March 9, 2013
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s track team did not disappoint on the final day of competition at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships as the Irish finished eighth or better in all four of final individual events Saturday night inside the Randal Tyson Track Complex.
The men’s squad gathered in a total of six points in the highly contested two-day meet to finish 32th within a representation of 54 schools in the field. The women’s team placed five points on the board and slid into 35th place out of 52 teams. The women’s 35nd place team finish was the best finish since 2004 when the Irish tied for 21st with a total of 10 points.
Patrick Feeney was the top finisher on the day for the Irish. Feeney placed fourth in the 400m with a time of 46.03. Teammate Chris Giesting finished eighth after stopping the clock at 46.99. Feeney and Giesting are in position to become the 15th and 16th Irish track and field student-athletes to be crowned two-time All-Americans. The pair joins Aubrey Lewis (1956-’57) as the second and third Irish to earn the honor in the 400m. Feeney was just beat out of a third-place finish by .02 seconds by Florida’s Hugh Graham Jr.
Jade Barber came through the line at 8.20 in the 60mH to finish seventh in the finals. Clemson’s Brianna Rollins broke the meet and facility record in the finals with a winning time of 7.79. Rollins nearly tied the collegiate record, which is 7.78.
Rebecca Tracy finished eighth in the mile with a time of 4:39.38. Colorado’s Emma Coburn won the event with a time of 4:29.91, just two tenths of a second from tying the meet record.
The women’s 4x400m relay team comprised of Jade Barber, Michelle Brown, Megan Yanik and Margaret Bamgbose closed out the meet by placing 11th with a time of 3:35.85. The squad trailed the two closest teams by .55 seconds as the event proved to be a tight knit battle.
Arkansas claimed the men’s team title after compiling a total of 74 points, holding off second place Florida, who chased its SEC rival with 59 points. Oregon won the team title on the women’s side. Kansas finished runner-up with 44 points, just barely surpassing LSU who put together a total of 43 points.
The Irish return to the track March 22-23 to open the outdoor season at the Victor Lopez Invitational in Houston, Texas.
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