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Jan. 19, 2006
FOR STARTERS:
The University of Cincinnati indoor track & field team will open its 2006 season at the Bowling Green Quintangular on Friday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. in BGSU's Perry Fieldhouse.
BEARCAT BITES:
UC enters its first season of competition in the BIG EAST Conference in 2006. The conference features 16 women's indoor track & field teams, constituting the largest league in the nation. The 2006 BIG EAST Championships will be held on March 10-11 at the University of Akron's Athletics Fieldhouse.
Senior Shintara Carpenter (triple jump), junior Renee Hein (high jump), junior Tara Meier (pole vault) and senior Ashley Wilhelm (pentathlon) are returning indoor school record-holders.
Hein was the lone indoor conference champ for the Bearcats in 2005, capturing the Conference USA high jump championship.
Head coach Jim Schnur is in his 22nd year at Cincinnati and his sixth as head women's coach.
THE MEET:
The Bowling Green Quintangular will actually feature six teams: Ball State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Dayton, IPFW and Xavier. The meet will begin with field events at 5 p.m. in Perry Fieldhouse on the campus of Bowling Green State University.
SEASON PREVIEW:
The sprinting events will be led by Erin Leeper, a converted heptathlete, while Jammie Jackson, Ashley Ogletree and Jasmine Smith will also be counted on for points. The Bearcats will feature a mixture of experience and youth in the hurdles, as juniors Candice Hill and Danielle Erwin and sophomore Monica Hundley anchor the squad. The Bearcats will also rely heavily on freshmen Cory Huber and Crystal Miller. The 800 and 1,500 meters will be led by Jocelyn Gibson, who placed eighth in each event at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships in 2005. The senior also placed fifth in the 800 at the indoor championships. Karen Berling will lead a young distance unit that includes several freshman. The jumping events should also be a strong suit for the women, as Renee Hein (high jump), Ashley Wilhelm (long jump), Shintara Carpenter (triple jump), Brittany Klima (pole vault) and Tara Meier (pole vault) each return as UC record-holders. Hein, who competed in the NCAA Outdoor Championships, is joined in the high jump by Klima. Wilhelm, Leeper and Ije Obiorah will score in the long jump, while Carpenter and Obiorah are expected to solidify the triple jump. Meier and Klima each have the ability to meet qualifying marks in the pole vault and should place in the BIG EAST Championships. Although the Bearcats lose Jo Young, the school's record holder in four throwing events, UC may be getting someone even better in freshman Lisa Klotz. Klotz is expected to surpass Young's marks in the shot put and could score in the BIG EAST Championships in her first season. Senior Jennifer Myers will try to make a name for herself after spending the last three years in the shadow of Young. She is the top returner in the weight throw and will contribute in the shot. Hein, UC's record holder in the javelin, returns along with Wilhelm, who previously held the record. Wilhelm, who provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships last season in the heptathlon, returns as the school record holder in both the pentathlon and heptathlon and will be a force in 2006. Sophomore Barb Roberson and freshman Dannele Speakman will add depth to the multi events. The relays will be led by the tandem of Leeper and Jackson. Dominique Davis, Danielle Erwin and Wilhelm will also contribute in the relay events.
UP NEXT:
The Bearcats will travel up I-71 to the Ohio State Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 28 in French Fieldhouse.