February 6, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After two days of competition, the Notre Dame track and field teams came away with 11 first-place finishes, including eight on Saturday, at the adidas/Meyo Invitational held at Notre Dame, Feb. 5-6. Two Alabama runners, Tim Broe (mile) and Cori Loving (400 meters) also ran NCAA automatic qualifying times, which highlighted the ninth annual competition.
After wins by Notre Dame pole vaulter Natalie Hallett, distance runner Anne McGrath and the Notre Dame distance medley team on Friday, the Irish women’s track and field team claimed victories in the high jump and the 400 and 500-meter run on Saturday. Junior Jennifer Engelhardt provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with a winning leap of 5-9 3/4, her best mark indoors since 1997. Notre Dame middle distance runners Nadia Schmiedt (400 meters) and Sarah Lopienski (500 meters) also placed first with times of 56.06 and 1:19.88 respectively.
Despite not winning any of the four events on Friday, the Notre Dame men came back strong with five first-place finishes. Junior Matt Thompson gave the Irish their first win with a throw of 51-3 in the shot put. In the men’s pole vault, Irish senior Mike Brown equaled a NCAA qualifying mark for the second time this season with a vault of 17-2 3/4.
The other three Notre Dame wins came in the 200 and 1000 meters and in the mile. Junior Marshuan West continued his outstanding season by placing first in the 200 with a time of 21.16, bettering his NCAA provisional qualifying time by 0.01 seconds. In the 1000 meter, junior Phil Mishka beat five of his teammates in an all Irish field with a time of 2:27.56, and freshman Pat Conway came away with his first collegiate victory by winning the men’s mile in 4:12.95.
This year’s edition of the adidas/Meyo Invitational included teams from Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, Western Ontario, Illinois State and assorted individual runners. The Notre Dame men’s and women’s indoor track and field will travel next weekend to the Central Collegiate Championships, hosted by Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. on Feb. 12-13.