TicketsMarch 29, 2007
Meet Notes
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IN THE STARTING BLOCKS:
The of track and field teams will take part in the 12th annual Southern Ohio Cup on Saturday, March 31 in . The yearly meet pits UC against () and in a tri-meet with men's and women's scores combined for the final tally. UC has won the last three SOC titles and four of the last five.
BEARCAT BITES:
UC is in its second season of competition in the BIG EAST Conference in 2007. The Bearcat men finished fifth at the 2007 BIG EAST Championships, while the women placed 13th. 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 4-6 at the 's George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex.
The UC indoor track and field team finished 10th at the 2007 BIG EAST Indoor Championships.
The Bearcats appear three times in the national rankings. Ashley Wilhelm is currently second in the nation in the heptathlon (5515), while ranking seventh in the country in the long jump (20' 2"). Renee Hein is the 15th-ranked high jumper in the nation with a 5' 10-1/2" clearance.
Seniors Ashley Wilhelm (long jump, heptathlon, javelin), Tara Meier (pole vault), and Shintara Carpenter (triple jump) and junior Brittany Klima (pole vault) are current school record holders.
Head men's coach Bill Schnier is in his 27th season at in such a capacity. Head women's coach Jim Schnur is in his 23rd year at and his seventh as head coach.
LAST TIME OUT:
A busy track and field weekend for UC saw four Bearcats qualify for NCAA competition and a school record broken as the squads split to attend the Alabama Relays and 's Springtime Invitational. The decathletes and heptathletes competed at the Alabama Relays on March 22-23. Senior Ashley Wilhelm broke her own school mark in the heptathlon with 5515 points, winning the event by over 300 points. Decathletes Keller Schnier (5723) and Caleb Arthur (5573) finished eighth and ninth, respectively. The rest of the team traveled across the state to compete at the Springtime Invitational on the campus of on March 24. Highlighting the Bearcats' performances were Brittany Klima, who finished second in the pole vault with a school record-tying 12' 5-1/2" clearance, meeting NCAA regional qualifying standards, and Kevin Schwarz, who won the 3000 steeplechase with an Auburn University Track Complex record 9:17.62. Renee Hein finished second in the high jump with a regional-qualifying 5' 10-1/2" leap. UC's final regional qualifier came in the form of Ian Jarman in the hammer throw. Jarman's 183' 9" heave placed second in the meet and moved him into second place in school history behind record holder Richard Hurst (200' 8").
2006 CUP:
The captured its third straight Southern Ohio Cup Championship on April 22 at UC's Gettler Stadium. The annual meet, featuring , (), and , is scored using the combined point totals of the men's and women's teams. The Bearcats posted 315 combined points, while was second with 294 points. The Bobcats finished third, totaling 183 points. UC has now won five of the last seven Southern Ohio Cups. Justin Conway was the top winner for the men, as he captured both the 100 (10.81) and 200 meters (21.68). Cedric Powell won the 400 meters (47.37), and Alex Ramsey won the 800 meters, qualifying for the BIG EAST Championships in 1:53.46. Both 4x100 (41.32) and 4x400 (3:14.03) relay squads earned SOC championships. The field event champions included Dan Albrinck in the pole vault (15' 7") and in the long jump (23' 6-3/4"). The throws were a strength, as Ryan Flynn (shot put, 51' 3-1/2"), Chad Hanson (discus, 151' 9") and Ian Jarman (hammer, 170' 1") all captured event titles. The women's squad was led by Jocelyn Gibson, who won both the 800 (2:16.33) and 1500 meters (4:35.87). Renee Hein earned the high jump crown, matching a personal best with a 5' 10-3/4" clearance, just 1/4" shy of the school record. Monica Hundley won the 100 hurdles (14.53), Cristy Doll captured the 3000 steeple title (11:24.37) and the 4x100 relay team took first (48.24).
WILHELM QUALIFIES FOR NCAA:
Senior Ashley Wilhelm met the NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the heptathlon, scoring 5515 points at the Alabama Relays and shattering her own school record by nearly 300 points. Within the heptathlon, she broke another pair of school records, topping her own mark in the long jump with a 20' 2" leap and bettering Renee Hein's javelin record with a 133' 11-3/4" heave. She qualified for NCAA Mid-East Regional competition in the long jump and has qualified for the BIG EAST Championships in five events.
SCHWARZ PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF:
Senior Kevin Schwarz qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 2006 and looks well on his way to doing so again in 2007. He won the event at 's Springtime Invitational by nearly 30 seconds.
BEARCATS TO HOST THREE MEETS IN 2007:
UC will play host to three track meets at Gettler Stadium during the 2007 season. On March 17, 's men and women both captured Early Bird Relays titles. The third annual Oliver Nikoloff Invitational will be held on April 7. The All-Ohio Championships, which attracts the finest competition in the state, will take place at Gettler Stadium on April 20-21, the first time UC has hosted the meet.
UP NEXT:
The Bearcats will head to for the Alabama Relays on March 22-23.