SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A total of six student-athletes will represent East Carolina in three events at the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships which begins Wednesday at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.

Veteran Pirate head coach Bill Carson, who will be wrapping up his 39th season heading the ECU men's track program this week, has directed athletes to national championship competition in 18 of the last 19 years.

In addition to senior hurdler Hector Cotto and junior thrower Eric Frasure, the Pirates have also sent their 4x100 relay squad consisting of freshmen Jerek Hewett, David Rucker and Kevin Thompson, along with senior DeAndre Hyman, to the championships.

Cotto advanced to Sacramento by earning a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA East Regional May 27. After booking an eighth-place finish in a preliminary heat, he shattered his own school record set last spring with a performance of 13.66 in the finals. Cotto, who has turned in the nation's 11th-best time this spring, is scheduled to compete at 7:50 p.m. (ET) in Wednesday's first round, hoping to qualify for the semifinals at 9:45 p.m. (ET)

After earning All-America status with a seventh-place national finish in the weight throw event during ECU's indoor season, Frasure will attempt to capture a similar honor in the hammer throw to close out the outdoor campaign. While his ninth-place standing during regional competition two weeks ago originally did not earn qualification into the championship meet, his school-record effort of 64.34 meters during the Conference USA Championships ranks among the top 26 national performances this season.

Frasure will open the competition with a qualifying round at 2:00 p.m. (ET) Wednesday while the finals are scheduled for Friday at 3:00 p.m. (ET).

East Carolina's 4x100 relay team will also compete on the first day of competition, with participation in the semifinal heat at 6:20 p.m. (ET). If the Pirates advance, their quest for a national championship will take place Friday at 7:10 (ET).

Hewett, who also experienced significant playing time with ECU's football program as a true freshman last fall, will join Hyman and fellow rookies Rucker and Thompson on a squad which turned in a season-best time of 39.83 during a third-place standing at the NCAA East Regional. In addition, the quartet also finished third at the C-USA Championships after logging a time of 40.14.