University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Spratling Prepares for USATF Indoor National Championships
2/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Feb. 24, 2012
PITTSBURGH- University of Pittsburgh sophomore sprinter Brycen Spratling is set to compete at the USATF Indoor National Championships this weekend in Albuquerque, N.M. against some of the premier collegiate and professional athletes in the country. The meet is the final event of the Visa Championship Series.
Spratling will begin competition Saturday, Feb. 25 in the 400M dash prelims at the Albuquerque Convention Center at 9:30 p.m. ET (all times eastern). His qualifying time in the event is 47.40, a mark he set at the Penn State National Open this season.
"A lot of the guys in this meet I see on television all the time and I respect them all," Spratling said. "It will definitely be a good experience to run against them and see where I match-up with professionals."
Should Spratling advance to the 400M dash finals, he will run on Sunday at either 2:55 p.m. or 3:05 p.m. The meet will be televised on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Spratling, a transfer from Eastern Michigan, is coming off a historic weekend at the Big East Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend where he was named the meet's Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete.
His first place time of 1:00.63 in the 500M dash set a new American collegiate record as well as the fastest time in 2012. It also broke an Armory facility and meet record and his own school record.
The Webster, N.Y., native also eclipsed his own school record in the 200M dash, winning gold with a time of 21.16 in the finals.
He rounded out his busy weekend at the Big East Championships with a sixth-place finish in the 60M dash (6.89) and helped the 4x400M relay team to a third-place performance.
Potential 400M dash participants:
Name Qualifying time
Gil Roberts 45.39
Frankie Wright 45.72
Calvin Smith 45.73
Josh Scott 46.40
Jamaal Torrence 46.51
Quentin Iglehart-Summers 46.67
Tavaris Tate 46.68
Marcus Boyd 46.93
Mychael Fabio 47.26
Manteo Mitchell 47.28
Michael Courtney 47.38
Michael Tinsley 47.38
Brycen Spratling 47.40
Jarrell Elliot 47.43
Joe Hughes 47.83
James Davis NT
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