June 23, 2006

Betts Competes in 200-Meters at USA Junior Track Championship

    Indianapolis -- Youngstown State sprinter Katie Betts finished sixth in her heat and 32nd overall in the 200-meters at the 2006 Finish Line USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday morning.
    Betts, a native of nearby Cortland, Ohio, ran a time of 25.21 seconds in becoming the first YSU athlete to compete at the national meet since 2002.
    The meet features the top youth competitors in the country, and Betts was pitted against world-class athletes in her race. Bianca Knight, the top finisher in the preliminary round with a time of 23.24, won the silver medal in the 200 and two gold medals at the World Youth Championships in July 2005. Marion Jones, who earned five medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, holds the meet record in the 200 at 22.94.
    Betts, 19, earned the right to compete at the meet by eclipsing the 24.54 qualifying standard at the Sparky Adams Invitational on May 1. Competing athletes must also be aged 14 by the day of competition and not turn 20 during 2006.
    Betts has three years of eligibility remaining at Youngstown State after an accomplished freshman season. She was named the Horizon League Running Newcomer of the Year at the conclusion of both the indoor and outdoor seasons, and she competed at the NCAA Mideast Regional as a member of YSU's 4x400-meter relay.