TicketsApril 4, 2006
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FOR STARTERS:
The of track and field teams will head to , for the annual All-Ohio Championships on April 7-8. The battle for state supremacy will get underway on Friday afternoon at 's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
BEARCAT BITES:
UC enters its first season of competition in the BIG EAST Conference in 2006. The conference features 16 men's and women's track & field teams, constituting the largest league in the nation. The 2006 BIG EAST Championships will be held on May 5-7 at the 's George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex.
The men's team boasts 41 BIG EAST qualifiers, while the women's squad has 14 qualifiers for the BIG EAST Championships. (long jump) and Renee Hein (high jump) have each met NCAA regional qualifying marks in their respective events.
Seniors Kenny Wade (200 meters), Ashley Wilhelm (long jump, heptathlon), and Shintara Carpenter (triple jump), and juniors Renee Hein (javelin) and Tara Meier (pole vault) are current school record holders.
Head men's coach Bill Schnier is in his 26th season at in such a capacity. Head women's coach Jim Schnur is in his 22nd year at and his sixth as head coach.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bearcat men defended their title at the second annual Oliver Nikoloff Invitational on April 1 at Gettler Stadium. The Bearcats outscored second-place , 183-156, to secure the team victory. The UC women scored 155.50 points, placing second behind . For the men, freshman Antione Drakeford won his second 400 meter dash title of the season in 47.80. UC also swept the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Justin Conway, Cedric Powell, Bob Kandell and John Bowie ran a 40.91 in winning the 4x100, while Drakeford, Powell, Kandell and Lonnie Irving combined to win the 4x400 in 3:14.21. Senior Dan Albrinck cleared 15' 7" in the pole vault to win the title. On the women's side, sophomore Brittany Klima won the pole vault, clearing 11' 11-3/4". Junior Renee Hein, the UC record holder in the javelin, won the event with a 104' 3" heave. The 4x100 relay squad, featuring Jasmine Smith, Monica Hundley, Dennale Speakman and Erin Leeper, finished first in 47.61.
THE 2005 ALL- CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Bearcat men's and women's teams finished second and fourth, respectively, at the 2005 All-Ohio Championships on April 16, 2005 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. 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 also captured the All-Ohio title (3:13.74).
BEARCAT ALL-OHIO HISTORY:
The men's team last won the All-Ohio Championships in 2004. The women's squad has yet to capture an All-Ohio crown.
TAKING OFF:
Senior Chandler Groves, a regional qualifier in the long jump in 2005, has already met the regional qualifying mark this season. He won the event in the season-opening Early Bird Relays with a leap of 24' 1" and topped that with a 24' 6-1/4" jump in finishing second at the Raleigh Relays. He is eight inches shy of his personal best of 25' 2-3/4", set at last season's Conference USA Championships.
MEIER, KLIMA TOPS IN POLE VAULT:
Junior Tara Meier and sophomore Brittany Klima are battling one another for the UC pole vault record. Klima broke Meier's indoor record this season and Meier returned the favor, topping Klima's outdoor record by 1/4" at the Early Bird Relays. Together, they hold nine of the top 10 marks in school history in the indoor vault and each of the top 10 marks outdoors.
TWO BEARCATS QUALIFY FOR REGIONALS:
and junior Renee Hein have met NCAA Mid-East Regional qualifying marks in the long jump and high jump, respectively. Each was a regional qualifier in 2005. jumped 24' 6-1/4" at the Raleigh Relays, while Hein cleared 5' 8-3/4" at the Early Bird Relays.
UP NEXT:
The Bearcats travel to , for the Sea Ray Relays on Wed., April 12-Sat., April 15.