ECU's Dunkley, Relay Team Headed to NCAA Championships
March 11, 2003 | Men's Track and Field
The announcement came Monday from the NCAA Division I Track & Field Committee. The competition will be held at the University of Arkansas' Randal Tyson Indoor Track and brings together some of the world's top track athletes.
Dunkley, a senior from Westbury, N.Y., makes his second straight trip to the NCAA Championships. He ranks fifth in the nation in the 60-meter dash (6.63) and will compete against 19 other athletes in the preliminaries Friday. He has been honored as Conference USA Track Athlete of the Week once this season. Dunkley has had three first-place finishes and two second-place finishes in the 60m during the indoor season. Last year he placed 11th during preliminaries.
"I think he has a very good chance for the top three or four," said Head Coach Bill Carson on Dunkley's chances. "His last three races have been tremendous. It is going to be a great field of runners and Julien is going to be right with them. I really expect him to make the finals this year and be a real factor in the race."
The 4x400 relay team of freshman Ron Hillian (Voorhees, N.J.), sophomores B.J. Henderson (Raleigh, N.C.), Domonick Richmond (Hampton, Va.) and Darrus Cofield (Raleigh, N.C.) are ranked 11th (3:07.97) and will compete against 11 other teams Saturday at 8:10 p.m. This team has combined to have two first-place finishes during the indoor season, as well as one second-place finish and two third-place finishes. Henderson and Richmond are part of last year's 4x400 team that holds the ECU record and placed seventh at the NCAA Championships.
"My guys generally place when we get there," said Carson. "I think the 4x400, will place sixth, seventh or eighth."
As a team the Pirates placed fourth in the 2003 Conference USA Indoor Championship, held two weeks ago.
