EUGENE, Ore. – Sophomore Luther Ambrose of the ULM track and field team competed in the semifinal round of the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Championships on Wednesday (June 9), finishing third in his heat and earning a spot in the 100-meter final.
Ambrose, making his first career appearance at the NCAA Championships, competed in the first of three heats, taking third with a time of 10.30 seconds. Jeff Demps of Florida won the heat in 10.15 and Curtis Mitchell of Texas A&M was second in 10.28. Demps and Mitchell automatically qualified for the final as the top-two finishers in the heat, while Ambrose had to wait to see if his time would be fast enough to take one of the two remaining at-large spots in the final.
In heat two, Reggie Dixon of Hampton finished third with a time of 10.24 and Maurice Mitchell of Florida State was fourth in 10.32, meaning Ambrose’s time needed to be better than the third-place finisher in the third heat to qualify for the final. When heat three crossed the line, Florida’s Terrell Wilks clocked in with a third-place time of 10.33 seconds, meaning Ambrose was eighth overall, clinching a spot in Friday’s final.
Ambrose, who is guaranteed All-America status by qualifying for the final, will return to the track on Friday (June 11). The final is scheduled for 5:25 p.m. PT and will be shown live on CBS College Sports in their broadcast window of the championships.
ULM junior Kyle Kent will be in action tomorrow (June 10) at the NCAA Championships when he competes in the javelin beginning at 5:15 p.m. PT.
100-Meter Final Qualifiers
1. Rondell Sorrillo, Kentucky (10.14)
2. Jeff Demps, Florida (10.15)
3. Rakieem Salaam, Oklahoma (10.27)
4. Marcus Rowland, Auburn (10.18)
5. Gerald Phiri, Texas A&M (10.28)
6. Curtis Mitchell, Texas A&M (10.28)
7. Reggie Dixon, Hampton (10.24)
8. Luther Ambrose, ULM (10.30)