May 25, 2010 – Berea, Ohio – Under the guidance of second-year head coach Keith Roberts Jr., the Heidelberg University men’s track and field team will be represented in three events at the Division III Outdoor Track and Field Nationals hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College on May 27-29. Long jump, 4x100 relay, and high jump are the events. Seniors Julius Higginbotham (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) and Paris Hilliard (Lorain, Ohio, Admiral King) will look to go out on top, while freshmenJustin Burnett (Springfield, Ohio / Northwestern), Gibril Kamara (Westerville, Ohio / Central),and Nate Davis (Dayton, Ohio / Stivers School for the Arts) will experience the highest level of competition for the first time.
Higginbotham saved his best for last and plans to use his recent success towards earning another All-American honor. Last week at the Gregory Invitational, Higginbotham set the school record in the 100 meter dash (10.84) and was part of the 4x100 meter relay team that also set a school record with a time of 41.45 which improved its provisional qualifying time.
For Nationals, Higginbotham will compete in long jump and the 4x100 meter relay team. His leap of 23’11.75” in the 2010 Ohio Athletic Conference Championships was an automatic qualifier. This championship is especially special to Higginbotham because it’s located almost is his back yard. “It’s close to home,” Higginbotham said. “What a better way to end my collegiate career. It adds more excitement to be in the position that I’m in and it just seems that it’s meant to be.” Higginbotham earned his first All-American Honors in indoor this past fall.
Hilliard, Burnett, and Kamara complete the 4x100 meter relay team. Hilliard and Higginbotham are the only two seniors going to nationals. They have worked hard their entire careers. They are leaders on and off the track and have been part of the 4x100 since they arrived to Heidelberg. They have helped Burnett and Kamara throughout the year. Despite being young, Kamara and Burnett have shown a lot of maturity. At the Gregory Invitational they knew they had to run faster to make it into the national meet and they rose to the challenge. They have a lot of great years to come.
Davis has improved dramatically in high jump over the year. He took home the top spot at the OAC Championships with a NCAA provisional qualifying jump and personal best mark of 6’10.25” Davis’ mark also topped his own school record of 6’9.5”. He has worked hard developing his technique and has been very consistent. He is a competitor and he has set some high goals for himself. Davis will look to bring his best for Nationals.
Here is the schedule for Heidelberg men’s track and field for Nationals:
Thursday: Long jump trials/finals – 6:00 p.m.
4x100 meter relay trials – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: High jump trials/finals – 2:30 p.m.
4x100 meter relay finals – 1:00 p.m.