TicketsApril 26, 2011
By Hunter Tickel
GoBEARCATS.com
Senior sprinter Natasha Burse led the University of Cincinnati track and field team to a first place finish at the 2011 All-Ohio championship on Saturday, April 16th.
Burse won three events; the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100 meter relay. The Bearcats claimed 10-top finishes on the second day of the state championships at Gettler Stadium to corral the hardware and the accompanying statewide bragging rights.
"I'm very excited that we had a good day today," said head women's coach Susan Seaton. "The weather was a little bit rough but the team really got together and performed well. It's exciting to be All-Ohio champions outdoors."
The three titles that Burse earned at the event ushered her to qualification for regionals in Bloomington, Ind., beginning Thursday, May 26th.
"It's a good step in the right direction," Seaton said. "We had a lot of good marks despite the weather. So we are excited about the meet."
The Bearcats scored 178 points beating out second-place Dayton by 75 points.
Freshman Cameron Gardner, sophomore Shanay Portis and junior Aricka Rhodes teamed up with Burse in the relay. Rhodes contributed again in the 400 meter dash with a 54.99 mark.
Another top-notch relay finish was in the 4x400 meter, which was made up of Portis, senior Ashley Arnold, junior Kathy Klump and Rhodes. Klump posted a top time in the 800 meter and junior Michelle Eby conquered the pole vault for first place.
With an opportunity to clinch league and regional qualifying times at the Polytan Invitational this past Friday and Saturday, the women broke a plethora of program records.
Junior pole vaulter Mackenzie Fields cleared a school-tying 4.16 meters for first. The 4x400 fourfold of Portis, Klump, Arnold and Rhodes clocked in at a 3:41.53 establishing a new program best and finished in second place.
In the 800-meter run Klump tallied a career-best 2:08.65 time finishing third. The quadruplet of freshman Morgan Gordon, Burse, Portis and Rhodes earned first with a 45.79 mark.
Burse earned a second consecutive top finish in the 200-meter dash at 23.89. She was a runner-up in the 100-meter with a time of 11.95 seconds.
The Beijing Olympian and former Bearcat Mary Wineberg laced up her track studs to finish first in the 400-meter dash at 52.25 seconds as a single runner.
Freshman Jessica Molyet put UC on the board in the field events with a 153'4" launch for a second-place discus finish.
Junior Paris Campbell and senior Sharika Thompson finished in the third slot in the 100 and 400-meter hurdles respectively.
This weekend UC will race at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa and the RedHawk Invitational on Saturday in Oxford, Ohio.
These events will be the last time for the UC women to earn spots at the BIG EAST Championships in Villanova, Pa., starting Friday, May 6th.