EDWARDSVILLE – The NCAA announced the field for the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships late Tuesday night, and SIUE's Julian Harvey will compete in two events.
The nation's leader in the long jump will compete March 10th at 5:30 p.m. His second event, the high jump, will take place March 11th at 3:30 p.m. The NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field will be held March 10-11 at Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station, Texas.
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SIUE jumps coach Joey Pacione said the biggest thing Harvey needs is to be fresh and ready for the national meet.
"His technique is in a good place. He's in incredible shape judged by the marks he has put up," said Pacione. "My job is to put him on that runway next Friday feeling good mentally and physically."
Harvey posted the top mark in the world in the long jump at 26 feet, 9 inches last weekend at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships. He added a 7-3 leap in the high jump, which has placed him at No. 10 on the declared list for the NCAA CHampionships. Both were OVC records and SIUE records.
The senior made his mark at the OVC Championships by winning a third event, the triple jump. He had held that OVC record from last year's meet.
Harvey elevated his footprint on the national scene in one jump at the Tyson Invitational, going 26-5.5 for the event title as well as posting what was the longest jump by an American this year, including the top mark by a collegiate competitor. He would improve that mark at the OVC Championships.
Harvey's finish in the high jump also progressed during the season. He jumped 7-0.25 at the SIU Don DeNoon Invitational and missed opportunities to jump better than 7-1.
"In the three weeks between the meet in Carbondale and the OVC meet, we worked a lot on that. It's nice to see those changes show up," added Pacione. "I have no doubt that if he executes the same way that he does in practice and how he did at the OVC meet that he can contend for an All-American spot."
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