Notre Dame middle distance runner Jack Howard

Battle Of The Border: Kentuckiana

April 8, 2011

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the second-straight season, the University of Notre Dame teams up with Indiana to square off with Kentucky and Louisville in the Kentuckiana Border Battle in Louisville, Ky. for state superiority. This will be the first scored meet for Notre Dame during the outdoor season.

“It should be an exciting meet with four very talented teams,” head coach Joe Piane said. This is the second year of the meet that will feature The Commonwealth of Kentucky with Louisville and Kentucky versus the Hoosierland of Indiana with Notre Dame and Indiana.

In last season’s meet the Irish and Hoosiers fell to Kentucky and Louisville by just four points on both the men’s and women’s side.

LAST TIME OUT

The Irish competed at the Mike Poehlein Invitational last weekend (April 1-2) and won nine events. Freshman Michelle Brown won the 200-meter dash in 25.21 and the 400-meter dash in 55.51. Edward Hitchler won the 400-meter dash in 48.57 and helped his 1,600-meter relay team to first place in 9:53.12.

READY FOR RAE?

Sophomore Jeremy Rae currently has the third-fastest 1,500-meter time in the nation, 3:44.09, which was set at the Stanford Invitational on March 25. The time earned his the BIG EAST Male Track Athlete of the Week and a personal best performance. Rae is set to compete in the 800-meter run this weekend.

HANDLING HOWARD

Jack Howard returns to the track after notching a third-place finish in the 800-meter run, which is the 51st-fastest time in the nation. The 2010 Indoor 800-meter All-American will compete in his specialty event, the half-mile race, Saturday.

SPRINTING IRISH

Freshmen Patrick Feeney and Michelle Brown both enter the meet with top seeds in the 400-meter dash. Feeney is No. 1 with a 46.85 time, while Brown is the second seed with a 54.54 time.

THROWIN’ AND VAULTIN’

Denes Veres enters the meet as the No. 2 seed and the senior won the shot put at the Arizona State Invitational on March 26. Kevin Schipper ranks 12th in the nation in the pole vault with a 5.20m mark at the Arizona State Invitational on March 25. The performance earned Schipper the BIG EAST Male Field Athlete of the Week.

Check back to und.com Saturday for compete results and recap of the second annual Border Battle.

–ND–