June 13, 2003

USC enters day three of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif., chasing titles in five events and looking to reach the finals in another.

Tony Allmond, a California native from Sante Fe Springs, competes in the men’s long jump final beginning at 6:45 p.m. PDT. The junior posted the longest mark of the preliminary competition on Wednesday with a jump of 7.96m.

Chelsea Hammond will be competing in the women’s long jump finals beginning at 6:55 p.m. PDT. The sophomore reached the field with a preliminary mark of 6.25m.

The women’s 4×100 relay team of Tiffany Ross, Erica Whipple, Alexis Joyce and Aleen Bailey aim for a second consecutive event title as Whipple and Bailey both return from the 2002 NCAA Champion team. USC’s quartet ran a preliminary time of 43.55, fourth-best in the round. Race time is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT.

Ross, the two-time defending SEC 400m hurdle champion, looks to add the NCAA crown in the intermediate hurdles championship at 7:25 p.m. PDT. The sophomore won the NCAA East Regional title in the event in her last meet. Ross has been a workhorse for the women’s team of late and has also qualified for the 110m hurdles championship which will run on Saturday night.

Capping USC’s titles pursuits on Friday is the women’s 100m dash at 8:55 p.m. PDT. Both Bailey and Whipple are making their first appearance in the finals and will also compete in the 200m dash final on Saturday. Bailey ran a time of 11.30, the best of the semifinals, while Whipple recorded the fourth-best time of the round at 11.47 to advance.

Otis Harris runs in the men’s 400m dash semifinal at 8:25 p.m. PDT in pursuit of a final berth. The senior is the reigning SEC Champion and NCAA East Regional Champion in the event and entered the NCAA Championships as the nation’s top-ranked athlete in the 400m.

Complete schedules and live results from the NCAA Championships can be found at www.ncaasports.com.