TicketsBearcats Take On State Rivals
Contact: Jeremy Martin
4/20/2005
Andrew Smith qualified for the Mid-East Regionals at the All-Ohio Championships, clearing 6' 10-3/4" in the high jump |
UC TAKES ON STATE RIVALS: Southern Ohio bragging rights will be on the line on April 23 when the University of Cincinnati track and field teams travel to Oxford, Ohio for the annual Southern Ohio Cup. The Bearcats will clash with rivals Miami (Ohio) and Ohio to determine the Soutehern Ohio Champion.
MEET INFORMATION:
Southern Ohio Cup
?Host: Miami University
?Final results: Available at www.MURedhawks.com
?Participating Schools: Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio), Ohio
?Events: 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, 3,000 steeple chase, 4x100 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay, 100 hurdles (W), 110 hurdles (M), 400 hurdles, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, discus, hammer throw, javelin.
BEARCATS FINISH 2ND, 4TH AT ALL-OHIO: The University of Cincinnati men?s and women?s track and field teams finished second and fourth, respectively, at the All-Ohio Championships on April 16 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Akron won both men?s and women?s team titles.
Ashley Wilhelm set a school record in winning the heptathlon with 5137 points. She topped Laura Valldeperas? mark set in 2002 (5047) to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships. Wilhelm won four of the seven heptathlon events (100 hurdles, shot put, long jump, 200 meters).
Senior Jo Young was the top scorer for the women, finishing second in the shot put (47' 3-3/4"), fourth in the hammer throw (170' 0"), and sixth in the discus (140' 3").
The men, who were trying to defend their 2004 All-Ohio Championship, were led by Jimmy Mount, who won the decathlon, posting 7219 points. He earned the top spot in six of the 10 decathlon events, winning the 100 meters, long jump, 400 meters, discus, pole vault, and 1500 meters. Ben Haber finished second in the decathlon, finishing with 6880 points.
Chandler Groves won the long jump with a 23' 1/4" leap. The Bearcats? 4 x 400 meter relay team of Mount, Keith Hamilton, Jerod Batt, and Lonnie Irving also captured the All-Ohio title, crossing the finish line in 3:13.74.
2004 SOUTHERN OHIO CUP: The University of Cincinnati captured the Southern Ohio Cup on May 2, 2004, defeating 2003 champion Miami (Ohio) and Ohio University in the annual contest which combines both the men?s and women?s scores for the final standings. The Bearcats combined for 13 first-place finishes, with David Payne and Monique Brent each capturing two.
Cincinnati finished in the top-three in 16 different events, and took all three places in eight. Payne was first in the 110 hurdles, finishing the race in 13.68 seconds. Dexter Shoulders was second in 14.59 and Ben Haber placed third in 14.80. Payne also led three Bearcats in the 400 hurdles, finishing first in 53.17 seconds just ahead of second place Clarence Hartman. Doug Endel was third in 55.02.
James White was also a double winner, jumping to the victory in the high jump and long jump. White claimed the high jump after matching his previous season high, clearing 6? 10-3/4.? He also helped Cincinnati to a 1-2-3 finish in the long jump, flying to 24? 9?. Chandler Groves recorded an NCAA Mideast Regional qualification mark, jumping 24? 1? to place second, while Chris Wineberg was third in 23? 10-1/4.?
Brent was the only double winner on the women?s side, finishing first in the 200 meters in 24.80 seconds. Erin Leeper finished second in 25.14 while Ashley Ogletree was third in 25.16. Brent repeated her top finish in the 400 meters (55.13) while Jammie Jackson finished third in 56.53.
The Bearcats went 1-2 in the 100 meters, with Muhammad Saafir in first (10.39) and Kenny Wade in second (10.60). The two switched in the 200 meters, with Wade in first (21.30) and Saafir in second (21.41), while Jerod Batt placed third (21.53). Batt went on to win the 400 meters in 48.14 seconds, with Lonnie Irving on his heels (48.36). Adam Berner was the final Cincinnati runner who captured first, finishing the 800 meters in 1:51.18.
TWO MORE QUALIFIERS: Ashley Wilhelm and Andrew Smith became the sixth and seventh Bearcats to qualify for postseason action on April 16 at the All-Ohio Championships. Wilhelm set a school record in winning the heptathlon (5137), while Smith placed third in the high jump with a personal-best 6? 10-3/4? leap. They join Kenny Wade (200 meters), Jimmy Mount (decathlon), Chris Smith (pole vault), Renee Hein (high jump), and Jo Young (shot put) as Bearcat qualifiers.
SMITH NABS C-USA HONORS: Senior Chris Smith was named the Conference USA Men?s Track and Field Athlete of the Week for the week ending on April 10. Smith won the pole vault at the Miami Invitational, qualifying for regional competition with a 17? 6-1/2? vault. The mark is tops in C-USA this season and ranks in the top 10 nationally.
Smith joins classmate Jo Young as conference honorees this season. Young earned the award for the week ending on March 20 for her three event titles (shot put, hammer throw, discus) at the Early Bird Relays.
DEFENDING THE CROWN: The UC men?s team will be looking to defend its Conference USA title this season. Last year, the men won their third C-USA crown in nine years. The Bearcat men have finished no lower than third at the C-USA Championships and placed second on four occasions.
The women?s team has improved since the league started in 1996. UC finished last, scoring only one team point in 1996, but has finished sixth and fifth, respectively, the last two seasons.
BEARCATS IN THE RANKINGS: Four Bearcats rank in the top 15 nationally in their respective events. Chris Smith holds the highest national ranking, owning the sixth best pole vault mark of 2005. Jimmy Mount is currently ninth in the decathlon, while Renee Hein (high jump) and Ashley Wilhelm (heptathlon) rank 13th and 15th, respectively.
COMING UP: The prestigous Penn Relays are next up for the Bearcats. UC?s elite will head to Philadelphia on April 28 for the three-day event. The rest of the team will travel to Bowling Green, Ky. for the Hilltopper Open on April 30.