Juniors earn trip to track nationals

Prior to leaving for the NCAA Regional meet at Ohio State University last weekend, few gave juniors Pat Miller and Tom Burns more than an outside shot at qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Sacramento. Good thing predictions are useless. Instead, both ended up with bids to the final collegiate meet, where they will vie for All-America status. \nMiller, a Bloomington native, entered the meet seeded No. 10 after a second runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships. Hoping for good weather, Miller awoke Saturday to relentless wind and foreboding skies, both of which persisted throughout the competition. Rain caused a half-hour delay and left a lackluster crowd. After barely qualifying for the finals, Miller sat in the worst spot, sixth place, as the top five finishers received automatic berths to the championships. Earlier, Miller had pointed out the sixth platform on the awards podium and he said it was humiliating. \nWith the howling wind pushing spectators to shelter, Miller dodged irony by uncorking a 224-foot-4-inch throw that vaulted him out of danger into second place. The throw was his best during the 2003 campaign by 10 feet and shattered his old personal record by more than two feet. \nMiller later said that the wind was not a factor in his mind during his best throw of his collegiate career. \n"I don't even remember it," Miller said. "It wasn't against me, and that's all that mattered." \nBurns, another Indiana native, also endured the horrific weather to fight for a berth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. After posting a 10-second personal best of 8:50 in a close second at Penn Relays, Burns turned his focus to the Big Ten, where he finished sixth for the second time. Disappointed and exhausted after the race, he took drastic action and quit his job as a painter in favor of rest before the regional. \nDuring the regional, Burns was given two days to strategize his run as the steeplechase was the last individual event of the meet. Burns said he planned to run an even first 2,000 meters, and kick all-out to the finish. The high-quality field prompted coach Robert Chapman to advise avoiding getting overextended in an overly ambitious early pace. \nThe race went exactly as expected, and when he neared the 2,000-meter mark, Burns found himself in eighth place. With one lap remaining, he could see the top two finishers from the Big Ten. He passed the runner-up, sprinting between barriers to close the gap. In his charge for the finish he picked off several more runners and finished only one shy of an automatic berth. Burns had the dreaded sixth place finish, and was left to wait and see if he would receive an at-large bid, given to athletes in tough regions based on their seasonal best.\nBurns didn't have to wait long. During the drive home, he got a call and found out that he had received an at-large bid. Chapman said he is optimistic about his chances. \n"I think it would be a tremendous achievement to make the NCAA final steeple in his first trip to the meet," Chapman said. "If Tom runs as he can, he'll be an All-American." \nBurns is also excited about his chances in the upcoming meet. \n"If I make the final, my time should be close to good enough to hit the USATF qualifier," Burns said. "Both of which have been career goals of mine."\nMiller and Burns were both surprises the last time they competed but they said to not count them out on the NCAA's biggest stage, the NCAA Championships, which is scheduled June 11-14 in Sacramento, Calif.