TicketsApril 13, 2011
By Hunter Tickel
GoBEARCATS.com
The University of Cincinnati women's track and field team is kicking into gear four meets into the outdoor spring season.
Friday and Saturday at the Miami Invitational, the Bearcats garnered second place among 17 schools from the Midwest region. Miami edged UC by six points to top the event in Oxford, Ohio.
Junior Aricka Rhodes led the charge with a 54.18 time in the 400 meters, the second quickest time in the BIG EAST this year. The sprinter also helped Cincinnati earn first place in the 4x100-meters relay in 45.94 seconds.
Senior Natasha Burse sprinted her way to two top finishes. She completed the 100-meter dash in 11.94 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 24.19 seconds.
Freshman Kaitlyn Good collected a team-high of 5'6" in the high jump to earn the Bearcats another No. 1 finish.
Junior Michelle Eby cleared the pole vault with a height of 13'1/2" for first place.
Junior Paris Campbell garnered second place in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal-record 14.02 seconds. She was less than .6 seconds away from the top spot.
Sophomore Gabby Calderone scored a personal record time of 1:03.29 in the 400-meter hurdles despite placing fourth.
"We're very excited about the team's progress that they have made so far this year," UC women's track and field head coach Susan Seaton said. "Almost every competition we have school records. That speaks to the quality of performance that we currently have on our team."
Seaton attributes the workouts prior to the season to the success the Bearcat student-athletes are having in breaking their record marks.
"What we saw this year was a lot of the athletes took the off-season very serious and had good summer and fall training hard," Seaton said. "That's probably why we came out strong and exceeding their personal bests."
When Athletic Director Mike Thomas introduced the five-year plan of Catapult for every school program to win a BIG EAST Championship, it raised the bar for the track and field team. Seaton said she sees these heightened goals for her team paying off for a more competitive atmosphere.
"I think in the last few years the program has really made strides to raise the level of expectations," Seaton said. "From the coaches and athletes there is a higher level of expectation."
Next up for the UC track and field team is the All-Ohio Championships. This annual competition is a critical measuring stick for the Bearcats. It will take place at Gettler Stadium beginning Friday and concluding Saturday.
With the Big East Championships taking place Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 8, many Bearcats continue to shoot for qualifying times. But with it right around the corner, Seaton said her team is already sizing up the competition.
"Goals for the BIG EAST - last year we finished ninth so we want to exceed that," she said. "We talked about this in the fall. They said they want to break into the top six and get that done as a team. Some individuals want to finish in the top-three. Our pole valuators and 800-group are talking about what they can individually do to help the team score points."