Beebe heads to USATF nationals in 400-meter hurdles

SALISBURY, Md. – Recent Salisbury University graduate and track & field athlete Cory Beebe closed out his collegiate career by defending his 2009 national championship in the 400-meter hurdles with another title in 2010. By any standards, it was a great way to go out. But Beebe will get a chance few Division III track & field athletes get when he competes in the 2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

Beebe, who will be the first Salisbury University student-athlete to compete at the USATF championship, qualified for the prestigious meet by running one of the fastest times in Division III history in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing the race in 50.66 seconds at the Georgia Tech Invitational on May 15. He was leading the race after 300 meters and knew he had a special run going.

“All my steps were dead on, I had a real clean race, good form going over the hurdles, I didn’t float over any,” Beebe said. “I was in first or second place, I knew with 100 meters left, as long as I didn’t do anything stupid, like hit a hurdle, that it was going to be good.”

Beebe is scheduled to get his first chance at the nationals on Thursday, June 24 when he runs his first preliminary heat in the 400-meter hurdles as takes to the track at 5:25 p.m. Advancing through the opening round, Beebe would run in the semifinals on Friday, June 25 at 7:45 p.m. and the championship round would run on Saturday, June 26 at 2:18 p.m. Although he knows he can compete with the other athletes this week, Beebe knows how special it is just to qualify for the championships.

“It feels really good knowing that all those hard days at the track, laying there and feeling like I couldn’t walk, I didn’t go out there and do it for nothing,” he said. “I’m grateful to qualify for this meet and actually run against the pros and those guys that I watch every weekend during the season and the Olympics and see it first hand and run against a few of them.”

Beebe has already left his mark on the Salisbury University track & field program, winning back-to-back 400-meter hurdle national championships in 2009 and 2010. He was a three-time All-American while wearing maroon and gold and holds five individual school records and is part of three relay records.