FROM STAFF REPORTS

EUGENE, Ore. — When last seen at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships, Gil Roberts was pulling up lame with a leg injury, dashing the Texas Tech sophomore’s hopes of a national title.

But there’s still a chance for him to end the season on a high note.

Showing no sign of injury, Roberts breezed to a second-place finish in his 400-meters heat Thursday on the first day of the U.S. outdoor track and field championships at famed Hayward Field. He coasted home in 47.09 seconds. That was more than two seconds slower than what he’s run this year, but all that mattered is he clinched a spot in today’s semifinals with the top-two finish in his heat.

“Gil just cruised,” Tech coach Wes Kittley said. “We feel positive he just had a bad cramp at (the NCAA meet), and so it was good to see him run again.”

Tech senior D’Andra Carter, who won a national title in the discus at the NCAA outdoor, finished 10th on Thursday in Eugene. She threw 177 feet, 6 inches, which was 10th best in a strong field. Even her winning throw of 182-5 at the NCAAs would have been good for only ninth in Thursday’s competition.

Today will be a busy day for current and former Tech athletes. Patience Knight will compete in the finals of the women’s shot put at 7:15 p.m. CDT, and Tech ex Jason Young and former Meadow High School and South Plains College standout Clendon Henderson will compete in the men’s discus finals that start at 8:40 p.m. CDT.

Entered in semifinals are Omo Osaghae in the 110-meter hurdles at 5:20 p.m. CDT, Roberts in the 400 at 7:20 p.m. CDT and Tech ex Jonathan Johnson in the 800 at 8:10 p.m. CDT. Brandon Tucker, who just finished his freshman year at Tech, will compete in the men’s junior division of the 110-meter hurdles at 5 p.m. CDT.

Johnson, the former NCAA and Olympic Trials champion, easily advanced out of the first round of the 800 meters, running 1:49.36.

When Roberts pulled up two weeks ago in a 400 semifinal at the NCAA outdoor meet, it was feared he had a strained right quadriceps that would make him iffy for the U.S. outdoor championships. But that seemed not to be the case after he took it easy for a few days.

“He kept saying, ‘I don’t feel it. I don’t feel anything,’ ” Kittley said. “We pretty much came to the conclusion if it got well that quick, it was just a bad cramp, not a muscle tear at all. He had a couple of workouts full speed at race pace and has never felt a thing.”

There are 16 semifinalists vying for eight spots in Sunday’s 400-meter finals.

The U.S. outdoor championships continue through Sunday. In most events, the top three make the U.S. team for the world championships Aug. 15-23 in Berlin, Germany. However, the top six in the 400 will make the U.S. team, so that the 1,600-meter relay has a pool of runners to use in the three-round event. The top six finishers in the 100 meters also will make the team so that the sprint relay will have extra runners for the world championships.

That gives Roberts a better chance.

“That would be an awesome learning experience for him if he can make that,” Kittley said.

Coverage of today’s events is scheduled from 7-9 p.m. CDT on ESPN (Suddenlink Cable channel 31). ESPN also will carry Saturday’s action from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. CDT. Sunday’s coverage is scheduled from 3-5 p.m. CDT on NBC (channel 11, Suddenlink Cable channel 3).