than 45 seconds worth of competition.  We know everything is going to come down to technique, everything is going to come down to the speed and everything is going to come down to the endurance so they know what is at stake.”
 
The Regional will begin with the men's 400 meter hurdles at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday.  Rolle will run in the first round of the women's 200 meter dash on Friday at 8:25 p.m. (ET) and the 4x100 meter relay round will begin at 6:15 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.