Athlete with local ties qualifies for NCAA National Championships

Brandon Byram, a Florida State University track athlete with local ties, recently qualified for the NCAA National Championships in March. Byram and three of his Florida State teammates will compete in the 4x4 relay.

Recently, Florida State traveled to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to compete in the annual Tyson Invitational. Byram, a 19-year-old freshman at FSU, and his teammates placed third in the 4x4 relay championships.

Byram, senior Walter Dix, freshman Brian Chibudu and senior Hubert Mitchell competed in the 4x4 event. Their time of 3:10.29 qualified them for the NCAA championships. The time was the top mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and they were awarded a provisional bid to the nationals.

Earlier in the season, Byram held the fastest 200m time in the ACC with a 21.49. He matched his personal best mark in the 200m at the Fayetteville meet with a 21.44. He continues to hold one of the top times in the ACC.

The Seminoles currently hold six automatic qualifying marks and 13 provisional marks for the NCAA Championships to be held March 14-15 in Fayetteville.

The FSU men's track team will be seeking their sixth consecutive indoor ACC championship next month when they compete in the ACC Championships Feb.29-March 1 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

A graduate of Station Camp High School in Gallatin, Tenn., Byram is competing primarily as a sprinter at FSU this season. He won back-to-back Tennessee Male Athlete of the Year awards in 2006 and 2007. He also won state 200m titles in 2006 and 2007. He also holds his high school's records in the 100m, 200m and 400m and in the long jump.

Brandon Byram, a sports management major, is the son of Billy Wayne Byram of Nashville, formerly of Trumann. He is the grandson of Velma Byram of Trumann and the late Bill Byram.