|
Blue Demons Gear Up for Last Meet Before Conference Championships
CHICAGO The DePaul men’s and women’s track and field squads return to action this weekend for the Marquette Twilight in Milwaukee, Wisc. on Sat., April 25. Field events begin at 1 p.m. (CST) while the running events commence at 5 p.m. The Marquette Twilight marks the final opportunity for the Blue Demons to qualify for the BIG EAST Conference Championships, held on May 1-3 in Villanova, Pa. To date, six student-athletes from the women’s squad have qualified in eight events, while seven men earned a berth in the league championships in nine events. Stephanie Williams leads both teams with eight qualifying performances, having surpassed the conference standard in every 100m and 200m race she has run this season. Brad Millar is coming off of a third place finish in the hammer throw at last weekend’s EMU Twilight with a distance of 59.31m. Millar has tallied a total of five NCAA Regional meet qualification marks in the event including a season-best throw of 64.79m, which ranks as the 13th best throw in the nation for the 2009 outdoor season. Joe Strawder’s season-best long jump and triple jump currently ring in as the fifth and seventh-best performances in the BIG EAST, respectively. In addition, his triple jump of 15.18m not only earned him a spot in the school record books, but surpassed the NCAA Regional qualifying standard. Distance runners Terah Cheatham, Stephanie Hughes, and Matthew Graham all cracked the top-ten in last weekend’s outing in addition to setting new personal records. Cheatham and Graham clocked times of 11:39.60 and 9:24.00, respectively, in the 3,000m steeplechase, while Hughes posted an 18:32.40 in the 5,000m. The Blue Demon hurdlers continue to make strides, as Kelcie Daniels, Patrick Smith, and Erik Felt all lowered their PRs in the 400m hurdles last weekend. Daniels posted a time of 1:02 79, while Smith and Felt crossed the line at 52.68 and 52.90. The majority of the Marquette Twilight will be competed on the Melvin “Bus” Shimek Track and Field Facility, while the hammer and javelin throws take place at the MU Throw Fields. Full results will be available after the meet at www.depaulbluedemons.com.
|
