For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

KEATING TO REPRESENT UTPA AT NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

EDINBURG, TX-Although they have the longest season of any NCAA sport at The University of Texas-Pan American, Bronc star sophomore distance runner Westly Keating (Pharr, TX/PSJA North HS/Texas) said that the season has gone by very quickly.

Now Keating, who began workouts with the Broncs last fall and became the first Texas-Pan American runner to earn All-American honors in cross country last fall, will represent the Broncs when he competes in the 10,000 meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Sacramento State University's Hornet Stadium Thursday evening. Keating's race is scheduled to begin at 11:40 p.m. Central Time.

Keating currently is ranked ninth nationally at 10,000 meters. He also qualified for the NCAAs at 5,000 meters and could have run both races. However, running the 5,000 requires running both preliminaries and finals at the NCAAs, and running both races would have meant running twice at 5,000 meters and once at 10,000 meters in a span of four days.

"It makes sense to run the 10 at nationals," said Keating. "In the five, there are prelims, and in the 10, from the fourth runner to the ninth, they are about a hundredth of a second from each other. There are a couple of really good runners in the 10,000, and, after that, the rest of us are very close."

Keating said that he's overcome some recent soreness, and he's ready to go. "My quad was sore for a while, but it doesn't bother me when I run fast," said Keating. "I didn't run at all the week of regionals, and I ran well that week. This week, I've had some good workouts. Track is more intense than cross country, and I know I have to stay focused when I run."

At the Stanford Invitational this year, Keating finished seventh, and was one of several runners who qualified for the NCAAs. Although many top runners will compete Thursday, he said this race will be different.

"Stanford was a pace race," said Keating. "This race will be different, because there won't be anyone going out there just to pace the runners. All year long, you run for time. In the last few weeks, you run for place, at conference, regionals and the NCAAs, and the pressure goes up each time out."

Eastern Michigan's Boaz Cheboiywo is the favorite in the 10,000 meters, since his best time is 47 seconds better than that of his nearest competitor. "Boaz wants to go out and kill you at the beginning of the race," said Keating. "I'm going to go out and try to run with him for the first two miles. The last mile will be the hardest part of the whole meet, because that's when everyone makes their run. You have to stay focused; it's who wants it the most and who believes in themselves the most."

The top eight runners will score points for their team, and will also be guaranteed All-American status. "I'd love to finish in the top six," said Keating. "Someone was picking the race, and I saw he picked me 11th, and I want to do better than that."

"I think Westly's ready to go," said UTPA Assistant Coach Doug Molnar. "Last Friday, he did two miles in 8:39, and at cross country nationals, he did it in 8:48, so that's a pretty good improvement. I think the people who do best will be the people who take a chance. Some people will sit back and try to finish in the top eight, but the runners who go out and attempt to run with Boaz will be the ones who will finish in the top four or five. Last year, two runners went out and attempted to keep up with Boaz, and they finished second and third."

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