TicketsMay 5, 2010
Each week of competition, University of Cincinnati head women's track and field coach Susan Seaton and head men's track and field coach Bill Schnier take a look back at the performances from the previous week. Coach Seaton comments about the women's team, while coach Schnier talks about the men's squad in their weekly Beartracks. This past week, both teams competed in front of the home crowd at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. Here are Seaton's and Schnier's reactions to the conference championships.
MEN'S BEARTRACKS
The 2010 BIG EAST Conference Outdoor Championships was many things, but for us here in Cincinnati it was a celebration of our university, our department, and our track and field teams. For the first time since 1996, we had an opportunity to host a conference outdoor championship and we did it exceedingly well. Our entire department, led by Robin Martin, Dan Krone, and Todd Jones, put their heart and soul behind this effort. Special thanks to women's golf, men's soccer and women's basketball, especially the devotion of Dana Rieger. The officials were an all-star team from Cincinnati and all over, some of whom I had known since I was a teenager. The volunteers mostly came from our non-participating track athletes and their effort was second to none. The weather was very disappointing, hurting our crowd tremendously, yet the noise of the home fans coming from the seats and all four levels of the parking garage was inspiring. The efforts of our coaching staff were complete and emotional. Four articles this week in the Cincinnati Enquirer lent importance to this meet and team. What a wonderful moment it was when our graduates joined our current team on the hillside by the start and proceed to cheer together as one big family for the final 30 minutes of the meet. Yet the reason for this event is all about the athletes so this Beartracks will center on the 2010 team.
I wish I could report that we officially improved upon last year but I can't. Yet without the opportunity to replace our seniors we have spent the entire year trying to be as good as we have been in the past, but at this meet we fell just short. With fourth-place finishes the past two years we aspired to more but ended up sixth. But it was a very good sixth, a terrific sixth, an emotional sixth because that is all we had in us. These Bearcats gave as much as any team I have ever coached so if there was ever a first-place effort it came from the Red and Black at Gettler Stadium this weekend. Setting three school records speaks volumes about our accomplishments. The first resulted in a victory, the second captured a runner-up and the third got us third place. Equally remarkable was the fact that 19 of our 30 competing entrants set seasonal bests. We placed 14 times in 13 different events, scoring more than once only in the 400m. Frequently our non-winning marks from this year would have won last year. In fact, if we would plug our 2010 marks in the 2009 meet we would have tallied 92 points which would have been our highest score ever in the BIG EAST. Looking at it that way we just might have improved over last year.
Let's first acknowledge our champions. Brian Zimmerman had already wrapped up the victory on our new javelin runway at muddy Coy Field when he used his sixth and final attempt to cap it off with a school record throw of 227' 10". This was a big-time throw surpassed only three other times in the 31-year history of the BIG EAST and currently ranks him 18th in the NCAA. Antione Drakeford won as a sophomore, was second last year but vowed to take it all as a senior. He did just that with a cruising 47.20 prelim and a sizzling 46.31 final, upsetting Seton Hall's Christopher Cox in the process and giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about. Our new school-record holders were just as impressive. Brian Zimmerman had already been mentioned as one who broke a school record and also captured the victory but the other two were almost as good. Kathy said she had never seen a stadium support a race more than Gettler Stadium got behind "hometown hero" Eric Finan in the 5,000m. The roar of the crowd inspired this sophomore who placed fifth last year to nearly win the BIG EAST. Starting out in 11th, then moving up to the lead, Eric was running against 12 others who had gone faster this year. Rather than being intimidated, he led, fell to second, then fought off Georgetown's heralded Andrew Bumbalough with an amazing final lap to grab second and nearly first. He was edged out by Louisville's Matt Hughes, the BIG EAST "Track Athlete of the Year." The final school record was bittersweet in many ways. We were ranked third behind Seton Hall and South Florida with our school record time of 3:09.77. We hoped to end the meet with a victory in front of our fans. Seton Hall had won this event 12 times in their storied BIG EAST history and was the sentimental favorite since their team was dropped by their University for next year despite the Hall of Fame career of Coach John Moon. But it was Rutgers who beat us both as the Bearcats eclipsed their school record with outstanding spits by all four runners: Ethan Freet (48.4), Maurice Norman (47.3), Chase VanCura (47.7) and Antione Drakeford (46.0).
Plenty of others carried their weight. We certainly have to cite Brandon Fitch who earned third in the high jump at 6' 11-3/4", tying former national champion, Tone Belt, on height but losing on misses. It was a shame it was held in the Armory-Fieldhouse due to the rain because too few people saw him jump. Also inside but still competing very well was Tommy Marks, sixth in the pole vault at 15' 9". Chris Littleton balked on his turn, regrouped, then hurled the discus 171' 2" for an unexpected third place. Our 4 x 100 relay had won three of four times at the BIG EAST yet had to settle for fourth this time even though their time of 40.87 would have won the previous three years. Dayo Igeleke was the anchor and standout of this quartet. Despite being on crutches the past month, Terrence Somerville got fifth in the 110m, hurdles. He was in the lead after five but did some big-time banging near the end. We know that Antione won the 400m, but equally exciting was Chase VanCura's fifth place in 47.83. Qualifying the week before, Chase made the most of his opportunity, as usual, with a hard charge down the final straightaway. Dayo was in fourth place and moving up in the 100 M when he pulled a hamstring and fell just before the finish line. Like a champion he got up and hobbled across for sixth place, far from what he had hoped for. The 800m was a real treat as Michael Rutherford got fourth with a 1:50.35 prelim and a hard-fought 1:51.48 final, which included plenty of pushing and shoving. Antione ran a tired but effective sixth place in the 200m. The 4 x 800 relay has had so many problems this year yet still managed an eighth place with Jon McClelland handing off at the front and Tony Williamson running a wonderful third leg.
There are always hidden stories usually coming from those who did not place yet exceeded expectations. Rick King set a nine-second PR in the 3,000m steeplechase but came up a meter short from placing. His hurdling was simply outstanding. Chase Petzinger entered the BIG EAST with a best in the 400 M hurdles in the 55s. He skipped the 54s and almost the 53s by running 53.22, just missing the finals. Brandon Smith is a fifth-year senior but a first-year track athlete. He chose the decathlon, the most time-consuming event, and scored 6171 points, only 33 points from placing. Caleb Gaus set a huge PR in the decathlon and Mike Foley jumped 6' 8-3/4", a height which normally scores.
We are far from done as we look forward to the NCAA Regional in Greensboro, N.C. on May 28-29. With the nation divided into only two regions, we have 17 ranked in the Top 60, all vying for the 48th spot which would allow them to compete at the Eastern Region. Brian Zimmerman (ranked fourth) and Antione Drakeford (ranked 13th) lead that group. Thirteen Bearcats are ranked in the top 100 in the US.
Lady Beartracks
Hosting a meet of the magnitude of the 2010 BIG EAST Outdoor Championship is a huge undertaking and was only possible because hundreds of people from our department, alumni group, and track community came together to make this a great event. A thank you is due to Athletic Director Mike Thomas and Men's Head Coach Bill Schnier, who both had the vision that we can pull off hosting this event. Under the tireless leadership of Associate AD Robin Martin and Assistant AD Dan Krone the entire department rallied together to make this a great event for all participants and spectators. Having UC athletes from our own team, men's soccer, swimming, and the golf team volunteer was tremendous and seeing so many department members volunteer their time and effort made the difference in how well this meet was run. Our coaching staff put in a lot of hours to make this work and a special thanks goes to Assistant Coach Kris Mack and Volunteer Coach Kevin Schwarz as well as the UC Grounds Crew for organizing the facility set up perfectly. Even so the weather had its own plans, throwing lightning, rain and a virtual downpour on us, we had great performances in all events contested. It truly was the most competitive track & field meet ever hosted in Cincinnati and showed that track & field is a wonderful sport that can keep you on your toes for three days straight.
At the outset of the 2009-10 season, our Lady Bearcats had big goals for this weekend. We wanted to finish in the top five of the conference and score a lot of points. As the season progressed we realized that we had quite a few problems, with key people like stand-out pole vaulter Mackenzie Fields, 2009 Indoor BIG EAST MVP Jasmine Cotten, school record holder in the javelin Chelsea Gerken, and others not being able to participate for various reasons. Rather than defining ourselves by who was not competing, our team came together and gave a tremendous effort, fighting for every single point, scratching and clawing to a 12th-place tie. A lesser team would have faltered but the Lady Bearcats gave it all they had.
The highest scoring event for us was the women's pole vault where Kayla Dunn captured a fourth-place finish and Michelle Eby was able to place sixth, combining for eight valuable points. Kayla was our highest point scorer of the meet and has shown that she is ready when it counts the most. Our 800m duo of Kathy Klump and Jenna Heaton has turned heads all season and did so again with a fifth-place finish by Kathy and a seventh-place effort by Jenna. The only athletes beating them were former All-Americans which speaks volumes for how competitive this championship is. To qualify for the final, Kathy ran a school-record breaking 2:09.32 and Jenna ran a PR-setting 2:10.23. Both 800m sophomores also ran on the 4x 8 relay team that finished in sixth place with the help of Jenny Harsh and Megan McAuley. In other relay action, our 4 x 100 team of Hauna Dawkins, Natasha Burse, Shanay Portis and Aricka Rhodes and 4 x 400 team of Ashley Arnold, Portis, Burse, and Rhodes both won their sections of the race and both etched out fourth-place finishes overall. It was exciting to see both sprint relays run with such poise and confidence. This relay success should be a motivator for all relay members to take their talent and ability and combine it with year-round effort and preparation to become individual point scorers at next year's BIG EAST meet. Junior Natasha Burse did just that and with a fine PR in the 200m dash of 24.00s to qualify for the final and return on Sunday to score one point out of slow lane one.
In the heptathlon, Boudine Bouma used her final multi-competition as a Bearcat to combine two PR's in the shot put and 800m and several season-bests to place seventh and score two points. It took this senior from the Netherlands a lot of fighting through injuries to score in her final BIG EAST Championship and proves that hard work and perseverance will pay off in the end. Another senior willed herself to make the final in her event and score a point. Lisa Klotz returned as a fifth-year senior to score a point for the team and battling through very wet conditions improved her PR in the hammer throw by 11 feet to finish in eighth place. Two freshmen should be cited for their fearless efforts at the biggest meet of their life. Jessica Cobb and Bridget McNeill refused to be intimidated by the tough competition. Jessica fought through a shoulder injury to throw a two-foot PR in the shot put, make the final, and achieve the second-best mark in Bearcat history. Bridget kept throwing PR after PR in the discus and found herself to be the only freshman to make the final.
To sum up the meet, we are better than 12th! We have very talented athletes on our team that have a lot of potential and we need to work together to achieve at the level of our potential. We need to believe in ourselves and each other and develop trust in each other to finish this season strong and prepare well for next year. It is 364 days until the next BIG EAST Outdoor Championship and we need to bring the effort and spirit we showed this last weekend at Gettler Stadium every single one of those 364 days, on and off the track, to make a difference and achieve our team goal of a top-five finish next year.
Go Bearcats! Head Coach Susan Seaton