Georgetown Men’s Track And Field Cracks Top 25 In National Poll
--The Hoyas are ranked No. 22 in the latest USTFCCCA rankings--
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the first time this outdoor season, the Georgetown men’s track and field team is ranked No. 22 in the nation according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) outdoor poll. The Hoyas are the only BIG EAST school currently ranked in the top-25 in both the men’s and women’s polls.
This past weekend, multiple schools headed to Knoxville, Tenn. for the Sea Ray Relays. The University of Tennessee played host April 8-11.
The BIG EAST’s complete top performances list of the 2009 outdoor season can be accessed at www.directathletics.com.
Cincinnati: Cincinnati traveled to Knoxville for the Sea Ray Relays. Day one of the Relays saw juniors Antione Drakeford, Jasmine Cotten, Lilian Jelimo and freshman Troy Cooper register wins in their respective events. Drakeford continued his dominance in the 400 meters, finishing first with a time of 46.70. Drakeford’s time was tops among 43 runners and he was the only 400 runner to break 47.0 seconds. Jelimo continued her strong outdoor campaign with a win in the 5,000-meter invitational race with her time of 17:06.99. Cooper stole the show in the shot put, throwing a first-place mark of 55’ 5-3/4”, which also is an NCAA regional qualifying mark. The Bearcats head to Oxford, Ohio, to compete in the All-Ohio Championships April 17-18.
Connecticut: The UConn women’s 4x200 relay team finished in first place with a time of 1:37.79 to lead the Huskies at the Sea Ray Relays. The team of seniors Jessica Foreman, Mandela Graves-Fulgham and Monique Hodges along with freshman Danielle Lyte recorded the win. The Huskies' 4x800 meter relay team recorded the third fastest time in school history with a fifth place finish in a time of 9:06.87. The Huskies combining for the relay finish were senior Ashley O'Brien, sophomore Leah Andrianos and freshmen Lhyana Dallas and Heather Wilson. Foreman also performed well during individual events as she picked up an NCAA qualifying mark of 11.61 in the 100-meter dash. In field events, senior Amanda Martin finished in second place in the javelin with a throw of 47.15 meters. Her throw was an NCAA qualifying mark as well as a personal best this season.
On the men’s side, Connecticut split up the weekend competing at the Bulldog Decathlon, the Spec Towns Invitational and the Brown Invitational. Redshirt senior Ellis Gaulden stood out among Husky top performers finishing first in the long jump with an NCAA Regional qualifying distance of 7.43 meters and taking second in the high jump with an IC4A qualifying height of 2.05 meters. Senior Sean Smith took first at the Bulldog Decathlon ahead of six other athletes in his first multi-event meet of the year. UConn is back in action this weekend when it hosts the Husky Spring Invitational on April 18.
DePaul: DePaul competed in Tempe, Ariz., at the Sun Angel Track Classic. In addition, the Blue Demons entered four student-athletes in the Mesa Classic. Junior Joe Strawder recorded an NCAA regional qualifying mark in the triple jump, as well as setting a school record with a distance of 15.18 meters. Junior Brad Millar set personal records in the hammer throw, as well as NCAA regional qualifying marks at both the Sun Angel Track Classic and the Mesa Classic. A portion of the team remained in Chicago for the Chicagoland Championships. Freshman Matthew Graham placed first in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, while junior Virginia MacFabe earned her first BIG EAST qualifying mark in the hammer throw. Next up, the Blue Demons travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., for the Eastern Michigan Twilight April 17-18.
Georgetown: The Hoyas split sites this weekend as they sent the majority of the squad to the Sun Angel Classic and sent a small contingent to the Lou Onesty/Milton G. Abramson Invitational. The Hoyas totaled 12 NCAA Regional qualifiers over two meets, including eight for the women and four for the men. Sophomore Chris Kinney was the highlight of the weekend as he shattered his own record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.77 to take first place in the event at Sun Angel.
On the women's side, Maggie Infeld continued her stellar senior campaign as she was the first of a trio of Hoyas to record NCAA Regional qualifying times with a fourth-place performance in the 1,500-meter at Sun Angel, clocking in at 4:17.83. In just her first 400-meter hurdle meet as a Hoya, freshman London Finley ran an NCAA Regional qualifying time and finished fifth with a time of 59.80. The Hoyas return to action this weekend as the team travels to Princeton, N.J., for the Larry Ellis Invitational and senior Buky Bamigboye travels to LSU for the LSU Combined Events Meet.
Louisville: Louisville earned an NCAA Mideast Regional qualifying mark, set a school record and had 15 top-five finishers at the Sea Ray Relays. Sophomore D’Ana McCarty led the efforts for the women as she finished third in the discus with an NCAA Regional qualifying and personal best mark of 47.76 meters (156’-08.00”). Junior Jere’ Summers also improved her regional marks in the hammer and shot put, which rank 14th and 15th best in the nation, respectively.
The Cardinal men were led by the performance of redshirt junior Steven Hnat who finished second in the invitational shot put with a school and personal best throw of 17.90 meters (58”-08.75”). Hnat has broken his own record in each meet (three) he has attempted the event this season. The Cardinals will return to action April 23-25 at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
Marquette: Marquette defeated its counterparts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a rare dual meet on April 10 at the Melvin "Bus" Shimek Memorial Track and Field Facility at Valley Fields. The women captured a 104-83 victory, while the men came out victorious by a margin of 99-89. On the afternoon, the Golden Eagles recorded 18 event victories and two BIG EAST Championships qualifying marks. Senior Jessica Ehlen recorded an NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the hammer throw with a distance of 56.22 meters to win the event. Ehlen also won the discus.
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish were successful at the Ole Miss Invitational in Oxford, Miss., on April 11. Notre Dame took nine of the top 12 spots in the men's 800 meters, with junior Blake Choplin taking first in the event. The Irish also got first-place performances from senior Heidi Rocha in the women's 5,000 meters, freshman Joe Miller in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase and junior Jaclyn Espinoza in the women's discus. Notre Dame will compete at the Dave Rankin Track and Field Invitational, hosted by Purdue, and the 51st annual Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. this upcoming weekend.
Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh traveled to two separate locations for competition last weekend. Some members of the team participated in the Bucknell Outdoor Classic in Lewisburg, Pa. while others traveled to the Sea Ray Relays. At the Relays, sophomore Antony Hobwana earned an IC4A qualifying time after he ran a 10.52 in the 100 meter dash. Freshman Idris Kasumu also earned another IC4A qualifying time in the 100 meters after posting a 10.66 at the Bucknell Outdoor Classic. For the women, freshman Cambrya Jones and senior Raquel Bender earned ECAC qualifying times in the 100 meter dash at the Bucknell Outdoor Classic. Jones took second with a time of 12.00 seconds. Bender took fifth with an ECAC qualifying time of 12.26. The teams will compete in the Morgan State Legacy this weekend.
Providence: Providence competed in a quad meet against Iona, Quinnipiac, and Stony Brook at Yale University on April 8. The men won eight events, while the women won four events to lead both squads to victory over all three schools. The meet began with a victory in the 4x100 meter relay. The team composed of sophomore Thomas Manglaviti, freshman Mitchell Barker, junior Isaiah Davis and sophomore Phillip Connaughton ran a time of 45.13. Providence swept the top-six places in the 400 meters, led by senior Charlie Dewey, who ran 49.72. Junior Hayden McLaren opened his outdoor season with a victory in the 800 meters in 1:53.31. In the mile race, sophomore Stephen Hankinson was victorious in 4:27.88. Providence also won the 4x400 meter relay (3:21.26) with the team of Dewey, Davis, senior Alan Pandiani and sophomore Brian Stannard. The other three victories for Providence came in the field events. Sophomore Steve Justus won the long jump (6.23 meters), tied for first-place with teammate Phillip Connaughton in the high jump (1.77 meters), and won the javelin with a throw of 52.95 meters.
The women’s team started the meet with a victory in the 400-meter dash where sophomore Julie Wolf won the race in a personal-best time of 1:00.26. Sophomore Emma Perron won the mile (5:11.90) and teammate Amie Schumacher was second (5:17.51). Junior Caitlin Lawrence won the high jump, clearing 1.58 meters (5-02.25). Providence finished the day with a victory in the 4x400 meter relay in a time of 4:04.03. The relay team was composed of Wolf, Lawrence and seniors Katie Elliot and Katherine Schock. Both teams will compete next at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif. April 16-17.
Rutgers: The men’s team participated in the Princeton Quad Meet on April 11. The Scarlet Knights won a pair of events and had top-three finishes. On the track, senior Kyle Grady won the 110-meter hurdles. He achieved a BIG EAST-qualifying time of 14.54. In the field events, senior Brandon Burkhardt won the javelin throwing 61.00 meters, a BIG EAST qualifying standard. Closing the meet was freshman Adam Bergo in the high jump as he earned a BIG EAST standard in the event, placing second overall. The reining BIG EAST Most Outstanding Field Performer in the event cleared 2.04 meters. Rutgers will return to Princeton April 17-18 to compete in the Larry Ellis Invitational.
The women’s team traveled to the Lou Onesty/Milton Abramson Invitational. The 4x100 meter relay squad consisting of junior Pavielli Vega, freshman Brittni Rodriguez, sophomore Jamie Walker and junior Michelle Gomes captured a first place victory. The squad also earned BIG EAST- and ECAC-qualifying marks, clocking a time of 47.33. Freshman Alex Kelly excelled in the javelin throwing 45.12 meters. Kelly placed second overall and achieved an NCAA Regional qualifying standard. The Scarlet Knights will travel to Princeton April 17-18 to compete in the Larry Ellis Invitational.
St. John’s: On April 13, St. John’s tallied six event winners, including one BIG EAST and two ECAC qualifying times at its annual home meet, the Monday Meeting. The St. John's `A' squad tallied its season-best performance in the 4x100-meter relay; posting its third ECAC qualifying time at 46.42 seconds. The St. John's `A' squad also finished first in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:12.60. Sophomore Priscilla Frederick earned her third event-win in the high jump with an ECAC qualifying height of 1.70 meters (5’-7.00”). Frederick was the runner-up in the long jump wit a distance of 5.32 meters (17’-5.50”). Next up, the Red Storm will travel to Rutherford, N.J., for a chance to defend its team title at the Metropolitan Championships. The meet, held at the Overpeck Sports Complex on April 18, will kick off the outdoor championship season for St. John's.
Seton Hall: Seton Hall had four individuals qualify for the NCAA Regionals at the Sea Ray Relays. Seniors Clarisse Moh, Rob Novak, James Gurr and junior Jernail Hayes earned the right to compete in Greensboro, N.C. at the end of May. Moh hit a time of 2.06.80 in the 800-meter run to have her ticket punched to the Regionals. Hayes qualified in the 400-meter hurdles with a 59.96 second performance. Novak and Gurr placed first and second in the 800-meter run, posting times of 1:49.42 and 1:49.94, respectively. The Pirates return to action at the Kansas Relays from April 16-18.
USF: USF braved wind, rain and temperatures nearing 40-degrees to record a third-place team finish on the women’s side (133 pts.), while the men came in fourth overall (143 pts.) at New Mexico’s Tailwind Invitational. The Bulls logged 27 top three finishes while taking home 15 event crowns and continuing to surpass conference standards with 24 BIG EAST qualifying marks. USF also built on its roster for national competition with four NCAA qualifying marks including one first-time qualifier. Throws specialist Lauren Noe had a breakout performance in the hammer throw, capturing the gold with a career-best throw measuring 176’-4.00”.
Syracuse: The Orange flashed their speed and agility at the UNC Invitational on April 11 with seven top-three finishes. Sophomore Flings Owusu-Agyapong and senior Michael LeBlanc both motored past the field in their respective 100-meter dash races while junior Lorraine Hill claimed her second crown of the outdoor season in the javelin throw. Owusu-Agyapong cranked out an NCAA-Regional qualifying time of 11.66 for the victory. LeBlanc, also tabbed as the No. 1 seed in the men's 100-meter dash, maintained top status with an IC4A-qualifiying clip of 10.60. Hill's heave of 43.05 meters topped 14 other competitors in the javelin for the top spot, as she earned a bid to the ECAC Championship with her winning mark. Hill smashed her winning toss of 38.70 meters to claim the Florida State Relays in the outdoor opener two weeks ago.
Villanova: In her first 1,500 meter of the 2009 season, senior Frances Koons raced her way to a first-place finish with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 4:20.04 at the Sea Ray Relays. Junior Nicole Schappert finished third with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 4:24.54. Rounding out the 1,500 meter event, senior Ellen Dougherty had a competitive victory in her heat with a time of 4:27.84, just four one-hundredths away from a regional qualifying mark. Freshman Christie Verdier won her heat of the 400 meters, which was a BIG EAST qualifying time. Dougherty, Schappert, and Koons were joined by junior Kaitlyn Tallman in capturing the 4x800m relay title in a time of 8.52.61. On the men’s side, Elvis Lewis was sixth in the 400m dash running 47.77, while Stefan Goodridge finished fifth in the 400 meter hurdles in 53.23.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers competed in the Sea Ray Relays on April 10-11, in Knoxville, Tenn., while some of the team competed at the RMU Bennie Benson Invitational on April 11. At the Sea Ray Relays, sophomore Chelsea Carrier took second place in the 100-meter hurdles. Her time of 13.49 topped her NCAA Regional qualifying time of 13.63, set on April 4, and was the second-best time of her career. Senior Alison Spiker won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:44.15 to qualify for the NCAA Regionals. At the RMU Invitational, the Mountaineers finished first through sixth in the 1,500-meter race. Freshman Sarah-Anne Brault finished first (4:44.51) followed by freshman Jordan Hamric (4:48.10), freshman Hallie Portner (4:48.85), and freshman Aubrey Moskal (4:49.27) who all ran unattached. Redshirt sophomore Jamie Cokeley finished in fifth-place (4:47.58), the only counter for WVU, followed by unattached freshman Lauren Moskel (5:05.79). The team will host the WVU Invitational at the Mountaineer Track on April 18.
