BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (3/10/16) – Arkansas State junior Roelf Pienaar and sophomore Kristina Knott will compete in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
“Both Roelf and Kristina have had outstanding indoor seasons and to qualify for the NCAA championships is a great accomplishment,” said A-State head coach Jim Patchell. “This is nothing new for Roelf, but this is the first time Kristina will compete at the national level. I know they are both excited and looking forward to competing against the best in the nation.”
Pienaar, competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the third-straight season, looks to claim top honors in the long jump. His event begins at 5:20 p.m. Friday and he will jump 14th out of the 16 competitors. He enters the competition ranked 12th with a season-best jump of 7.82m (25-08.00). Pienaar finished ninth last year at the indoor championships with a leap of 7.57m (24-10.00) after finishing third with a leap of 7.80m (25-7.25) in his freshman campaign.
Knott will make her debut at the NCAA Indoor Championships running in the 60-meter dash Friday at 6:38 p.m. She enters the weekend ranked 11th with a time of 7.28 seconds. Her season-best time, set earlier this season at the Birmingham CrossPlex in the Jaguar Invitational, tied the school-record set by Sharika Nelvis in 2014. Knott will be in lane one of the first heat on Friday and would need to finish top two in her heat or finish with one of the next four fastest times to advance to the final on Saturday at 4:55 p.m.
The top eight finishers this weekend will be named first-team All-Americans by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), and the next eight will garner second-team All-America status.
Live results of the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships can be found at flashresults.com. ESPN3 will broadcast the meet each day. Coverage begins at 5:25 p.m. (CT) on Friday and 3:55 p.m. (CT) Saturday. The complete meet will air tape-delayed on ESPN2 Sunday at 6 p.m. (CT). Follow @AStateGameday on Twitter for updates on the A-State athletes.
