WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE
- Soph. Owens to compete in NCAA Championships
There is still one UofL women's athlete competing for an NCAA Championship and she'll jump for joy if she can win the long jump tonight in Oregon.
Brittany Owens came to Louisville from Boise, Idaho and soon showed why she was the Idaho State champ in the high school long jump and triple jump for three consecutive years.
Owens, who placed 10th in the women's long jump at the NCAA Preliminary rounds, will take part in the finals tonight at 7:15 p.m. She finished seventh in the AAC Conference Championships...but her personal-best leap of 6.23m/20-5.25 is nineteenth best nationally this season.
So...how does a girl from Idaho end up in Louisville?
Her desire to major in nursing has a big role in the decision
of hers to travel 2000 miles and don the red and black.
“It took a lot getting used to, there are a lot of different things coming into play when you go from high school, so making that adjustment is probably the hardest part. It was definitely hard, not having a support system at first is hard,” Owens said. “But then you learn you do have a support system with your team, your coaches, your friends and it makes the transition a lot easier.”
Owens also indicates that both the triple and the long is a little tough on her ankles, especially the triple...but winning events makes up for the pain. Her long jump in the Border Battle was just 4 1/2 inches short of the school record. 2014 UofL women's track and field bests:
LONG JUMP
School Record: 6.34m/20-9.75, Charachesicia Lockhart (2012)
6.23m/20-5.25 (1.5) Brittany Owens Border Battle (4/12) 1st
6.02m/19-9 (0.9) Bre’Yana Wash Crimson Tide Invitational (4/5) 2nd
5.85m/19-2.50 (0.9) Kim Cardeiro Cardinal Twilight (5/16) 5th
5.85m/19-2.50 (1.3) Hannah Cox UK Relays (4/19) 9th
5.39m/17-8.25 (1.6) Brianne Brown Border Battle (4/12) 10th
We wish Brittany the best tonight and hope she can soar to new lengths as she competes for the NCAA title.
paulie
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