TicketsMarch 22, 2008
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's and women's track and field teams opened the 2008 outdoor season with convincing wins at the Early Bird Relays on Saturday (March 22) afternoon at Gettler Stadium.
The Bearcats posted 29 qualifying marks for the 2008 BIG EAST Championships and featured 21 event champions.
UC's men's team totalled 174 points to outdistance IPFW (76 points), while the men's squad posted 174 topping Xavier (66), Kent State (20) and Northern Kentucky (18).
Senior Monica Hundley (Fairfield, OH/Fairfield), an indoor BIG EAST champion in the 60 meter hurdles, opened her final outdoor campaing by winning both the 100 meter dash (12.25) and 100 hurdles (14.05).
Sophomore Dayo Igeleke (Las Vegas, NV/Liberty) was the men's lone multi-event champ, winning both the 100 (11.33) and 200 (22.05) dash.
Senior Brittany Klima (Ottoville, OH/Ottoville) cleared 12' 7-1/2" in the pole vault to win, while sophomore Stefanie Ponte (Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll) posted a personal-best 11' 1-3/4" to finish second.
Freshman Jill Glassmeyer (Cincinnati, OH/McAuley) ran a specatacular season-opening 17:22.65 to finish third in the 5,000 meters and qualify for the BIG EAST Championships.
The men's squad posted 13 BIG EAST qualifiers in the throwing events. Junior Chad Hanson (Zanesville, OH/West Muskingum) qualified in the discus and hammer, while freshman Troy Cooper (Alexandria, KY/Bishop Brossart) and junior Bryan Hardesty (Beverly, OH/Marietta) each met the qualifying marks in the discus and shot put. Junior Ian Jarman (Felicity, OH/Felicity-Franklin), a 2007 regional qualifier, met the BIG EAST standard in the hammer throw and freshman Brian Zimmerman (Sarver, PA/Freeport) earned a spot in the javelin field with a 193' 3-1/4" throw, which ranks ninth in school history.
The Bearcats will travel to Athens, Ohio, on Saturday, March 29, for the Southern Ohio Cup, the annual tri-meet between UC, Miami and Ohio.