TicketsApril 6, 2007
Complete Meet Notes
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IN THE STARTING BLOCKS:
The track and field teams will welcome 16 teams to Gettler Stadium on Saturday, April 7, as they host the third annual Oliver Nikoloff Invitational. UC is coming off its fourth straight Southern Ohio Cup title last week and plays host to its second meet of the season.
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 fourth in the nation in the heptathlon (5515), while ranking 12th in the country in the long jump (20' 2"). Renee Hein is the 17th-ranked high jumper in the nation with a 5' 10-1/2" clearance.
Seniors Ashley Wilhelm (long jump, heptathlon, javelin) and Shintara Carpenter (triple jump) and juniors Brittany Klima (pole vault) and Monica Hundley (100 hurdles) 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:
The UC track teams both finished second, but the combined scores were enough to capture the school's fourth straight Southern Ohio Cup on March 31 at Goldsberry Track. The Bearcats combined for 281.50 points (Men - 142.50, Women - 139) to win the 12th annual tri-meet between UC, and . Monica Hundley and Brittany Klima set school records on the victorious afternoon. Hundley won the 100 hurdles, crossing the finish line in 14.09, while Klima cleared 12' 6", tying for first. The men captured three event titles, including the 4x400 relay (3:19.54). Brandon Wright won the 400 hurdles in 56.56, while Ryan Flynn captured the shot put title with a season-best 52' 9-1/4" heave. Isaac Hendricks won the 110 hurdles in 15.05. The women were led by Hundley and Klima, but also received winning performances from Betsy Jacobs in the 800 meters (2:18.71), Renee Hein in the high jump (5' 8-3/4"), and Ashley Wilhelm in the long jump (19' 7-1/2"). The Bearcats have won the last four Southern Ohio Cups and five of the last six.
2006 OLIVER NIKOLOFF INVITATIONAL:
The UC men's team defended its title at the second annual Oliver Nikoloff Invitational on April 1, 2006, 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.
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.
HUNDLEY HOLDS A PAIR:
Junior Monica Hundley has made a habit of putting her name in the UC record books. During the 2007 indoor season, she set the school mark in the 60 meter hurdles (8.72). Last week at the Southern Ohio Cup, she added the 100 meter hurdles to her list, speeding to a 14.09 finish and a second school record.
DEPTH LEADS MEN'S SQUAD:
As has been the case for much of the Bill Schnier tenure at UC, the men's team relies on a deep pool of talent in each event to secure team victories. With just one NCAA regional qualifier and no current school record holders (save parts of last year's 4x100 relay team), the Bearcats use a bevy of finishers to outscore opponents. The results are hard to argue: two wins in two scored meets this season.
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 Miami Invitational on April 14 before returning to Gettler Stadium to host the All-Ohio Championships on April 20-21.