After a dynamic start to the 2010 outdoor season last weekend, the DePaul men's and women's track and field teams look to keep the success going at the adidas Raleigh Relays on March 2-27, hosted by NC State. Action at the Paul Derr Track and Dail So
CHICAGO- After a dynamic start to the 2010 outdoor season last weekend, the DePaul men's and women's track and field teams look to keep the success going at the adidas Raleigh Relays on March 2-27, hosted by NC State. Action at the Paul Derr Track and Dail Soccer Stadium begins on both days at 9 a.m. (CST)
Last weekend a condensed squad consisting of eight individuals tallied 16 BIG EAST Conference qualification marks, nine top-three finishes and two DePaul records at the 49er Classic. Leading the way was Mary Cate Quiett, who shattered her own 800m record by nearly two seconds, and currently leads the nation with the season's best performance.
Collecting another DePaul record of her own was Melissa Fraser, who easily won the hammer throw title behind a distance of 55.54m.
Day one of the Raleigh Relays gets started at 9 a.m. when Matthew Babicz, Tim Vala and Tim Nedow make their way to the throwing pit for the men's discus competition. Nedow, the only thrower from the men's squad to have competed thus far, logged a league championship qualifying throw of 47.38m last weekend to place fifth overall at the 49er Classic.
The first starting pistol for the Blue Demons sounds at 10 a.m., when Kelcie Daniels enters the 100m high hurdles for the first time in her young collegiate career. The sophomore led the DePaul hurdlers last season, and finished her freshman campaign with a 17th place finish in the 400m hurdles at the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Championship.
Full results and recaps will be available at www.DePaulBlueDemons.com following each day's competition.
Following the adidas Raleigh Relays, the Blue Demons return to the Midwest on April 2-3 for the Mike Poehlein Invitational hosted by Purdue.
No. 1 in the Nation
Mary Cate Quiett, the 2010 BIG EAST Indoor 800m Champion, has already parlayed that success onto the outdoor track. In addition to winning the 800m race at the 49er Classic in record-setting fashion, the junior currently ranks No. 1 amongst all Div. I student-athletes in her event.
Hammer Time
Melissa Fraser now owns half of DePaul's outdoor throwing records, after launching a hammer throw of 55.54m at the 49er Classic. The throw dethroned two-time Most Outstanding Performer Jamie Holifield as the hammer throw record holder.
Eight Kids and Counting...
Eight Blue Demon student-athletes have eclipsed the BIG EAST standard in 13 events thus far including Melissa Fraser (hammer throw, javelin), Lindsey Holden (400m), Alanna Kovacs (shot put, discus, javelin), Mary Cate Quiett (400m, 800m) Matthew Graham (3,000m steeplechase), Tim Nedow (discus, shot put), Joe Strawder (long jump, triple jump), and Tonderai Tomu (200m, 400m).
New Season, New Rules
The NCAA will no longer be using a set a qualification standards to determine the field of regional and national championship participants this season. Instead, a student-athlete must rank in the top-48 within their region to earn a bid. In relay events, only the top 24 per region receive the invite to the National First Round. In lieu of the four regional meets used in the past, two sites, one in Austin, Texas, the other in Greensboro, N.C., will serve as the venue for two opening preliminary rounds. The top 12 from each site advance to the National Semifinal the following weekend in Eugene, Oregon.
New Season, Same Rules
The BIG EAST Conference will continue to use the same qualification system for the league championship. A student-athlete must eclipse a certain mark in a given event to earn a spot at the meet. There are no qualification standards for relays, as each school is allotted one entry per relay event.
Up Next:
The Blue Demons return to the Midwest on April 2-3 for the Mike Poehlein Invitational hosted by Purdue.
