NORTHRIDGE - 2011
Darquis Rucker reached the NCAA West Preliminaries as a member of the Matadors' 4x100 relay in his first season at Northridge ... ran the third leg and the team finished 20th in a time of 42.09 ... qualied for the 100 meters and 4x100 relay at the Big West Championships ... finished 14th in the 100 meter prelims and did not reach the final ... clocked a season-best time of 10.91 in the prelims ... also ran a wind-aided 10.90 at the Cal-Nevada Championships ... the 4x100 relay won the Big West Championship in a season-best time of 40.57 ... qualified for the 60 and 200 meters at the MPSF Indoor Championships ... placed 21st in the 100 meter prelims in a season-best 7.01 and finished 24th the 200 prelims in a time of 22.87 ... posted an indoor season-best in the 200 meters (22.68) at the UW Invitational.

SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL
Rucker competed in both track and football at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif. ... lettered all four years for the Titans track team ... was a four-time All-Oakland Athletic League honoree as a sprinter ... also earned first team all-league honors as a wide receiver/defensive back for the football team ... scored nine of his team's 10 touchdowns in 2008 ... the track team won four straight league championships (2007-10) ... best times were 10.80 in the 100 meters, 22.11 in the 200 and 7.00 in the 60 meters ... graduated in 2010.

PERSONAL
Born July 19, 1991 in Oakland, Calif. ... mother is Alysia Nero ... grandparents are Linda and Brooklyn Thompson ... has one younger brother, Lyle ... his grandmother is the head softball and head volleyball coach at College of Alameda and played collegiate softball at Cal State Hayward ... favorite athlete is sprinter Asafa Powell ... other favorites include actors Will Smith and Halle Berry, the movie "Love Don't Cost a Thing", seafood and the music of the Black Eyed Peas and Usher ... chose Cal State Northridge because of "Coach Anderson and the track team" ... was also recruited by Portland State, Idaho State and Boise State ... says the toughest thing about being an athlete is "accepting loss" ... major is Kinesiology.