DePaul University

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The DePaul men's and women's track and field teams returned to competition for the first time in 2010 today at the Purdue Invitational and opened the year with five BIG EAST Conference Championship qualifying marks.  Senior jumper Joe Strawder picked up right where he left off in 2009, winning the triple jump with a personal-record leap, while tying for second in the long jump.

Strawder sizzled in the triple jump, landing a distance of 14.77m in just his second attempt.  The career-high mark is his second league championship qualifying performance of the season, and brings him within six inches of Leonard Vance's 25-year-old DePaul record.  Strawder also tied for second in the long jump, stretching the tape to 6.98m to meet the BIG EAST standard.

Eddie Anderson also competed in both the men's triple and long jumps, and ended the day with distances of 12.64m and 6.05m, respectively. 

In the women's jumps, Cynthia Edwards took home third place in the triple jump with a mark of 10.25m in addition to a 4.71m third-place long jump.  Ivy Moffett surpassed a distance of 5.18m to place second, while Brittany Lewis finished in fourth with a jump of 4.68m.

Tim Vala had the best day thus far of his collegiate career, logging his first weight throw finish of the season with a BIG EAST qualifying distance of 15.92m to finish in fifth place.  Matt Babicz finished in the top-10 with a throw of 13.79m.  Additionally, he took home seventh in the shot put competition with a mark of 14.05m, while James Waller logged a career-best distance of 12.21m.

In the women's throws, Alanna Kovacs picked up another conference championship qualifying mark in the shot put, clearing a distance of 13.39m to take third.  Ebonie Cobb recorded a mark of 11.51m. Kovacs would go on to take sixth place in the weight throw, while Virginia MacFabe and Katelyn MacFabe placed seventh and eighth, respectively.

After earning the six seed in the 60m prelims behind a time of 7.10, Chris Kyles shaved nine-tenths of a second off of his performance to move up to fifth place.  His final time of 7.01 eclipses the BIG EAST standard of 7.06, while his season-best time of 6.97 currently ranks him second on the league's performance list.

Idia Omogiate never relinquished the top spot in the women's 60m, winning both the preliminary and finals rounds.  Her first trip down the straightaway took 7.94 seconds, while her final pass was clocked at 7.88.  Teammate Moffett gave DePaul the one-two finish, completing the race in a time of 7.94.  Aforo Okraku finished in fifth place with a time of 8.37, while Brigid Geary logged a sixth-place time of 8.43. 

Mary Cate Quiett set a new career-best time in the 400m, crossing the finish line at 58.69 to place third.  Britanny Thomas also reset her PR in the event, logging a time of 1:02.79, while Toni Salvatore finished in a time of 1:04:59.

In the men's 400m, Ryan Bosman and Matthew Holland finished together, as Bosman clocked in at 53.45 while Holland logged a 53.72.

Cari Krikorian and Brian Begalke represented the Blue Demons in the mile, recording times of 5:45.21 and 4:41.62 in their respective races.  In other middle-distance action, Edin Pasalic took home fourth place in the 600m, with Matthew Pietrus finishing just behind him in fifth.  The women's 600m featured Laura Wilson, who clocked a time of 1:54.77, and Lauren Bales, who completed the race in 1:55.54

Courtney Avvampato raced in the 800m for the first time this season, and finished in a time of 2:29.52 to place third.  Tyler Schmitt and Drew Edwards took fifth and sixth place, respectively, in the men's 800m race.

Lewis continued the night in the 200m, logging a 27.48 for fifth place, while Corrie Castro finished just behind her sixth. 

Stephanie Hughes, Kelsey Dolan and Stacy Schmitz took on the 3,000m, highlighted by Hughes' third-place finish in the event.  Dolan and Schmitz placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

The 4x400m relay concluded the evening, as Quiett, Toni Salvatore, Avvampato and Krikorian all passed the baton around the track in a time of 4:20.07.  The men's squad, consisting of Jamil Chammas, Bosman, Pasalic, and Max Clink, posted a time of 3:33.52.

The Blue Demons return to action on Friday, Jan. 15, when they return to the Loftus Sports Center for the Notre Dame Indoor Opener.