May 26, 2012
SCHIPPER INTERVIEW – FLO TRACK
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of Notre Dame concluded a successful NCAA East Preliminary Round Saturday at Hodges Stadium with a total of three individuals and two relay teams claiming berths to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Along with Kevin Schipper (pole vault) and Johnathan Shawel (1,500m run) earning their second career tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championship, Rebecca Tracy (1,500m run) earned her first career appearance and both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams qualified.
The total of five women’s individuals and relay teams who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships marks the most for the Irish since 2005 when eight members advanced. The men also earned five bids, matching their total from the 2010 season.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships take place June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.
NCAA QUALIFIERS
Martin Grady – 10,000m
Jessica Rydberg – 10,000m
Kaila Barber – 400m Hurdles
Megan Yanik – 400m Hurdles, 4x400m Relay
Patrick Feeney – 400m, 4x400m Relay
Kevin Schipper – Pole Vault
Johnathan Shawel – 1,500m
Rebecca Tracy – 1,500m
Jade Barber – 4x400m Relay
Michelle Brown – 4x400m Relay
Natalie Geiger – 4x400m Relay
Brendan Dougherty – 4x400m Relay
Mitchell Lorenz – 4x400m Relay
Chris Giesting – 4x400m Relay
COMPLETE RESULTS
MEN’S POLE VAULT
Kevin Schipper qualified for his second NCAA Outdoor Championship, finishing tied for first with a vault of 5.32m (17-5.50 ft.). A 2010 All-American in the outdoor vault, Schipper represents the first Irish men’s pole-vaulter to make multiple appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
MEN’S 1,500M RUN
Johnathan Shawel secured his second-straight trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing fourth in his heat and overall in 3:46.26. Last season, Shawel finished in 13th place. He represents the first 1,500m runner for the Irish to earn back-to-back berths at NCAAs since Kurt Benninger did so in 2007-08.
Jeremy Rae also competed, finishing in 19th in 3:49.59.
WOMEN’S 1,500M RUN
Rebecca Tracy matched Shawel’s performance on the women’s side, finishing fourth in her heat and overall in 4:16.94 to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She is just the third Notre Dame woman to qualify for an outdoor championship in the event, joining Lauren King and Kerry Meagher on that short list. She also is the first to qualify since Meagher did so during the 2005 season.
Alexa Aragon finished 10th in her heat and 19th overall with a time of 4:26.34.
WOMEN’S 4x400M RELAY
Jade Barber, Michelle Brown, Megan Yanik and Natalie Geiger earned a berth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a result of finishing third in their heat and ninth overall in 3:35.85. It is the first time since 2003 (Tiffany Gunn, Kristen Dodd, Ayesha Boyd, Kymia Love) that a Notre Dame women’s 4X400m relay team has reached the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
MEN’S 4x400M RELAY
Brendan Dougherty, Patrick Feeney, Mitchell Lorenz and Chris Giesting qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championship after earning one of the three best times of the non-automatic qualifiers with their mark of 3:06.20. The Irish relay finished fourth in their heat but were the top time of any team not within the top three qualifiers of the three-heat race and were the ninth-best time overall.
WOMEN’S 4x100M RELAY
The Irish 400m relay team of Kaila Barber, Jade Barber, Michelle Brown and Aijah Urssery finished 22nd in 53.71 seconds.
MEN’S SHOT PUT
Andrew Brock placed 35th with a throw of 16.90m (55-5.50 ft.).
–ND–