SET TO GO!

Come June 11-14, Kineke Alexander is set to participate in the NCAA Championships, in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

With the second-fastest preliminary time in the field, 22-year-old Kineke Alexander won her 400-metre heat with a season best of 52.95s at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Lincoln, Nebraska, last Saturday, May 31.{{more}}

Alexander joined four others from her school, Iowa State, who qualified with top-five finishes.

A senior, the Vincentian Alexander won the 400-metre heat with a season-best 52.95s.

“Last week was a good week for me because since the outdoor season started, I’ve been struggling with injuries after the other. I felt good about my time and I think by NCAA next week, I’ll be able to go faster, which would be a motivator for the rest of the season”, Alexander said.

“I felt really good after the 200, so I finished strong. My aim in the finals is to finish in the top three,” an elated Alexander said of her performance last Saturday.

A History major, Alexander, in the 2007 Indoors All American Championships placed second in 400m (51.48s). At the NCAA Championships, she is also a two-time Big Ten champion, winning titles in the 200 m (23.67s) and 400 m (52.23s).

Also on her list of accolades are her Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships, USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Athlete of the Year and a school record in the 400m (51.48s), as well as setting the school and Iowa Recreation Building records in 600 meters (1:27.84), and automatically qualified for NCAA Championships in 400 meters (52.01) and provisionally qualified in 200 meters (23.67). As a sophomore, Alexander became just the fourth Hawkeye individual to win a national championship when she captured the indoor 400m title.

Alexander holds the St. Vincent and the Grenadines 400m record. Her record time is 51.35 seconds. She gained a bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Cartegna, Columbia.

She is the lone Vincentian athlete that has already reached qualifying standards for competition in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. (RT)