TicketsMarch 19, 2011
Complete Results | Photo Gallery
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati track and field team began its 2011 outdoor season in impressive fashion after both the men and women's teams finished first in the team standings.
The UC women's team had individual champions in 11 out of 19 events and totaled 148.44 points. Wright State University finished second with 107 points, followed by IPFW with 67.5.
Cincinnati's `A' 4x100 meter relay team - which featured freshman Cameron Gardner (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg), senior Natasha Burse (Garland, Texas/Richardson), sophomore Shanay Portis (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) and junior Aricka Rhodes (Westerville, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) - set a school record time of 45.65 (45.92, 2002) on its way to a first-place finish.
The UC 4x400 `A' team also finished in first place. The squad of sophomore Alyssa Edley (London, Ohio/London), Burse, freshman Morgan Gordon (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) and senior Ashley Arnold (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne) recorded a time of 3:58.48.
Cincinnati had five pole vaulters finish in the top two places, led by junior Mackenzie Fields (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mariemont), who nearly set the UC outdoor record after clearing a height of 4.10m.
Freshmen throwers Jessica Molyet (Fremont, Ohio/St. Joseph Central Catholic ), with a first-place mark of 45.87m, and Mary Bridges (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted), with a distance of 42.63m, combined to win the women's discus throw and earned Cincinnati 10 points.
Portis and freshman Kaitlyn Good (Vandalia, Ohio/Vandalia) led UC to a second place finish in the women's long jump. Portis recorded a distance of 5.26m while good jumped 5.00m.
Seniors distance runners Michelle McKenney (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) and Jill Glassmeyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) individually finished first and fourth in the women's 5,000-meter relay and combined to give UC another first-place team finish. McKenney recorded a time of 17:27.98 and Glassmeyer finished with a time of 18:12.63.
Burse and Rhodes finished first and second in the 100-meter dash with times of 11.70 and 12.17, respectively, to give UC 10 first-place points.
Junior Kathy Klump (Aurora, Ind./South Dearborn) and Rhodes scored a first-place finish in the 400-meter run after placing first and third individually with times of 2:11.23 and 2:14.80. UC legend and current assistant track coach Mary Wineberg entered the event unattached and placed second individually with a time of 2:14.20.
Senior Sharika Thompson (La Mesa, Calif./Helix) and sophomore Gabby Calderon (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) were the top two finishers in the women's 400-meter hurdles to give the Bearcats 10 additional team points. Thompson recorded a time of 1:04.54 while Calderon finished in 1:04.96.
Freshman Frida Akerstrom (Nynashamn, Sweden/Nynashamn Gymnasium) and senior Catherine Earl (Mason, Ohio/Mason) were No. 1 and No. 2 on the shot put leader board with distances of 14.43m and 12.85m, respectively.
Cincinnati earned another event victory in the women's hammer throw after sophomore Bridget McNeill (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) and Akerstrom placed first and third with distances of 50.36m and 49.31m.
Cincinnati dominated in the men's division as well, scoring 160 points and featuring seven individual champions in 19 events. Ohio Northern University finished in second place with 86 points, followed by Cedarville University's 66.
The Bearcats recorded a win in the men's 1,500-meter run after junior Eric Finan (New Richmond, Ohio/New Richmond) and freshman Evan Baum (Shaker Heights, Ohio) placed in first and fifth with times of 3:53.36 and 3:59.53.
Senior David Barry (Vandalia, Ohio/Vandalia-Butler) won the 3,000-meter steeplechase after finishing with a time of 9:25.28. He combined with freshman Tyler Ross (Powell, Ohio) to give Cincinnati a second-place finish behind the University of Dayton.
Junior Terrence Somerville (Akron, Ohio/Buchtel) and freshman Steven Mitchell (Columbus, Ohio) led the Bearcats to a first place finish in the 110-meter hurdles event. Somerville finished first with a time of 14.07 while Mitchell finished third with a time of 15.33.
Mid-distance runners Michael Rutherford (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) and Kyle Neyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) finished second and fourth in the 800-meter relay, giving the Bearcats a 10-point first place finish. Rutherford had a time of 1:52.91, while Neyer finished in 1:54.66. Former UC track star Antoine Drakeford entered the event as an unattached athlete and finished in first place with a time of 1:51.64.
Senior Troy Cooper (Alexandria, Ky./Bishop Brossart) placed first in the men's shot put with a distance of 16.12m, while freshman Andrew Risser (Lima, Ohio) placed first in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.55m.
Sophomore Oliver Book (Starlight, Ind./Providence) and junior Ricky Lupp (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) placed first and sixth to give Cincinnati first-place points in the 5,000-meter run. Book finished with a time of 14:44.67 while Lupp recorded a time of 15:00.73.
Not to be outdone by its female counterpart, the UC men's 4x400 relay team - featuring Mitchell, senior Chase VanCura (Mansfield, Ohio/Ontario), freshman Kevin Hicks (Solon, Ohio), and sophomore Maurice Norman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) - won the event with a first-place time of 3:15.58.
The Bearcats continue their 2011 outdoor campaign March 25-26. The women's team travels to Orlando, Fla. for the Central Florida Invitational while the men's team will compete at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C.