JONESBORO, Ark. (3/6/13) – Arkansas State University's Sharika Nelvis will be on the national stage this weekend (March 8-9) as a result of qualifying for the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The 2013 NCAA-I Championships, which are being hosted by the University of Arkansas, will be held at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the UA campus in Fayetteville, Ark.

Nelvis, the 2013 Sun Belt Conference's (SBC) Most Outstanding Women's Indoor Track Performer, will be competing in the long jump and 200-meter dash at nationals.  The ASU junior is presently seeded 13th in the long jump at 6.32 meters (20-7.35) and clocked a 23.38 time in the 200-meters to claim a present 11th seeding.   

“We are certainly pleased with Sharika qualifying for the NCAA indoor meet,” said ASU head coach Jim Patchell.  “For the second year in a row, Sharika has qualified in both the long jump and 200-meter events.  Last year, she qualified in the 60-meter hurdles and although the hurdles is probably her main event, we have changed a few things about her hurdles race.  She hasn't quite got it yet, but she's very close much like a golfer making a swing change."

Nelvis, a three-time (1/9, 1/30 and 2/13) SBC Indoor Track Athlete of the Week pick this season, was the 2013 SBC Women's Indoor Track Championships' top scorer with 40.5 points and led the Red Wolves to the 2013 Sun Belt Indoor Championship title.  She was crowned the meet champion in four events – long jump, 55-meter hurdles, 55-meter dash, and 200-meter dash to claim first-team All-Sun Belt recognition.

“Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to make a leap forward,” Patchell said.  “However, qualifying in events that aren't necessarily her focus does say a lot about her talent and work ethic.  We're excited to see how things pan out this weekend.”  

A season ago, Nelvis garnered U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Second-Team All-America honors as a result of her performance and participation in the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships in Nampa, Idaho.  Nelvis competed in the 60-meter hurdles, placing sixth in the first heat and then claiming ninth overall in the qualifiers to miss the finals.  Nelvis ran a time of 8.18 in the event which was only .02 seconds in back of the eighth-place and final qualifier.

The 2013 NCAA-I Indoor Track and Field Championships will be streamed live by ESPN3.com this Friday (March 8), beginning at 5:25 p.m. (CT) and this Saturday (March 9), starting at 5:50 p.m. (CT). Early portions of the meet not covered by ESPN3 will be streamed at NCAA.com and ArkansasRazorbacks.com, beginning with the start of competition each day. A tape-delay broadcast of the national meet will air Sunday, March 17, at 6 p.m. (CT) on ESPNU.

For tickets to the 2013 NCAA-I Indoor Track Championships, fans can log on to the online ticket center at ArkansasRazorbacks.com or call 800-982-HOGS (4647)