ITTA BENA - Mississippi Valley State freshman Jatarius Harris has met the USATF Junior Nationals 100 meters qualifying standards. 

The standard is 10.64 and Harris, a Cleveland, Miss. native and East Side High alum, ran a time of 10.58 in the 100 meters with a legal wind of 1.3 at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Open in April. 

Harris, however, will not be able to compete in the Junior Nationals due to a hamstring injury. 

The Junior Nationals is the qualifying meet for the IAAF World Junior Championships, set to be held July 10-15 in Barcelona, Spain. 

To qualifty for Junior Nationals, athletes must be younger than 20 years old and meet the standards of their particular event by the day of competition. It marks the first time in MVSU history that someone from the school has qualified for the heralded event.

"This is a great accomplishment for Jatarius and Mississippi Valley State," said MVSU head track and field coach Danielle Douglas. "He has worked hard throughout the entire season. He has a bright future ahead of him."