Junior Jeremy Rae won the 1,000m run on Saturday at the Notre Dame Invitational.

January 21, 2012

Giesting Breaks Notre Dame And Meyo Track Record In 500m Run

Jan. 21, 2012

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame track and field freshman standout Chris Giesting broke a 29-year old Irish mark on Saturday as he lowered the school record in the 500-meter run to 1:01.89 at the Notre Dame Invitational. The time also broke the Meyo Track record from 2007.

Giesting’s time in the 500m broke Steve Dziabis’mark of 1:01.92 from 1983, and also smashed Louisville’s Shaquan Brown’s time of 1:02.60 from 2007.

The Batesville, Ind., native’s record was just one of the many highlights on the day for the Irish, who won six events and hit 60 BIG EAST qualifying standards, with 30 of those being reached for the first time this season.

For Giesting it’s his second record in two weeks, as he tied the Grand Valley State track record in the 600m (1:19.12) last weekend at the Bob Eubanks Open.

“Today’s meet was a great one for track and field fans,” said head coach Joe Piane. “Chris broke a 29-year old school record, a Michigan State women’s high jumper leapt six feet and a DePaul shot putter had a NCAA qualifying toss of 20.01 meters. We had several strong performances today from Kelly Burke in the pole vault to the men’s 4x400m relay team and many others in between.”

The Irish will hit the road again next weekend as they compete in the Indiana Relays on Friday and Saturday.

Notre Dame Event-By-Event Results

Men’s Long Jump

Notre Dame was paced by sophomore Logan Renwick, who placed third with a leap of 6.82m. Patrick Glass took fifth with a BIG EAST qualifying jump of 6.72m.

Women’s Long Jump

Michigan State and South Florida claimed the top five spots in the long jump, before a Notre Dame jumper made an appearance. Sophomore Jessie Christian placed sixth with a leap of 5.36m, while K. Barber finished eighth with a leap of 5.33m.

Men’s 60m Hurdles

The Irish had a pair of top-five finishers in the 60m hurdles as Jarrod Buchanon placed third in 8.23, while Bryce Wood took fifth in 8.58.

Women’s 60m Hurdles

Freshman Kaila Barber took second in the 60m hurdles, finishing in 8.59. A trio of Irish hurdlers placed sixth (Maddie Buttinger), seventh (Meghan Moore) and eighth (Fiona Paladino), respectively.

Men’s 1,000m

The Irish took three of the top four spots in the 1,000m. Jeremy Rae (2:23.45) and Johnathan Shawel (2:24.95), who were each making their first appearances of the outdoor season, took first and third, respectively. Both times qualified them automatically for the BIG EAST Indoor Championships. Senior Randall Babb placed fourth in 2:24.98.

Women’s 1,000m

Notre Dame swept the 1,000m run as Kelly Curran (2:50.70) and McKinzie Schulz (2:51.26) took first and second. Both times were BIG EAST qualifying marks.

Men’s 60m

South Florida dominated the 60m dash, taking three of the top four spots. Patrick Feeney claimed the best finish for the Irish, as the 400m specialist dropped down to the 60m and took fifth in a BIG EAST qualifying time of 7.01.

Women’s 60m

Aijah Urssery was the top finisher for the Irish in the 60m dash, turning in a third place finish in 7.68.

Men’s 500m

Giesting broke the Notre Dame and Meyo Track record in the 500m, blazing to a first place finish in 1:01.89. The time was well over two seconds faster than his closest competitor. The mark was also a BIG EAST qualifying time.

Women’s 500m

Maddie Buttinger secured her place at the BIG EAST Championships in the 500m, taking sixth in 1:16.03.

Men’s Mile

Notre Dame took five of the top nine spots in the mile field, with all five running BIG EAST qualifying times. Crossing the line in fourth place was Thomas Pesch (4:13.48). He was followed by Jake Kildoo (6^th, 4:15.90), Jeffrey MacMillan (7^th, 4:16.36), Kelly Lynch (8^th, 4:17.31) and Joe Miller (9^th, 4:18.84).

Women’s Mile

The Irish produced four of the top 10 spots, with sophomore Alexa Aragon crossing the line in second place in 4:46.32. Freshman Emily Frydrych (4^th, 4:55.84), senior Molly Hirt (5^th, 5:01.71) and Meg Ryan (10^th, 5:06.11) followed closely behind. All four were BIG EAST qualifying times.

Men’s High Jump

Doug Onuscheck and Peter Sullivan were the top finishers in the high jump as they both turned in BIG EAST qualifying leaps. Onuscheck placed sixth with a leap of 1.96m, while Sullivan finished eighth with jump of 1.96m.

Women’s High Jump

Maddie Buttinger claimed third in the high jump with a BIG EAST qualifying leap of 1.68m.

Men’s 800m

A trio of Notre Dame runners qualified for the BIG EAST Championships in the 800m. Zac Suriano took second in 1:53.64, with teammate Eddy Gibbons following along in third in 1:54.20. Mitchell Lorenz finished fifth in 1:54.59.

Women’s 800m

Notre Dame qualified three for the BIG EAST Championships in the 800m. Schulz placed second in 2:12.93, while Allison Schroeder claimed fourth in 2:14.43. Kelly Curran finished sixth in 2:15.19 to close out the event for the Irish.

Men’s 400m

Brendan Dougherty crossed the line in second place for the Irish, running a BIG EAST qualifying time of 48.43. Buchanon finished not far behind in fourth in another BIG EAST qualifying time of 49.10.

Women’s 400m

Senior Natalie Geiger was the lone BIG EAST qualifier for the Irish in the 400m, as she finished in second place (56.92).

Men’s 4x400m Relay

Notre Dame claimed the top spot in the 4x400m relay, as the team of Dougherty, Lorenz, Feeney and Giesting cruised to victory in 3:12.61.

Women’s 4x400m Relay

The Irish took second in the women’s 4x400m relay, as the team of Geiger, Brown, Buttinger and K. Barber finished in a time of 3:45.78.

Men’s 3,000m

Aided by a pair of pace runners, junior J.P. Malette dominated the 3,000m field, winning in a BIG EAST qualifying time of 8:21.69.

Women’s 3,000m

A pair of Irish runners qualified for the BIG EAST Championships, as senior Rachel Velarde (5^th, 9:48.96) and junior Jessica Rydberg (6^th, 9:50.59) finished within a couple of steps of each other.

Men’s Shot Put

A pair of Notre Dame shot putters qualified for the BIG EAST as Andrew Brock (5^th, 16.89m) and Andrew Hills (8^th, 16.03m) both reached the mark. In one of the more impressive showings of the day, DePaul’s Tim Nedow qualified for the NCAAs with a toss of 20.01m, over a meter more than his closest competition.

Women’s Shot Put

Two Irish throwers hurled BIG EAST qualifying tosses, as Emily Morris (13.21m) and Madeline Casanova (13.17m), finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Women’s Triple Jump

Jesse Christian (11.59m), Kelly Burke (11.58m) and Mary Esther Gourdin (11.49m) went sixth, seventh and eighth in the women’s triple jump. All three distances were BIG EAST qualifying marks.

Men’s 200m

Feeney continued his impressive day, winning the 200m in a BIG EAST qualifying time of 21.68. He was followed by teammate Keith Mesidor, who took third in a conference qualifying mark of 22.43.

Women’s 200m

Urssery (5^th, 25.22) and Brown (11^th, 25.40) both qualified for the 200m at the BIG EAST Championships.

Women’s Pole Vault

The Irish had three vaulters in the top six, with sophomore Kelly Burke leading the way in a tie for first place with a vault of 3.70m. Kathryn Barousse was close behind in third with an identical 3.70m vault, while Kayla Polcari took sixth with a vault of 3.55m. All three vaults were BIG EAST qualifying marks.

Men’s Weight Throw

Four Irish throwers finished in the top eight and qualified for the BIG EAST Championships in the process. Notre Dame took the fifth through the eight slots, with Anthony Thomas (17.81m), Jordan Stumph (17.66m), Andrew Hills (17.26m) and Mike Smigelski (16.25m) leading the charge.

Women’s Weight Throw

Notre Dame had a pair of BIG EAST qualifying throws in the women’s weight throw, as Mason Bashaw (7^th, 16.23m) and Casanova (8^th, 15.94m) finished one after the other.

NOTRE DAME VICTORIES
Chris Giesting – 500m
Jeremy Rae – 1,000m
J.P. Malette – 3,000m
Brendan Dougherty, Mitchell Lorenz, Patrick Feeney and Chris Giesting – Men’s 4x400m Relay
Kelly Burke – Pole Vault
Kelly Curran – 1,000m

BIG EAST QUALIFIERS

MEN

Long Jump
Logan Renwick
Patrick Glass

60m Hurdles
Jarrod Buchanon
Bryce Wood

1,000m
Jeremy Rae
Johnathan Shawel
Randall Babb
Jordan Carlson
Kevin Byrne

60m
Patrick Feeney

500m
Chris Giesting

Mile
Thomas Pesch
Jake Kildoo
Jeffrey MacMillan
Kelly Lynch
Joe Miller

High Jump
Doug Onuscheck
Peter Sullivan

800m
Zac Surriano
Eddy Gibbons
Mitchell Lorenz

400m
Brendan Dougherty
Jarrod Buchanon