FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is having one of its best years in recent memory in the sport of Indoor Track & Field. Solidified by the women tying for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship, the men taking third and four athletes meeting the provisional qualification time for the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships; the Hawks added another couple of accolades recently with two of the country's best 400-meter runners earning a spot in the NCAA Championships with both running well.

Allodin Fothergill entered the event with the fifth fastest time in the country in the event, a 46.36. On the big stage Fothergill wasn't as fast but still ran an impressive 47.24, good enough to finish 10th in the country. While only the top eight make the finals, Fothergill's time was better than athletes from schools such as Auburn, Washington State, Baylor and Georgia.

Tanisha Wisdom, who was also competing in the 400-meters entered the national championships with the sixth fastest time in the country, a 52.63. She would also miss the finals, coming across the line with the 13th fastest time, a 53.85. Wisdom bested runners from programs such as Mississippi State, Penn State, South Carolina, Kansas
State and even MEAC rival North Carolina A&T.

Both runners now head into the outdoor season where both Fothergill and Wisdom should be dominant once again.

"I am really proud of their accomplishments," said Head Coach Ernest Barrett. "They both are capable of better times but if you look at the competition, the track and the fact it was the national championships, they really showed off for our program and university."

The Fighting and Lady Hawks are back in action, kicking off their outdoor season, March 21 & 22 at the Wake Forest Open.

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