University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Floyd Finishes Fifth In 200 Meters At NCAA Championships
6/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
June 10, 2006
Sacramento, Calif. - While it wasn't her best time of the season, Ebonie Floyd was quite satisfied with her fifth-place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 23.04 seconds at the NCAA Championships Saturday afternoon.
"I gave it all I had left after competing for four days," Floyd said. "I came to the NCAA Championships hoping to make it to the finals in the 100 or 200 meters and earn All-America honors."
Her finish is ties Michelle Collins for the best NCAA women's 200-meter finish in school history. Collins also finished in fifth place at the 1992 NCAA Championships.
She earned All-America honors on Friday when she finished second in the first of two semifinal races even though she had slightly injured the hamstring in her left leg during the semifinals of the 100-meter dash a day earlier.
In the 100-meter semifinal race, Floyd was among the top four or five sprinters heading into the final six meters because her hamstring tightened up and forced her to pull up, resulting in a sixth-place finish knocking her out of the final. She was really worried if she would be able to run in the 200-meter semifinals the next day.
"When I finished the 100-meter race on Thursday, it was painful for me to walk or sit for a while," Floyd said. "That went away and I was able to run."
"Today, I felt good and even though my time was that great, it was the best I could do after competing here for four days. I came here looking to earn All-America honors, and I accomplished that goal, so I am very pleased."
Shalonda Solomon of South Carolina was the women's 200-meter champion with a time of 22.62 seconds, edging Kerron Stewart of Auburn, who had a time of 22.65. Kelly Ann Baptiste of LSU finished third in 22.78 and Southern Cal's Carol Rodriguez finish in fourth place with a time of 22.96 seconds.
In the women's heptathlon, Rachel Easley had a leap of 5.47 meters to score 691 points in the long jump before pulling out of the competition before the javelin throw.
With Floyd's fifth-place finish in the 200 meters, Houston scored four points to tie for 47th place in the women's team standings. The Cougars also scored one point with an eighth place finish in the men's 400-meter relay to finish in 65th place in the men's standings. Auburn won the women's team title and Florida State won the men's team championship.
