Talbert shatters record,
advances to finals

Edwardsville, Ill. (May 21, 2009) --- Opening day at the 2009 Outdoor Track and Field National Championships was a successful one for the Milligan College runners.

Lady Buffs' senior Jacklyn Talbert (Mt. Carmel, Tenn.) ran a 4:36.62 in the 1500 meter prelims en route to a spot in the women's 1500 meter finals. Talbert's time shattered her own personal best and a school record Thursday afternoon in St. Louis. The women's 1500 meter final is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.

“The impressive thing about Jacklyn is that she had knee surgery last summer and ended up missing the finals for the indoor meet, but she did not get down,” commented Head Coach Chris Layne . “Instead, she got motivated and put it all together at the right time.”

Junior Aaron Wood (Aurora, Colo.) competed in the men's 800 meter and finished with a time of 1:53.93. Wood's time was 0.06 seconds away from qualifying for the men's 800 meter semi-finals.

“I was extremely pleased with Aaron's performance,” added Layne. “The men's 800 meter is arguably the deepest event ran on the track, and for him to come so close to breaking into the semis is still quite an accomplishment.”   

Sophomore Lili Zaldana (Bristol, Tenn.) is the final Milligan runner for the day. Zaldana is scheduled to compete in the finals for the women's 10,000 meter at 8:30 p.m. CST on Thursday evening. Complete results to follow.

For official timing of the 2009 Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, visit www.cfpitiming.com.