Feb. 19, 2006
Women’s Results | Men’s Results
AKRON, Ohio – The Notre Dame women’s track and field team reeled off 56.5 points in the final six events to come from 18 points back and capture the 2006 BIG EAST Conference Indoor Championship on Sunday afternoon at the University of Akron Athletics Field House in Akron, Ohio. The Irish finished with 109.5 points to outpace Georgetown (86) and win the program’s second indoor crown (first since 2002) after three consecutive runner-up placements. For their efforts, the Notre Dame coaching staff was recognized as the BIG EAST Women’s Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year, the second time head coach Joe Piane and his assistants — Tim Connelly, John Millar, Scott Winsor and B.J. Linnenbrink — have received that honor (also in 2002).
The Notre Dame men, depleted somewhat by injury, still made a strong showing on the final day and ended up in third place with 94.5 points, trailing only Connecticut (135) and Rutgers (124). The Irish now have made the podium in every BIG EAST indoor meet since joining the conference 11 seasons ago (1995-96).
It was truly a balanced effort for the women’s squad, as Notre Dame scored in virtually every event on Sunday, but claimed just one individual title — junior Maryann Erigha (Stone Mountain, Ga./Chamblee) won the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.96 seconds. It was Erigha’s second career BIG EAST championship, but first at the indoor meet (she won the 100-meter dash at last year’s BIG EAST Outdoor Championships). In addition, Erigha placed third in the 60-meter dash (7.47 seconds) and now has nine career all-BIG EAST citations (five indoor, four outdoor).
The Irish men picked up two individual crowns on Sunday, as junior Thomas Chamney (Tipperary, Ireland/St. Columba’s) won the 800-meter run (1:49.88) and anchored Notre Dame to a win in the 4×800-meter relay (7:28.84). They were the first two individual BIG EAST titles of Chamney’s career.
Both Irish track and field teams have a week off before returning to competition March 3-4 when Notre Dame plays host to the Alex Wilson Invitational at the Loftus Sports Center. This “last chance” meet, which gives participants one final opportunity to post qualifying marks for the NCAA Championships, will get underway Friday, March 3 at 5 p.m. (ET) and resume Saturday, March 4 at 10 a.m. (ET).
A complete recap of Notre Dame’s final day at the BIG EAST Championships follows this release.
— ND —
2006 BIG EAST INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS — DAY 2 RECAP
Heptathlon
Freshman Gonzalo Brenner finished in 12th place with 4,226 points … freshman Tray Morgan had entered Sunday’s action in 14th place overall (2,328 points), but withdrew from the final three events.
60-meter dash
Junior Maryann Erigha finished third in Sunday’s final (7.47 seconds), just being nosed out by Connecticut freshman Jessica Foreman (7.43) and Rutgers senior Shameka Marshall (7.46). It’s the second consecutive year Erigha has earned all-BIG EAST honors with a top-three finish in the event (she was second in 2005). Erigha has qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships in this event with a school-record time of 7.42, set at the Meyo Invitational earlier this month.
No Irish men qualified for the BIG EAST Championship in this event.
200-meter dash
Erigha backed up her top-seeded time from the preliminary round, blazing to her first title at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships in a time of 23.96 seconds. Pittsburgh sophomore Shanea Calhoun was second in 24.14, almost a full two-tenths of a second behind Erigha. Like the 60 meters, Erigha owns an NCAA provisional qualifying time in this event (23.74 at the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 3-4).
No Irish men qualified for the BIG EAST Championship in this event.
400-meter dash
After posting the top qualifying time (55.51) on Saturday, junior Okechi Ogbuokiri was even quicker in Sunday’s final (55.36), but her bid to repeat as league champion was stopped by Louisville freshman Heather Trimiew (55.29). Still, it was Ogbuokiri’s fifth career all-BIG EAST indoor citation (seventh overall), and she already has qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships in this event (54.00 at the Notre Dame Opener on Jan. 20).
Senior Ryan Postel picked up valuable points for the Irish men with his fourth-place finish in the 400 meters (48.30). In fact, it was just the third time Notre Dame has earned points in the event and first since Chris Cochran won the race in 2000.
500-meter dash
Incorrect earlier data had indicated that sophomore Austin Wechter had advanced from Saturday’s preliminaries into the final. However, no Notre Dame runner (men’s or women’s) did qualify for the 500-meter final.
Mile
Freshman Ramsey Kavan collected her second all-BIG EAST honor in as many days with a third-place finish in a time of 4:47.59, becoming one of three runners in the race to break the Akron Athletics Field House record (4:49.30 by Akron’s Beata Rudzinska on Feb. 12). Kavan already has qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships in this event with a 4:45.27 clocking at the Meyo Invitational. Junior Katie DeRusso also scored two points for the Irish at the BIG EAST meet with her seventh-place finish on Sunday, coming in with a personal-best time of 4:56.02 (more than four seconds faster than her old mark of 5:00.73 at last year’s Alex Wilson Invitational).
Sophomore Jake Watson scored points for the Notre Dame men in this event with a fifth-place finish in 4:06.90. The Irish were without the services of junior All-American Kurt Benninger, who withdrew from this weekend’s meet with a sore Achilles. Benninger has automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in this event (3:58.77 at the Notre Dame Invitational on Jan. 27), and should be healthy enough to compete at nationals.
800-meter run
Sophomore Jacqueline Carter narrowly missed picking up her second all-BIG EAST plaque of the meet (and her career), finishing fourth in Sunday’s final (2:10.25), a mere two-hundredths (0.02) of a second behind third-place Andrea Austin of Seton Hall. Carter’s time also came just shy of breaking the school record in the event (2:10.13, set by Erica Peterson in 1993), which would have brought down the longest current standing indoor school record for the Irish women.
Junior Thomas Chamney and sophomore John Cavanaugh kick-started Notre Dame’s second-day scoring with a 1-2 finish in the event. Chamney’s time of 1:49.88 not only yielded his first career BIG EAST individual title (and third all-BIG EAST citation, first indoors), but also set a new Akron Athletics Field House record, obliterating the old mark of 1:51.47 set by Ashland’s Nate Iller back on Feb. 5. Cavanaugh earned his first all-BIG EAST mention with a time of 1:50.45, which would have been the new Field House record if not for Chamney’s effort. Chamney already has qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships in this event, circling the track in 1:48.62 at the Meyo Invitational two weeks ago.
1000-meter run
Junior Brianne Schmidt picked up a point for Notre Dame with her eighth-place finish, registering a time of 2:54.59.
Junior Todd Ptacek had top time in qualifying on Saturday, but it was sophomore Adam Currie who had the higher finish in Sunday’s final, coming in third (2:26.63) for his second career all-BIG EAST plaque (also part of second-place 4×800-meter relay last year). Ptacek contributed points with his sixth-place showing (2:28.02), with this marking the first time ever the Irish have had multiple scorers in this event.
3,000-meter run
Senior Stephanie Madia recorded her second third-place finish of the meet (also 5,000 meters), coming across the line in 9:31.75, one of six runners in the race to exceed the Akron Athletics Field House record (9:46.11 by Akron’s Brandi Schoeppner on Feb. 12). It was the seventh career all-BIG EAST honor (five indoor, two outdoor) for Madia, who posted an NCAA provisional qualifying time (9:27.47) at the Meyo Invitational. Junior Amy Kohlmeier provided strong support for the Irish in the event with her fourth-place showing in a personal-best time of 9:41.09, three second faster than her 9:44.22 mark at the Meyo.
Senior Tim Moore led a 2-4 Notre Dame finish in the race, clocking in at 8:14.82 to easily earn his seventh all-conference mention (sixth indoors). Freshman Patrick Smyth contributed the first BIG EAST meet points of his career, placing fourth in 8:17.51. Both men would have set new Akron Athletics Field House marks, if not for Providence’s Martin Fagan, who won the event in 8:14.16. As was the case in the mile, junior All-American Kurt Benninger, who did not compete this weekend, has automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in this race by virtue of his school-record 7:52.28 at the Meyo Invitational.
4×400-meter relay
The Irish women — junior Maryann Erigha, sophomore Brienne Davis, junior Okechi Ogbuokiri and freshman Nicole Yergler — picked up points in the team competition with a sixth-place finish, completing the circuit in 3:46.70.
The Notre Dame men finished 11th in their race with a time of 3:20.82.
4×800-meter relay
The Irish men — sophomore Adam Currie, sophomore Brett Adams, sophomore John Cavanaugh and junior Thomas Chamney — ran a brilliant race and came away with the BIG EAST title in a time of 7:28.84. It’s the first time Notre Dame has ever won this relay at either the BIG EAST indoor or outdoor meets, although they have come close in each of the past three years (2003 – third indoors/outdoors; 2004 – second outdoors; 2005 – second indoors). For Adams, it was his third BIG EAST indoor relay title in the past two years (also his third all-conference citation), while Chamney collected his fourth all-league distinction (second indoors – also in Sunday’s 800 meters), and the duo of Currie and Cavanaugh garnered their second all-BIG EAST designation of the day (Currie’s third career, Cavanaugh’s second).
The Notre Dame women took runner-up honors in their race and set a new school record in the process with their time of 8:58.67, breaking the old Irish record of 8:59.26 set in 2004. The quartet of junior Brianne Schmidt, sophomore Jacqueline Carter, junior Katie DeRusso (who was a member of the relay unit that held the old school record) and freshman Ramsey Kavan also matched the best-ever finish for the Irish in the event at the BIG EAST meet, last achieved in 1996. It resulted in Kavan’s third all-BIG EAST citation this year, while Schmidt and Carter earned the second of their careers, and DeRusso raced to her firs-ever all-conference honor.
60-meter hurdles
No Irish men or women qualified for Sunday’s finals in this event.
High jump
Seniors Stacey Cowan and Emily Loomis were part of a four-way tie for second place, each clearing 5′ 7″ (1.70 meters), with all four tied competitors having had the same number of misses. For Cowan, it marks the third consecutive year she has taken at least a share of the runner-up spot at the BIG EAST indoor meet, while Loomis did the same in 2003 and was third in 2002 (she also won the ’04 outdoor crown). It was Cowan’s seventh career all-BIG EAST performance (four indoor, three outdoor), while Loomis received her fifth all-conference mention (three indoor, two outdoor).
Freshman Blair Majcina reached the podium for the first time in his brief career, finishing third with a top height of 6′ 7.5″ (2.02 meters). It’s the fifth time in the past six years an Irish men’s high jumper has placed in the top three at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships.
Pole vault
Freshman Mary Saxer finished second in her first BIG EAST meet, topping the bar at 12′ 11.75″ (3.96 meters), but failing in three attempts to set a new school record and qualify for the USATF Championships at 13′ 4″ (4.06 meters). It was the first time an Irish women’s vaulter had finished in the top three of the conference indoor event since Jaime Volkmer capped a five-year run of Notre Dame success with her 2003 title. Saxer already has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with her school-record leap of 13′ 3.5″ (4.05 meters) at last month’s Notre Dame Invitational.
Senior Laura Huarte also garnered points for the Irish this year with a fourth-place showing, clearing a personal-best height of 12′ 3.5″ (3.75 meters). Huarte’s previous PR was 12 feet (3.66 meters), which she set in a 2003 triangular home meet against Western Michigan and Ball State.
Triple jump
Junior Cassie Gullickson was a point scorer for Notre Dame in this competition, coming away in seventh place with a top distance of 38′ 1.25″ (11.61 meters).
No Irish men qualified for this event at the BIG EAST Championships.
Shot put
Senior Meghan Horn ripped off a season-best heave of 46′ 8.25″ (14.23 meters) in the opening round and made it stand up, coming in fourth place and earning points for the Irish in the event. Horn’s prior season-long toss had been 44′ 9.75″ (13.66 meters) at the Notre Dame Invitational.
Sophomore Mike Schubert made a contribution to the Irish effort, collecting team points on the basis of his sixth-place finish with a personal-best throw of 52′ 9.25″ (16.08 meters). Like Horn, Schubert’s previous top mark came at the Notre Dame Invitational, when he logged a toss of 51′ 7.75″ (15.74 meters).
2006 BIG EAST INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS — FINAL STANDINGS
MEN
1. Connecticut – 135
2. Rutgers – 124
3. NOTRE DAME – 94.5
4. Louisville – 77.5
5. Villanova – 74
6. Pittsburgh – 69
7. Georgetown – 61
8. Seton Hall – 48
9. Providence – 36
10. Syracuse – 30
11. Marquette – 28
12. DePaul – 3
WOMEN
1. NOTRE DAME – 109.5
2. Georgetown – 86
3. Pittsburgh – 85
4. Villanova – 67
5. Syracuse – 53
6. St. John’s – 52
7. Rutgers – 51
8. Connecticut – 50
9. West Virginia – 45.75
10. Louisville – 39
11. Providence – 35
12. Marquette – 34
13. Seton Hall – 31
14. Cincinnati – 25
15. South Florida – 15.75
16. DePaul – 1