TicketsMay 3, 2008
VILLANOVA, PA - Brandon Fitch (Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek) won a BIG EAST title in the high jump, highlighting day two action at the 2008 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships at the Jumbo Elliot Track at Villanova Stadium. The Bearcats men's team sits in eighth place after the second day of competition, while the women are seventh.
Fitch cleared 6' 9-1/2" to bring home the only Bearcat title of the day. Mike Foley (Englewood, OH/Northmont) was eighth in the high jump with a 6' 8-1/4" clearance. Troy Cooper (Alexandria, KY/Bishop Brossart) finished fourth in the shot put with a heave of 53' 35-3/4" and Adam Chambers (Cincinnati, OH/Glen Este) was seventh in the with a 51' 4-1/4" put.
Bryan Hardesty (Beverly, OH/Marietta) and Chad Hanson (Zanesville, OH/West Muskingum) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the discus. Freshman Brian Zimmerman (Sarver, PA/Freeport) was eighth in the javelin with a 188' 5" throw, while David Adams (Massillon, OH/Perry) finished eighth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 9:18.80.
Antione Drakeford (Columbus, OH/Africentric) was the top qualifier in the 400 meters (46.50) and was second in qualifying in the 200 meters (21.31). Dayo Igeleke (Las Vegas, NV/Liberty) moved into the finals in both the 100 and 200 meters.
For the women, Lilian Jelimo (Kapsabet, Keyna/Kapsabet Girls) placed third in the 10,000 meters with a school-record 35:22.35. She topped Ruth Limo's 2003 school record by over 37 seconds. Chelsea Gerken (Napoleon, OH/Napoleon) broke all-American Ashley Wilhelm's UC javelin record with a 141' 8" throw, finishing fifth. She also finished sixth in the heptathlon with 4712 points.
The other UC placer was defending BIG EAST pole vault champion Brittany Klima (Ottoville, OH/Ottoville), who cleared 12' 5-1/2" to finish fifth.
Monica Hundley (Fairfield, OH/Fairfield) placed first in qualifying for the 100 hurdles, breaking her own school record with a 13.45. Also qualifying were Natasha Burse (Garland, TX/Richardson) in the 100 meters, Ashley Arnold (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) in the 400 meters and Sharika Thompson (La Mesa, CA/Helix) in the 400 hurdles.
The final day of competition will kick off on Sunday morning at Villanova.