TicketsFeb. 14, 2006
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FOR STARTERS:
The indoor track and field team will take part in its first-ever BIG EAST Championships this weekend at the Akron Athletics Fieldhouse. The two day event will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 18 in and will feature 16 women's indoor squads.
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 Feb. 18-19 at the 's Athletics Fieldhouse.
The Bearcats have qualified 11 athletes (in 19 events) for the 2006 BIG EAST Championships.
Senior Shintara Carpenter (triple jump), junior Renee Hein (high jump), sophomore Klima (pole vault), and senior Ashley Wilhelm (pentathlon) are current indoor school record-holders.
Head coach Jim Schnur is in his 22nd year at and his sixth as head women's coach.
LAST TIME OUT:
Four second-place finishes propelled to a fourth-place team finish at the All-Ohio Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the . The Bearcats finished with 72.33 points, following champion () (156.33), (106) and (94). As has been the case all year, pole vault was the strongest event for UC. Bearcats claimed three of the top four spots, as Brittany Klima placed second, Tara Meier was third and Ashley Wilhelm was fourth. Wilhelm was the top scorer for UC, placing seventh in the 60-meter hurdles and high jump, and fourth in the long jump. Ije Obiorah placed sixth in the long jump and high jump. Jocelyn Gibson finished second in the 800 meters and Renee Hein was second in the high jump. The UC 4x400 relay team placed second and the distance medley team was fourth.
UC IN BIG EAST RANKINGS:
The Bearcats feature 10 marks that rank in the top 15 in the BIG EAST this season and 15 that rank in the top 20. UC is led by Ashley Wilhelm, who is in the top 15 in five events. Wilhelm is also the highest-ranking Bearcat, posting the second-best mark in the pentathlon.
POLE VAULT DOMINATION:
The Bearcats opened 2006 with a dominating performance in the pole vault at the Bowling Green Quintangular on Jan. 20. Sophomore Brittany Klima won the event, tying teammate Tara Meier's school record (11' 11-3/4"). Meier finished second (11' 5-3/4"), Ashley Wilhelm was third (10' 11-3/4") and freshman Brittney Robinson finished fourth (10'). Klima followed up with another record-breaking performance at the Ohio State Invite, smashing her own mark by clearing 12' 6-1/4" on Jan. 28. Klima, Meier and Wilhelm all rank in the top 15 in the BIG EAST.
ALL-AROUND ASHLEY:
Senior Ashley Wilhelm started her 2006 season strong at the Bowling Green Quintangular, meeting BIG EAST Championship qualifying standards in four events. Wilhelm broke her own school record in the pentathlon at the Indiana Open, accumulating 3,733 points. She ranks in the top 15 in the BIG EAST in five different events.
LEEP OF FAITH:
Senior Erin Leeper has focused on the sprinting events this season after spending the last few years as a pentathlete. The focus has paid off for her and for the Bearcats as Leeper has qualified for the BIG EAST Championships in four events. Her 400 meter time ranks 17th in the conference and she used her experience in the jumps to qualify for both the high jump and long jump.
UP NEXT:
The Bearcat qualifiers will have three weeks to ready themselves for the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held on March 10-11 in