TicketsMay 14, 2009
IN THE STARTING BLOCKS:
After a week off, the University of Cincinnati men's and women's outdoor track and field teams head to Louisville, Ky., to compete at the Cardinal Twilight on Friday, May 15, at the Cardinal Park Soccer and Track Stadium. Friday's meet will be the final opportunity to earn and improve regional bids for the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.
The second annual Cardinal Twilight will commence at 10 a.m. ET, with the throwing events and will be followed by the jumps at 11:45 a.m. ET. The meet will conclude with the running events which begin at 6 p.m. ET.
Currently, Cincinnati has 18 athletes that have earned NCAA regional marks (five women and 13 men).
BEARCAT BITES:
· The UC men's and women's teams finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at the 2009 BIG EAST Championships. The sixth-place finish for the women's team was its best finish since joining the conference.
· The lone UC title came in the men's 4x100 where the team of Brian Bruner, Antione Drakeford, Chase VanCura, and Dayo Igeleke, ran a NCAA regional time of 41.15.
· At the BIG EAST Championships, Jasmine Cotten and Kaylon Eppinger both registered Top 5 finishes in the heptathlon.
· Lilian Jelimo set the UC record and finished fourth in the 3,000 steeple at the BIG EAST Championships with a time of 10:31.54.
· In their first BIG EAST Championships, freshmen Mackenzie Fields and Michelle Eby finished second and fifth, respectively in the pole vault. Fields cleared 12' 11-1/2", which was a UC freshman record and a NCAA regional mark, while Eby cleared 12' 07-1/2".
· On the men's side, Troy Cooper finished in second place in the shot put with a heave of 57' 07-3/4".
· Just as Jelimo improved her time in 3,000 steeple, Randy King recorded a NCAA regional qualifying time of 9:05.50 in the men's 3,000 steeple.
· Eric Finan continued his strong rookie campaign by setting a new UC record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:19.12, which was good for fifth place. The previous record was a time of 14:23.28 by Ron Stapleton in 1972.
· Antione Drakeford finished second in the 400 meters and seventh in the 200 meters, while Dayo Igeleke added a second-place showing in the 100 meters.
· The UC men's and women's teams finished second at the All-Ohio Championships with the men's team finishing six points out of first and the women's team finishing 33 points out of first.
· Troy Cooper reached a NCAA Regional mark and broke Greg Weber's 1983 record of 57' 5" in the shot put at the All-Ohio Championships with a toss of 57' 9".
· Additionally, Ian Jarman and Chad Hanson both reached NCAA Regional marks in the hammer with throws of 195' 1" and 190' 5", respectively.
· Antione Drakeford set an All-Ohio meet record in the 400 with a lap of 46.39, before reaching a NCAA regional time of 21.17 in the 200 meters.
· Dayo Igeleke and Michael Rutherford also reached NCAA Regional qualification marks in the 100 meters and 800 meters, respectively, with times of 10.55 and 1:50.34.
· On the women's side, Natasha Burse won two individual All-Ohio titles and helped win two relay All-Ohio Championships. Burse took top honors in the 100, 200, 4x100, and 4x400.
· Kathy Klump broke the UC 800 meter record en route to claiming first prize in the event with a time of 2:09.94.
· Junior Antione Drakeford broke his own school record and the Gettler Stadium record at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational, 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.
· Drakeford's time of 45.83 in the 400 is the eighth fastest time in the NCAA this season.
· 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.
· At the Southern Ohio Cup, Cotten improved her regional qualifying high jump mark to 6', which also was a meet record. Her clearance is tied for the sixth-best leap in the nation this season.
· Sophomore Natasha Burse swept the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100 relay at the Southern Ohio Cup with times of 11.75, 24.25, and 46.23. Burse's 100 time reached a NCAA regional qualifying mark and also was a meet record.
· 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, and bettered her time with a 13.88 showing at the Southern Ohio Cup. She has continued to improve and finished third at the Drake Relays with a time of 13.60.
· In the field events at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational, 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 Somerville collected a regional mark in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.14 seconds. Somerville bested his time in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.06 at the All-Ohio Championships.
· 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".
UP NEXT:
The Bearcats head to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the NCAA Mideast Regional May 29-30.