Bearcats Look For Third Straight Southern Ohio Cup

Bearcats Look For Third Straight Southern Ohio CupBearcats Look For Third Straight Southern Ohio Cup

April 17, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

FOR STARTERS:

The track and field teams will host the 11th annual Southern Ohio Cup on Sat., April 22, beginning at 11 a.m. in Gettler Stadium. The Bearcats will take on () and in a triangular meet in which the championship is awarded to the team with the highest combined men's and women's team score. UC has captured four of the last six Southern Ohio Cups, including the last two.

BEARCAT BITES:

• UC is in 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 42 BIG EAST qualifiers, while the women's squad has 16 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), junior Renee Hein (javelin) and junior Tara Meier and sophomore Brittany Klima (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 Bearcats concluded the Sea Ray Relays on Saturday, April 15, at the . Contributing to the teams' 11 top-10 finishes and three NCAA Regional qualifying marks were Taylor Garvin's 3000 meter steeplechase victory and Brittany Klima's 12' 5-1/2" NCAA qualifying height. Garvin earned the only individual win for the Bearcats. His time of 9:21.03 in the 3000 meter steeplechase marks a season-best for the senior. also took seventh- and eighth-place in the race with strong finishes by Bill Keckeis (9:47.91) and David Adams (9:49.57), respectively. The 5000 meters was also a strong race for both the men and women's squads. John Dixon (15:20.68) and Megan Knapp (18:27.76) took fourth place in their respective races. John Bowie finished 12th in the 100 meters. His time of 10:48 met the qualifying mark for the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships. The men's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams each earned top-10 finishes. The 4x100 team's time of 40.62 earned it seventh place, while the 4x400 team took ninth with a time of 3:11.66. In the field events, Andrew Smith finished in a three-way tie for second in the high jump clearing 6' 8-3/4". Klima's sixth place in the pole vault qualified her for the NCAA regional championships in May. Teammate Tara Meier cleared 11' 5-3/4", earning her a 17th place finish. Bob Kandell also earned a top-10 finish in the long jump. His leap of 24' 1" placed him in eighth.

LAST YEAR'S CUP:

Grabbing 15 combined event titles, the Bearcats edged host () to capture their second consecutive Southern Ohio Cup on April 23, 2005, at George Rider Track. On a cold and rainy day, the Bearcat men and women combined for 319 points, getting past the RedHawks (306 points) and easily outdistancing (176 points). The Bearcat men won nine event crowns, including both relays, while the women captured six events, including two from Jo Young. The sprints were a strength for UC as Ian Steidel won the 100 meters in a personal-best 10.88, while Lonnie Irving captured the 200 meter title (21.92) and finished second in the 400 (49.42). The 4 x 100 meter relay team of Steidel, Justin Conway, Irving, and Clarence Hartman sped to a 41.63, while the 4 x 400 team, consisting of Jimmy Mount, Jerod Batt, Irving, and Hartman posted a 3:16.72. Taylor Garvin led the distance events, capturing the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:23.82. In the field, Dan Albrinck won his first pole vault title of the season, clearing 15' 0". Phill Joseph grabbed the triple jump crown, leaping 44' 3-1/4". Steve Kahle, second on UC's outdoor shot put list, captured the event title with a 51' 5" heave. The women again scored well in the field events as Young garnered two of the Bearcats' six wins, capturing the shot-put (46' 7-1/4") and hammer throw (165' 2") titles, while placing second in the discus (128' 6"). Renee Hein earned her fourth high jump crown of the season, clearing 5' 6". Competing for the first time since the Raleigh Relays on March 25, Shintara Carpenter won the triple jump, leaping 38' 9-1/2". In the 400 meters, Dominique Davis and Adrienne Shipman finished first and second, posting a 57.87 and 1:01.11, respectively. Each also ran a leg, along with Danielle Erwin and Erin Leeper, of the champion 4 x 400 relay (4:02.41).

CUP RECORDS:

The Bearcats hold 15 Southern Ohio Cup records, including all four relay events. The men's team holds 10 records, while the women own five others.

TAKING OFF:

Senior Chandler Groves, a regional qualifier in the long jump in 2005, has again 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. bested that mark by leaping 24' 7" to win the All-Ohio Championship on April 8. He is seven inches shy of his personal best of 25' 2-3/4", set at last season's Conference USA Championships.

LIGHT MY KANDELL:

Junior Bob Kandell had a fantastic meet at the All-Ohio Championships on April 7-8. He qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships with a 24' 1-1/2" long jump, finishing second behind teammate Chandler Groves. He won the 400 meters, eclipsing teammate Antione Drakeford at the finish line, and finished fourth in the 200 meters. Kandell also ran a leg in the champion 4x100 relay squad and accounted for 26.5 of UC's 169 team points.

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. She has since improved the mark, clearing 12' 5-1/2" to qualify for regional competition. Klima matched the mark at the Sea Ray 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.

MADE:

Senior Taylor Garvin has been running well of late, capturing the 3,000 meter steeplechase title at the Sea Ray Relays one week after winning the event at the All-Ohio Championships. Garvin ranks 12th in UC history in the steeple and is currently seventh in the BIG EAST in the event.

SIX BEARCATS QUALIFY FOR REGIONALS:

Six Bearcats have met qualifying marks for the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships. and Bob Kandell each qualified in the long jump, posting leaps of 24' 7" and 24' 1-1/2", respectively. John Bowie sped to a 10.48 in the 100 meters at the Sea Ray Relays to qualify. On the women's side, Renee Hein cleared 5' 8-3/4" in the high jump, while Tara Meier and Brittany Klima have each qualified with a school-record 12' 5-1/2" in the pole vault.

UP NEXT:

The Bearcats will head to , for the competitive Drake Relays on April 28-29, UC's final tune-up before the BIG EAST Championships.