Thursday, June 08, 2006

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (June 8, 2006) - After cruising through the opening round of the 100-meters earlier Thursday afternoon, senior James Rainer (Alcoa, Tenn.) closed the books on his ETSU career with a performance of 10.36 in semi-final round at the NCAA Championships.  Rainer finished seventh in his heat, and 11^th overall, an agonizing .02 seconds from a spot in the final round.

On the upside, Rainer's 10.36 is the second fastest of his career, and his personal-best time in legal wind.  The senior sealed his trip to nationals last month, running a scorching time of 10.16 at the NCAA Mid-East Regionals, the fastest time by an ETSU athlete in nearly 40 years and the best-ever FAT mark.

Rainer, the first Buc to compete at nationals since the 2000 season, finished third in his qualifying heat earlier this afternoon with a time of 10.41.  Rainer's mark was the eighth-best of the round.