TicketsMay 3, 2009
VILLANOVA, Pa. -
The University of Cincinnati men's track and field team earned fourth place, while the women finished in sixth, Sunday on the final day of competition at the BIG EAST Track and Field Championships on the Jumbo Elliott Track at Villanova Stadium.
The men's team tallied 84 points to earn fourth place in the meet. Notre Dame (130.5) took the top spot by a half-point over Louisville (130), while Georgetown (92) was third. Behind the Bearcats were Rutgers (75.5), Connecticut (69), USF (51), Villanova (50), Syracuse (49), Pittsburgh (42), Seton Hall (32), Providence (25), DePaul (20), and Marquette (7).
On the women's side, the Bearcats were in sixth, with 54 points. Louisville (138) earned top honors, followed by Connecticut (102), Georgetown (91), Notre Dame (82.5), Villanova (80), UC, West Virginia (50), Pittsburgh (44), Seton Hall (36), USF (35), St. John's (34), Syracuse (31.5), Marquette (24), Rutgers (19), Providence (16), and DePaul (16).
The men's 4x100-meter relay quartet of Brian Bruner, Antione Drakeford, Chase Van Cura, and Ekundayo Igeleke won the BIG EAST crown with a time of 41:14, ahead of the second-place team from USF (41.27). It is the second-straight year the Bearcats have earned first place in the relay event.
C.J. Carroll, Van Cura, Jason Berling, and Drakeford earned a third-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:12.74.
Drakeford also took second in the 400 meters, clocking a regional-qualifying time of 46.21, just behind Villanova's Elvis Lewis (46.14). Van Cura placed sixth in the 400, with a time of 48.65.
Shane Shockey had a regional-qualifying mark of 16-10.75 in the pole vault, placing second.
Michael Jarman (189-08/3rd), and Chad Hanson (178-08/5th) made the hammer throw final, while Kyle Borton (161-00/10th), and John Martin (160-03/13th) placed in the top-13.
Igeleke placed second in the men's 100 meters, breaking the tape in 10.62 to finish just behind Antony Hobwana of Pittsburgh (10.57).
Terrence Somerville clocked 14.53 to place fourth in the 110-meter hurdles.
Eric Finan took fifth place in the 5,000 meters, crossing the line with a time of 14:19.12.
Jasmine Cotten took fourth place in the high jump with a top jump of 5-07.00.
The women's 4x100-meter relay squad of Mandi Boykin, Natasha Burse, Courtney Wicks, and Aricka Rhodes placed third with a time of 46.59.
Burse also had an eighth-place finish in the 100 meters with a time of 12.21, while Boykin was 13th in the triple jump with a leap of 36-05.00.
Kaylon Eppinger covered the 100-meter hurdles course in 14.03, earning a sixth-place finish.
Lilian Jelimo and Tamara Masters placed 11th and 16th in the 5,000 meters, clocking times of 17:02.35, and 17:31.33, respectively.
Lisa Klotz placed 12th in the hammer throw with a heave of 147-07.
The women's 4x400-meter relay quartet of Rhodes, Burse, Ashley Arnold, and Wicks placed fifth with a time of 3:45.54.
The Bearcats placed sixth in the men's 4x800-meter relay as the group of Alex Ramsey, Kyle Neyer, Jonathan McClelland, and Michael Rutherford timed in at 7:31.59. In the women's race, Megan McAuley, Jenny Harsh, Kathy Klump, and Jenna Heaton placed ninth with a 9:03.51 clocking.
Up next for UC is a trip to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the Cardinal Twilight on May 16.
The NCAA Regionals will be held May 29-30 at four different sites with the finals to be held June 10-13 at John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.