NCAA championship page

HOUSTON, Texas - East Stroudsburg University junior Rusty Smith qualified for the finals of the 60m hurdles with the third-fastest time in the prelims at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Houston's Yeoman Field House on Friday night.

Junior Paul Wagner placed ninth in the weight throw earlier in the day with a mark of 61-4 3/4, which breaks his own school record of 61-4 1/4 which he set last month at the DeSchriver Invitational. Wagner made the finals after his first three throws and finished one spot out of All-America status.

Smith finished third in his heat with a time of 8.078 seconds and was just edged by California (Pa.)'s Brice Myers (8.075). Smith beat Myers by five-thousandths of a second for the PSAC championship in the 55m hurdles two weeks ago. Andrew McDowell of Abilene Christian won the heat with a time of 8.00 seconds.

Smith was eighth in last year's championships to earn All-America honors. He ran a school-record time of 8.04 seconds in the prelims and a time of 8.13 seconds in the finals a year ago.

The finals of the 60m hurdles will be run at 6:05 p.m. Results of the entire Division II championship meet are available online at http://www.flashresults.com/2009_Meets/indoor/NCAA_D2/.