Feb. 24, 2016

By Lizzie Mikes

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame track and field program is headed to Boston College this week, to compete in their third ACC Indoor Track and Field Championship meet. The meet opens Thursday February 25th at the Reggie Lewis Center, and finishes Saturday the 27th.

The Irish women are currently ranked 13th in the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls. The Irish, who claimed third at the 2015 ACC meet, feature several strong performers on their 22-woman roster this year. Among those making the trip is 2015 NCAA Outdoor champion and defending NCAA women’s cross country Champion senior Molly Seidel (Hartland, Wis. / distance), who will be competing in the 3,000m and 5,000m races.

Other top women’s performers for Notre Dame include seniors Margaret Bamgbose (Evanston, Ill. / sprints/hurdles), and Danielle Aragon (Billings, Mont. / middle distance) and graduate student standouts Carly Loeffel (Cary, Ill. / multi-events) and Kaila Barber (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / Sprints/hurdles/jumps).

Bamgbose is an eight-time USTFCCCA All-American, earning first team honors in the indoor 400m and distance medley relay last year. She also stands as the defending ACC Indoor 400m champion, setting both a school and conference championships record with her time of 52.10 last season. For her academic efforts, she was selected to the All-ACC Academic Indoor track & field team.

Aragon joined Bamgbose in earning 2015 First Team All-American honors for the indoor distance medley relay last year, and also ran her way to First Team All-ACC accolades in the indoor mile and Second Team conference honors in the 3,000m. She earned a spot on the USTFCCCA All-Academic track & field team and the All-ACC Academic Indoor track & field team as well. She finished second in the mile with a time of 4:37.68 at last year’s conference championship and took sixth in the 3,000m (9:22.34).

Loeffel did not compete in the indoor season last year, but did earn First Team All-ACC honors in the heptathlon in the outdoor season. In her sophomore campaign she was a BIG EAST standout for the Irish, earning second team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon. She finished second in the pentathlon at the 2013 BIG EAST Indoor Championships with 3,915 points, earning all-BIG EAST honors.

Barber sat out the indoor season last year, but was a competitive sprinter in the outdoor season. At the ACC Outdoor meet, Barber claimed seventh in the 400m hurdle prelims (59.22) and third in the 4x100m relay (45.05), earning All-ACC honors with the relay squad. As a junior, she competed in seven different events during the course of the indoor/outdoor season, and earned fifth place in the finals of the 60m hurdles (8.40) at the ACC Indoor Championship before helping the Irish 4×100 relay team (45.07) to second at the ACC Outdoor Championship.

On the men’s side, top Irish entries include junior Jacob Dumford (Westerville, ohio / middle distance) in the mile and 3,000m; joining Dumford in the mid-distance races are junior Christopher Marco (Toms River, N.J. / middle distance) and sophomore Kevin Pullliam (McLean, Va. / distance). Junior Nate Richartz (Island Lake, Ill. / pole vault), junior Anthony Shivers (Salem, Ohio / throws) and senior Brent Swanberg (Manhattan, Ill. / multi-events) also will be key performers for Notre Dame in the men’s field events.

Both the men’s and women’s distance medley relays stand to be in contention for medalling, and the women’s 4x400m relay hopes to build off their third place finish (3:37.56) last season.

Live results will be available throughout the event, the finals of which will be broadcast on ESPN3 on Saturday. To keep up with the Irish, follow @NDXCTF on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

— ND —

Lizzie Mikes serves as Media Services Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame. A 2013 graduate of Johnson & Wales University, she oversees credential management and is the athletic communications director for Fighting Irish men’s and women’s swimming and diving and track and field. She has assisted with numerous NCAA postseason events hosted by Notre Dame, and is heavily involved in the day-to-day tasks of the athletic communications office.