Louisville Women Win Second Straight BIG EAST Outdoor Championship; Men Finish Runner-Up
May 3, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - The University of Louisville women's track and field team battled through the elements on the final day of the 2009 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships at Villanova Stadium to earn their second consecutive conference team title, while the men finished in second behind Notre Dame by half a point. The Louisville women finished with a total of 138 points to win their second consecutive team title. Connecticut was runner-up with 102 points. Georgetown placed third with 91 points, while Notre Dame finished with 85.5 points for fourth place. Host Villanova came in fifth with 80 points. In the men's race, Notre Dame claimed it sixth title with 130.50 points. Louisville was right behind the Irish with 130 points for the runner-up position. The men of Georgetown placed third with 92 points, while Cincinnati placed fourth. Rutgers rounded out the top-five with 75.50 points. U of L picked up numerous other honors, including being named the 2009 BIG EAST Women's Coaching Staff of the Year for the second straight season. Senior Jere' Summers was named the women's Most Outstanding Field Performer for the second consecutive year after winning both the shot put and hammer. Senior Cory Thorne was named the men's Most Outstanding Track Performer following wins in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000-meter run, while redshirt junior Tone Belt was named the men's Most Outstanding Field Performer after placing first in the long jump and high jump. "I'm so proud of the team and the way they competed," said U of L head coach Ron Mann. "To have three out of the four individual performers of the meet is a tribute to those athletes. Our second consecutive women's outdoor championship shows that Louisville is a program to be reckoned with in the BIG EAST. As far as the men's race goes, congratulations to a great Notre Dame team that stepped up and got it done."
The Cardinal women were led by the hammer throw group who earned three regional qualifying marks and scored 22 points. Summers won the event with a throw of 197-03 (60.12m). Sophomore D'Ana McCarty finished runner-up with a personal best heave of 192-03 (58.61m). It improved her standing on the NCAA performance list. Junior Lindsey Cook finished fifth with a toss of 183-01 (55.80m). U of L picked up 15 points in the triple jump as senior Seidre Forde won with a leap of 40-02 (12.24m). This is the second BIG EAST title in the event for Forde, the last one coming in 2007. Junior Amaka Omenyinma finished fifth overall out of 16 athletes with a jump of 38-06.25 (11.74m) to round out the scoring in the event. The 400-meter hurdles saw senior Heather Trimiew finish runner-up with an improved regional qualifying time of 59.41. It was the fifth fastest time in school history. Junior Tarah McKay finished fourth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:22.06, the second best all-time. It was an improvement on her national ranking and marked the third time she has reached regional status. McKay also ran the fifth fastest time in school history in the 5,000-meter run, 17:01.28. In the high jump, junior Rachel Gehret took fifth via three-way tie, clearing 5-07 (1.70m). Junior Saravia Richardson placed fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.89. In the relays, the 4x400-meter team of freshman Shane Mullany-Banks, freshman Kiersten Kirkland, junior Kat Alcorn and Trimiew placed fifth with a time of 3:50.83, while the 4x100-meter team of Richardson, Gehret, Trimiew and freshman Keisha Lockhart finished seventh with a time of 47.41. On the men's side, leading the way was Thorne who ran a 14:14.48 in the 5,000-meter run to win the event. Sophomore Matt Bruce placed sixth with a time of 14:23.74. Senior Andrew Hackney took fourth in the hammer throw with a toss of 187-03 (57.08m). It was also the fourth time he reached a regional qualifying mark. In the triple jump, Belt finished sixth with a distance of 48-02 (14.68m). Freshman Jacques Caldwell ran a 21.74 in the 200-meter dash to finish sixth, while placing eighth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.00. The 4x100-meter relay team of freshman Jordon Frazier, sophomore Tony Baffour, freshman Wesley Smith and Caldwell took eighth with a time of 42.22. Overall, the Cards won 10 event titles, 21 medals, set three school records and earned 29 NCAA Mideast Regional qualifying marks on the weekend. The Cards will take a week off before returning to action for the first of two straight home events when they host the Cardinal Twilight on May 15. It will mark their last attempt to earn and improve regional marks for the 2009 Mideast Regional Championships which will be hosted by Louisville for the first-time ever and held at Cardinal Park on May 29-30. BIG EAST Championships - Philadelphia Day Three Results |
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