Aug. 26, 2011
TUCSON - Five athletes with ties to the University of Arizona Wildcat men's and women's track and field teams will be competing in the 2011 IAAF World Championships. The event will take place Aug. 27-Sept. 4, in Daegu, South Korea. Portions of the event will be televised and webcast through Universal Sports.
Juniors Brigetta Barrett (Team USA), Julie Labonté (Team Canada) and Edgar Rivera-Morales (Team Mexico) comprise the current UA student-athletes who will be competing in Daegu. Barrett will compete in the high jump qualification on Thurs., Sept 1 and, should she advance, the finals on Sat., Sept. 3. Labonté will compete in the shot put qualification on Sun., Aug. 28 and, should she advance, the finals on Mon. Aug. 29. Rivera-Morales will compete in the high jump qualification on Tues., Aug. 30 and, should he advance, the finals on Thurs., Sept. 1.
Barrett currently ranks No. 6 in the world and No. 2 on Arizona's all-time list in the high jump with her personal-best clearance of 6-5. Last week, she won the gold medal at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China. She is the 2011 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion in her signature event. Barrett also collected 2011 Mount Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Indoor and Pac-10 Outdoor titles in the high jump.
Labonté also won the 2011 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor titles in the shot put while picking up the 2011 MPSF Indoor and Pac-10 Outdoor crowns. She is Arizona's indoor school record holder with a toss of 57-9, also the Canadian National Record. She ranks No. 2 on Arizona's outdoor all-time list with her mark of 60-1, also the Canadian National Record.
Rivera-Morales holds an outdoor personal best of 7-5.75, set at the 2011 Mt. SAC Relays. He won the 2011 MPSF Indoor high jump title, clearing 7-2.25, and finished fifth at the Pac-10 Outdoor Championships with a height of 7-1.5.
Arizona volunteer assistant coach Jill Camarena-Williams (Team USA), who also trains under UA assistant coach Craig Carter, ranks No. 3 in the world in the shot put with her season-best throw of 66-2.5, also her personal best and matches the American record. Her indoor best, 65-2.25, is the American record. She has won seven indoor and three outdoor national championships.
Bernard Lagat (Team USA), a Tucson resident and pupil of associate head coach James Li, ranks No. 2 in the world in the 5,000 meters with his season-best time of 12:53.60, also his personal best and the American record. At the 2009 IAAF World Championships, he won silver in the 5K (13:17.33) and bronze in the 1,500 meters (3:36.20). In total, Lagat holds nine medals from the IAAF World Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the Olympic Games, competing for Team Kenya and then Team USA.
Camrena-Williams will compete in the shot put qualification on Sun., Aug. 28 and the finals on Mon., Aug. 29. Lagat will run in the heats of the 5,000 meters on Thurs., Sept. 1 and the finals on Sun., Sept. 4.
For live results, visit IAAF.org. For a complete TV schedule, visit USATF.org.
