TicketsApril 3, 2009
IN THE STARTING BLOCKS:
The University of Cincinnati outdoor track and field team hosts the third of three straight track meets when it welcomes teams to the Southern Ohio Cup on Saturday, April 4. Teams competing in this year's event include Ashland, Central State, Cedarville, UC, Georgetown, Indiana Tech, Miami (OH), Shawnee State, Wright State, and Xavier.
BEARCAT BITES:
· Week two of the outdoor track and field season was a highlight weekend for the Bearcats. The men's team had five athletes reach NCAA regional qualifying marks, while the women's team had three.
· Junior Antione Drakeford broke his own school record and the Gettler Stadium record, while notching a regional-qualifying mark in the 400 with a time of 45.83. Drakeford followed his 400 time with a 45.1 split in the 4x400.
· In addition to Drakeford, junior Jasmine Cotten set a NCAA Provisional mark in the heptathlon with a score of 5,321 at the Alabama Relays. Cotten also set regional qualifying marks in the high jump and the long jump, clearing 5' 8-3/4" and 19' 8", respectively.
· Also at the Alabama Relays, sophomore Kaylon Eppinger reached a NCAA provisional mark within the heptathlon with a time of 13.90 in the 100 hurdles.
· In the field events, junior Shane Shockey reached a NCAA regional-qualifying mark in the pole vault, clearing 16' 6-3/4". Troy Cooper and Ian Jarman also collected NCAA regional-qualifying marks in the shot put and hammer throw, respectively, with throws of 59' 9" and 195' 5".
· Finally, freshman Terrence Sommerville collected a regional mark in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.14 seconds.
· In the opening two weeks of the season, sophomore Natasha Burse recorded three wins at the Early Bird Relays and the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational, winning the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100 relay at each meet.
· Freshman Michael Rutherford surpassed his own freshman record set at the Early Bird Relays with a time of 1:50.44 in the 800 meters at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational.
· Freshman Eric Finan shattered the 1,500 meter freshman record with a time of 14:29.66, which also was a Gettler Stadium record, at the Early Bird Relays.
· One meet into the season, junior Brandon Fitch recorded a regional-qualifying mark in the high jump with a clearance of 6' 10-3/4".
· The Bearcat men finished fourth at the 2008 BIG EAST Championships, the highest finish in the three-year affiliation with the 16-team league. The women placed 10th.
LAST TIME OUT:
Junior Antione Drakeford broke his own school record, set the Gettler Stadium record, and met a regional qualifying time after running 45.83 in the 400 meters for UC at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational.
Cincinnati men's team defeated eight teams with a score of 284, while the UC women's team also bested nine teams with a score of 198.
Junior Ashley Arnold took first-place honors in the 400 meters crossing the line in 55.08 seconds, and sophomore Lilian Jelimo collected top honors in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:05.63.
In the field events, UC took top honors in the pole vault as freshman Mackenzie Fields cleared a first-place height of 12' 3-1/2" in the pole vault.
On the men's side, senior Randy King kicked off the running events with a winning-time of 9:25 in the 3,000 steeplechase, before freshman Eric Finan crossed the line in first to win the 1,500 with a time of 3:54.48.
In the sprints, junior Dayo Igeleke took the top spot in the 100 meters clocking in at 10.71 seconds. The Bearcats continued their success in the hurdle events as freshman Terrence Sommerville notched a victory in the 110 hurdles, before Troy Lammers was victorious in the 400 hurdles.
On the field, Ryan Beltz finished first in the high jump with a clearance of 6' 7", while UC's Shane Shockey snatched victory for the second week in a row in the pole vault with a mark of 16' 6-3/4".
UP NEXT:
The Bearcats hit the road for the Sea Ray Relays on April 10-11 in Knoxville, Tenn.