June 8, 2004
ORLANDO - When UCF freshman LesSundra Ford competes in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning on June 9, she will be doing so in her home state of Texas.
Ford, a high jumper who is the first athlete in the track program's history to compete in the NCAA Finals, hails from Fort Worth, Texas. She was a three-time state qualifier and two-time state runner-up for South Hills High School and is a bit of local celebrity.This week she competes against the best in the country for a chance at the national title in Austin - just a three-hour drive from her hometown.
"It's a great feeling to know that I will have my family there," Ford said before ticking off a laundry list of people that included everyone from her parents to her high school coach. "Everyone is coming."
With the support of her loved ones behind her, Ford hopes to avoid the strategy error that resulted in her not making opening height at the NCAA East Regional meet in Gainesville two weeks ago.
"I was trying too hard," she explained. "I put a lot of pressure on myself. This time I know I'm just going to go out and do my best and enjoy the fact that I'm at the championships."
Despite her mistake at regionals, she received her second chance to compete at the national level thanks to an at-large bid, which she earned due to her school record jump of 5-feet, 11.25 inches (1.83 meters) on March 27 at the Florida Relays. On the descending list of qualifiers, Ford is ranked in a tie for 18th, but has beaten several of those above her already this season.
"My goal is to try to finish in the top 10," she said before adding that she would like to eventually better her all-time personal record of 6-feet. The No. 1 ranked Chaunte Howard of Georgia Tech has a season-best mark of close to 6-4 (1.95 meters).
Competition begins with the preliminaries on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (ET), while the event finals are at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday.