TicketsApril 19, 2007
Meet Notes in PDF Format
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IN THE STARTING BLOCKS:
The track and field teams play host to the All-Ohio Championships this weekend at Gettler Stadium. The event begins on Friday, April 20, with the decathlon and heptathlon. Saturday, April 21, will see 16 teams from the state of compete for state bragging rights.
BEARCAT BITES:
UC is in its second season of competition in the BIG EAST Conference in 2007. The Bearcat men finished fifth at the 2006 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 2007 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, with Renee Hein (high jump) and Tara Meier (pole vault) grabbing individual titles.
The Bearcats appear three times in the national rankings. Ashley Wilhelm is currently 10th in the nation in the heptathlon (5515), while ranking 20th in the country in the long jump (20' 2"). Renee Hein is the 24th-ranked high jumper in the nation with a 5' 10-3/4" 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 men's team won its third straight meet on April 14 at the 22nd annual Miami Invitational. The women placed second in cold, rainy weather at the George L. Rider Track Complex The men's squad cruised past its 10 competitors, racking up 213 points, nearly 90 points better than runner-up . UC dominated the sprints, capturing the 100, 200 and 400 meter titles, as well as the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay. Dayo Igeleke made a victorious return to the track with a 11.12 in the 100 to take home the title. Bob Kandell, also returning from injury, won the 200 in 22.12, while Cedric Powell grabbed the 400 meters title in 49.26. Troy Lammers won the 400 hurdles in 54.08 and John Dixon outdueled IUPUI Brad Wheeler in the 5000 meters, winning by four seconds. Ian Jarman led the Bearcat field events with a 183' 6" hammer throw, just three inches shy of his season best. Caleb Arthur won his second straight long jump title, leaping 22' 7". UC's women, behind three first-place finishes, posted 107 points to place second behind host (199.5). Monica Hundley, who has captured the 100 hurdles title in three of the first four meets of the season, won again with a 14.68. Renee Hein and Brittany Klima put in their usual championship-caliber performances. Hein won the high jump for the fourth time in five meets with a clearance of 5' 8-3/4". Klima vaulted 12' 5-1/2" to win the pole vault.
2006 ALL-OHIO:
UC's men and women finished third and fifth, respectively, at the All-Ohio Championships on April 8, 2006 at 's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The men's squad posted 169 points, finishing behind host and , while the women scored 82.50. The men's team won six events, including both 4x100 (41.22) and 4x400 (3:16.94) relays. UC's women captured 15 top-five finishes, with Megan Knapp leading the way, finishing second in the 5000 meters (18:15.11). Bob Kandell (long jump) and Tara Meier (pole vault) each met regional qualifying marks, becoming the third and fourth Bearcats to qualify. Kandell was second in the long jump, leaping 24' 1-1/2", while Meier was third in the vault, clearing a school-record 12' 5-1/2". Kandell had an outstanding meet for UC, as he also won the 400 meter dash (48.64) , finished fourth in the 200 meter dash (21.73) and ran the third leg of the champion 4x100 relay. Chandler Groves won the long jump (24' 7"), while Alex Ramsey also grabbed the 800 meter championship, finishing in 1:56.40. The 3000 meter steeplechase was a strong event for the men, as Taylor Garvin (9:22.97), Bill Keckeis (9:31.75), and David Adams (9:41.59) finished first, second and fifth, respectively. The 400 meters was equally as strong, as Kandell, Antione Drakeford (48.71) and Lonnie Irving (49.68) each finished in the top five. For the women, Ije Obiorah was third in the triple jump (36' 7-3/4") and fourth in the long jump (18' 2-1/2"). Karen Berling was right behind Knapp in the 5000 meters, finishing third in 18:21.69. Jocelyn Gibson was a third-place finisher in the 1500 meters (4:44.95) and placed fifth in the 800 (2:18.48).
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.
UP NEXT:
UC will head to the competitive Drake Relays next weekend in .