Coppin State junior Christina Epps will be one of 12 athletes competing for the triple jump title at the United State Indoor Track and Field Championships in the Albuquerque Convention Center on Saturday.

"Physically I'm just trying to stay fresh since we just finished competing at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Championships and mentally I'm just trying to have fun," Epps said of the opportunity.

Epps qualified for the championships when she posted a jump of 42-00.75 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 4 in New York.

"My coach (Alecia Shields-Gadson) always tells me its just you and the runway," Epps said. "So I'm going to just focus on the runway and that is going to be my approach."

Epps enters the competition ranked 10th among the 12 jumpers with her mark of 42-00.75. Crystal Manning leads the field with a jump of 45-3.75.

The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships will help determine the team that will represent the United States a the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships on March 9-11 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The top four finishers who have met the world indoor qualifying standards in their events will make Team USA.

"This meet brings into focus the opportunity to compete at the international level," said Epps. "It's right there for me. I just have to go out and perform."

Epps will compete in the triple jump on Saturday beginning at 8:50 p.m. EST. A live webcast of the event can be seen at http://www.usatf.org/events/2012/USAIndoorTFChampionships/video.asp

ESPN will also air portions of the meet on Sunday (Feb. 26) from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

For the complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com