TicketsMay 5, 2011
Free Live Streaming of BIG EAST Outdoor Championships | Heat Sheets (available late Thursday)
Live Results | BIG EAST Championship Central
VILLANOVA, Pa. - The University of Cincinnati men's and women's track and field teams are set to compete at the BIG EAST Track & Field Outdoor Championships Friday through Sunday at Villanova Stadium's Goodreau Field and Jumbo Elliott Track.
MEN:
5,000-meter run: Cincinnati junior Eric Finan has the fastest time in the BIG EAST this year after setting a school-record time of 13:49.80 on April 23 at the Polytan Invitational. Last season, Finan finished second at the BIG EAST Championships behind University of Louisville senior Matt Hughes, who in 2011 ranks seventh in the conference with a time of 14:05.50. Villanova University has three athletes in the top four, with senior Hugo Beamish in second (13:51.60), sophomore Mathew Mildenhall third (13:55.04) and senior Brian Long fourth (13:59.72).
110-meter hurdles: Cincinnati junior Terrence Somerville is the favorite to win the 110-meter hurdles after he registered the league's top time of 13.48 seconds at the 2011 Drake Relays on April 27. Georgetown University senior Chris Kinney was the 2009 champion in the event and 2011 Indoor Track 60-meter hurdle champion. He ranks second in the league with a time of 14.00, while USF junior David Aristil stands third with a time of 14.08.
Javelin: UC senior Brian Zimmerman looks to repeat as champion after claiming Cincinnati's first BIG EAST title in the event last year. This year, he currently ranks 16th in the conference with a mark of 55.68 meters, set at the All-Ohio Outdoor Championships on April 16. In addition to Zimmerman, eight of the top javelin throwers from the 2010 championship return to compete this year. University of Connecticut sophomore Cody Ungerm, who finished third last year, owns the league's top mark this season at 71.23 meters, which ranks 18th in the country. Also returning is Rutgers University senior Jeremy Pennino, who looks to reclaim the title that he won in 2009. Pennino is second in the BIG EAST this season with a throw of 62.86 meters.
WOMEN:
4x100-meter relay: Cincinnati holds the top mark in the conference after freshman Morgan Gordon, senior Natasha Burse, sophomore Shanay Portis and junior Aricka Rhodes set a school-record time of 45.06 seconds Saturday at the Drake Relays. The Bearcats' top competition will be UConn, which is looking to become the first team since University of Miami in 1996-1998 to win three-straight 4x100-meter titles. This season, UConn has the fourth-best mark in the BIG EAST with a time of 46.36 seconds and has two returning athletes from last year's squad.
4x400-meter relay: The Bearcats currently rank third in the conference after Portis, senior Ashley Arnold, junior Kathy Klump and Rhodes recorded a UC-record time of 3:41.53 at the Polytan Invitational on April 23. The field looks to be wide open this season with the departure of Seton Hall University, who claimed each of the last three titles. Georgetown owns the top time in the conference at 3:40.49. Villanova (3:41.23), Cincinnati and Connecticut (3:41.84) follow closely behind, however, as all four of the top teams are within 1.5 seconds of one another.
Pole vault: Junior Mackenzie Fields ranks second in the conference with a school-record-tying mark of 4.16 meters set at the Polytan Invitational. University of South Florida senior Denise von Eynatten leads the BIG EAST with a height of 4.31 meters.