Southern Illinoise University Athletics
McCall, Berry to compete at USATF Outdoor Championships
06/22/2011 | 12:00:00 | Track and Field
June 22, 2011
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois track and field athletes Gwen Berry and Jeneva McCall will compete at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday through Sunday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Both Saluki throwers will compete in the hammer throw while McCall will also compete in the discus.
"Both of them are going in there and competing with the rest of the country. It's going to be a good meet," said SIU coach Connie Price-Smith. "Just to get in there and compete at that level is great for them."
Berry, who graduated from SIU this spring with a bachelor's in psychology, holds the field's third best seed mark in the hammer throw at 70.52 meters (231-4). The meet could give Berry a chance to make up for a disappointing finish at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships where she entered the hammer throw competition with the top seed in the nation, but failed to place after fouling on all three attempts.
"It's a chance at redemption," Price-Smith said. "She wants to keep competing post-collegiately and this his her stage to do that."
McCall, who just finished her junior season at SIU, holds the seventh best seed mark in the hammer throw at 68.07 meters (223-4), while her discus seed mark of 58.44 meters (191-9) ranks 11th in the field.
McCall may be seeking some redemption of her own at a facility where she experienced some heartbreak this year. The 2010 NCAA discus champion was unable to defend her title in 2011 after struggling in the NCAA Regional at Hayward Field. McCall fouled on her first two attempts, and her third attempt wasn't enough to advance to the NCAA Finals.
The top three finishers in each event at the USATF Championships will advance to compete for Team USA at the IAAF World Championships Aug. 27 to Sept. 4 in Daegu, Korea. Price-Smith will serve as USA Track and Field's head women's coach for the World Championships.
Not only will Price-Smith be watching to see how her Saluki throwers fare this week, but she also said she is eager to find out who will be joining her in Korea.
"It's going to be exciting to see who makes the team and who doesn't," Price-Smith said. "It will be nice to know who is going so we can start another line of communication heading up to August."
Players Mentioned
