However, there are some athletes who are able to instantly make a big impact at the next level, and we include them in our "DyeStat Grads" summary of the NCAA Division I outdoor campaign to this early May point of the year, leading into the Conference Championships for most groupings.
The below individuals are first year Collegians from the prep ranks, many of whom were familiar names on these DyeStat.com pages in the last couple years as preps, who find themselves near the top of the National Collegiate Division I listings of athletes:
University of Florida photo
JEREMY HALL (UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA) - This Wolfson HS of Jacksonville grad made an immediate impact at the Division I level, recording a shocking SEC Indoor 60 Meter win this winter. Hall narrowly missed out on a spot in the NCAA Division I 60 Meter Finals "undercover" in March, and has charged into the outdoor season in fine style. He has raced 10.30 for 100 meters in late March, and the Florida State High School 3A 100 titlest last spring hopes to make a very solid impact in the SEC Outdoor Meet coming up this weekend!
University of Tennessee photo
EVANDER WELLS (UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE) - From Stone Mountain, Georgia, Wells was a State High School 100 and 200 winner last spring, with a huge step up on the stop watch this spring, with a blazing 20.43 (+1.7 mps wind) while running for the Tennessee Vols back in front of a home crowd at the Yellow Jacket Invitational at Georgia Tech. A USATF Youth National 100 and 200 champ last year who raced on the US Silver Medal winning squad in the World Junior Championships in Beijing last summer, Wells has a 10.42 seasonal best for 100 meters and is an important cog in the Vol 39.65 4x1 squad. Indoors this winter he impressed with a sixth place at the NCAA Div I Championships. Wells gets a big test this weekend as another who is a part of the barn-buring SEC Conference Meet.
PhotoRun.com Picture
CHARLES CLARK (FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY) - We have a definite "southern trend" to these speed events with our instant collegiate stars, with mid-year enrollee Clark from Bayside HS in Virginia Beach, Virginia, another shocker with his instant development in the Seminole program. The Virginia High School 3A 100-200 and 400 champ arrived on the Collegiate scene in a big way this past indoor season, with a fourth place in the NCAA Division I Championship meet over 200 meters. Since that time he has cranked a 20.57 outdoors, the #3 Collegiate half-lap clocking through early May! He was a member of two Championship of America Relay winners along with his Florida State teammates at the Penn Relays (4x200 with a cranking 1:21.73 and the sprint medley). He was also a part of the 38.78 Seminole 4x100 group that leads the country to this point in the spring.
photo by John Dye
LAJERALD BETTERS (BAYLOR UNIVERSITY) - This Waco HS star over the last couple years made the decision to join 400 Meter U along with Coach Clyde Hart, with a sterling start to his career at this next level. With a bevy of quality folks to train with he was part of a 1-2-3 Baylor sweep in the Big 12 Indoor competition already this winter at 46.31. The two-time Texas State 5A one lap champ and 2006 NSIC Indoor titlest was a Gold Medal winner at the NCAA indoor competition, adding a 45.8 split to the winning 3:04.24 4x400 meter Baylor group.
University of Oregon photo
AJ ACOSTA (UNIVERSITY OF OREGON) - He could not take his army, but AJ Acosta hopes to earn a solid following among the Hayward Field crowds, as he took his act north from Oceanside, California to Coach Vin Lananna's University of Oregon distance program in Eugene. After a lengthy past summer that included competition at the World Junior Championships into mid-August after a USATF Junior win at 1500 meters, the 2005 Foot Locker National Cross Country Champ understandably took the fall racing season off. A good winter season had AJ race 4:00.37 for a mile indoors at the University of Washington in early March, with a 3:42.40 for 1500 meters in a runner-up effort at this spring's Oregon Invitational. Big Pac-10 action is on the agenda this weekend for Acosta!
University of Wisconsin photo
CRAIG MILLER (UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN) - Miller, who ran a US record 4:14.26 for a mile as a prep frosh at Manchester Township in Pennsylvania, and later as fast as 4:06.76 and winning three State Cross Country titles, had his senior prep track season cut out from under him with a foot injury. He has healed up and is flying at the University of Wisconsin, running in the top six all fall long for the Harrier squad, and placing a fine 90th in the NCAA Division I Championship race for the runner-up Badgers. Interestingly, his best race this spring, a fine 3:42.67 1500 meters had him finish one place behind AJ Acosta at the Oregon Invitational!
photo Southern University
JASON HOUSE (SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY) - House, a Laurel, Mississippi State High Jump champ at 6-08 last year, with a 6-10 prep best, has skyrocketed to 7-03.25 for one of the top collegiate jumps in the nation this spring at Southern. A 6-1 185 pound football receiver, Jason was recently the Conference runner-up on misses at 6-11, and certainly hopes for a good Regional Meet performance to move to the NCAA DI Finals this first Collegiate season.
photo by Rich Gonzalez
SCOTT ROTH (UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON) - The Californian from Granite Bay HS busted out this past indoor season, upping his best from 17-05 to 18-01.75! Roth had a star-studded international career as a prep, finishing second in the World Youth (under 18) championships in 2005, and last summer making the Finals of the World Junior (under 20) Championships in Beijing. An NCAA Division I Championship indoor competitor this past winter, Scott hopes to raise his seasonal outdoor best of 17-03.5 this weekend in the Pac 10 Championships!
photo Texas Tech Univ
ANTHONY FLEMONS (TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY) - Last year's Texas State 2A Triple Jump Champ, with a prep best of 51-10, Flemons has impressed with a "first-outdoor meet" effort of 52-09.25 that has him among the country's top half-dozen three-bounders to this point in the spring season. Sixth in the Big 12 Indoor Championships at 50-02, Flemons hopes to win over the field and fellow frosh star Zuheir Sharif (Texas A&M) this weekend at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
Joe Hartman Photo
ZUHEIR SHARIF (TEXAS A&M) - The Franklin HS of Elk Grove, California star has moved right into the college ranks in fine style, with the 51-06 Golden State Triple Jump runner-up from last year out to 52-01.25 in winning the Big 12 Indoor Championships this winter! Ninth this winter at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Sharif continues in the fast lane this weekend with the Big 12 competition, and hopefully a big Midwest Regional effort leading to the Outdoor Title meet!!
photo McNeese State Univ
CHRIS HILL (MCNEESE STATE) - Ranked among the top five collegiately in the Javelin, the Sulphur HS, Louisiana grad has come on like gangbusters at the new level, out over 234 feet this spring! Runner-up in the State Meet last year as a prep, the 225 pound all-state footballer has moved to the Div I level in super style, placing third in the recent Southland Conference meet!!
LSU Photo
PRESTON CHATHAM (LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY) - Another spear tosser from Louisiana, St. Paul HS of Covington last year, Preston has been out to 71.04 meters (over 233 feet) this spring with the javelin and is among the top half-dozen at the Collegiate Division I level. He will battle with a tough SEC group this weekend, and a strong Mid East Regional competition on the way to the NCAA Championships. The 2006 Louisiana State 5A Javelin Champ, he had prep bests of 217-5, 53-10.5 (SP) and 163-05 (DT).
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