NCAA Track and Field Championships : Garcia Sets World Record: 44-10 3/4

Florida State’s Esmaralda Garcia set a world record in the women’s triple jump Thursday at the 65th annual NCAA Division I track and field championships.

Garcia set the mark in the preliminaries on her second jump. She leaped 44 feet 10 3/4 inches to better the record of 44-6 3/4 set by USC’s Wendy Brown.

“I wasn’t feeling my best today,” Garcia said. “I think the excitement of it (the meet) helped me to it. Sometimes we are more prepared than we think we are.”

UCLA jumper-sprinter Gail Devers also highlighted the second day of the meet by becoming the first woman in NCAA history to qualify for finals in four events in her first two years of collegiate competition.

Devers won berths in the finals of the triple jump, the 100-meter high hurdles and the 100-meter dash. She qualified in the long jump Wednesday.

Devers’ 11.12 seconds in the 100-meter dash set an NCAA meet record. Her time bettered former UCLA sprinter Jeanette Bolden’s 11.16 set in 1982.

Her clocking in the 100 high hurdles (13.03) was the fastest among all qualifiers.

SMU sprinter Roy Martin just missed becoming the first freshman in NCAA history to qualify in four events. He qualified Thursday in the 1,600-meter relay but failed to advance in the 100. Martin made the finals Wednesday in the 200 and the 400-meter relay.

The heptahalon competition was completed, with Houston’s Jolanda Jones taking top honors. Jones scored 5,826 points, beating Washington State’s Conny Eckl, who had 5,718 and Brigham Young’s Eva Karblom, who had 5,621.

In the men’s 400, Washington State senior Gabriel Tiacoh won his heat in a 44.74. He beat SMU Kevin Robinzine, who was timed in 45.29. Tiacoh’s time was the second best in the world this year.

Tiacoh will be matched in Saturday’s final against Arkansas’ Roddie Haley, who recorded a 45.51 and beat Tiacoh in last year’s NCAA 400.

In other preliminary events, Alabama’s Lillie Leatherwood turned in a 52.03 in the women’s 400, and Paul Emordi of Texas Southern took the men’s triple jump with a leap of 55-11.