April 19, 2008
CINCINNATI - Three school records were set and two new regional qualifiers were met as the University of Cincinnati men's and women's track and field teams finished third and second, respectively, at the 2008 All-Ohio Championships. The festivities wrapped up on Saturday (April 19) afternoon at UC's Gettler Stadium.
The women's team finished second, scoring 134 points, behind Akron's 187.3. The men were third with 142 points. Akron was second (164 points), while Ohio State finished first with 170 points.
Monica Hundley (Fairfield, OH/Fairfield) and Antione Drakeford (Columbus, OH/Africentric) again provided fireworks on the track for the Bearcats.
Hundley won the 100 meters in 11.85, the second-fastest mark in school history. She improved her own school record in the 110 hurdles, sprinting to a 13.55 finish, which was second behind high school rival Kirby Blackley of Findlay.
Drakeford's win in the 400 meters was not a surprise to anyone, but the same cannot be said for his championship in the 200 meters. The redshirt sophomore was the top seeded 400 runner and did not disappoint, cruising to a 46.54 finish. Running in the second heat of the 200 meters, he posted a regional-qualifying mark of 21.13, the second-best mark in school history, beating out all eight of the competitors in the first - 'fast' - heat. Dayo Igeleke (Las Vegas, NV/Liberty) won the first heat in 21.42, finishing second to Drakeford. Igeleke also finished second in the 100 meters with a 10.56 finish.
Lilian Jelimo (Kapsabet, Kenya/Kapsabet Girls) topped her own school mark in the 5000 meters, winning in 16:55.46, just three seconds shy of NCAA regional qualifying time.
Freshman Natasha Burse (Garland, TX/Richardson) was second in the 200 meters, posting a 24.37, placing her second in the UC record book. She also finished fourth in the 100 meters with an 11.97.
Ashley Arnold (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) set a PR in the 400 meters to capture the All-Ohio title. Her mark puts her in second in UC history behind current Olympic hopeful Mary Wineberg.
Megan McAuley (Marietta, OH/Bowling Green) finished second in the 800 meters in 2:12.51, placing fourth on the UC records list.
In the field events, Brittany Klima (Ottoville, OH/Ottoville) met her season-best with a 12' 7-1/2" clearance to finish third. Boudine Bouma (Pumerend, The Netherlands/DaVinci College) won the heptathlon with 4929 points, a personal best and good for third in school history. Bouma also placed fourth in the long jump with an 18' 10" leap. Freshman Chelsea Gerken (Napoleon, OH/Napoleon) was third in the heptathlon with a personal-best 4782.
For the men, Alex Ramsey (Canton, OH/Hoover) won the 800 meters in a season-best 1:53.84.
Bill Keckeis (Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle) and Troy Lammers (New Bremen, OH/New Bremen) were the other track champions for the Bearcats. Keckeis was just over a second shy of a regional qualifier, winning the 3000-meter steeplechase in 9:08.89. Lammers won the 400 hurdles in a season-best 52.61, but pulled up with an injury as the first leg of the 4x400 relay team and was unable to finish.
Isaac Hendricks (Cincinnati, OH/Robichaud [MI]) was third in the 110 hurdles, running a season-best 14.68.
Brian Zimmerman (Sarver, PA/Freeport) highlighted the men's field events, winning the javelin with a throw of 204' 0". He met the regional qualifying mark in the event and broke the oldest school record on the books, Bob Brickweg's 200' 1" toss in 1967.
Brandon Fitch (Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek) and Shane Shockey (Bluffton, OH/Bluffton) each tied his best mark and met the regional qualifying plateau. Fitch cleared 6' 10-3/4" in the high jump to finish fifth, while Shockey cleared 16' 6-3/4" in the pole vault to finish second.
Lane Raney (El Paso, IL/University) was second in the triple jump with a personal-best 45' 9-3/4" leap. Senior Keller Schnier (Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle) was fourth in the decathlon with 5939 points.
UC will head to the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, April 24-Saturday, April 26.