AMES, Iowa -- LSU’s Reuben Twijukye all but secured his place in next weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships by clocking a strong provisional qualifying time of 1 minute, 48.29 seconds in the 800 meters at the Cyclone National Qualifier on Saturday.
Twijukye entered the competition on the NCAA bubble as he was ranked No. 15 on the national descending order list with a seasonal best NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:49.02.
With his performance at the Lied Recreational Center, the junior middle distance standout moved himself into the No. 8 spot in the NCAA this season as he just missed breaking the automatic qualifying standard of 1:48.20. The NCAA accepts approximately the top 16 performers in each event to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
His time of 1:48.29 is also a new indoor personal best and moves him into the No. 3 spot on the school’s all-time indoor performance list in the 800 meters.
“What Reuben did this afternoon was big for our men’s team because it gives us another chance to score at the NCAA meet next weekend,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “The 800 is going to be a key event for us if the men are going to compete for the team championship.”
The Tigers feature a deep and talented group of middle distance runners as senior Elkana Kosgei ranks No. 6 in the NCAA with an automatic qualifying time of 1:48.18 and sophomore Jamaal James is now ranked No. 11 in the nation with a seasonal best time of 1:48.73.
James is looking to repeat his success from his freshman season in 2007 when he earned indoor All-America honors in the 800 meters with a fifth-place finish at the national meet.
The 2008 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled to return to the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., next weekend as the University of Arkansas has played host to the two-day meet for the past seven seasons. The meet kicks off Friday with this year’s indoor national champions being crowned following Saturday’s action.