Jan. 23, 2004
Despite heavy snow and single digit temperatures outside, the Notre Dame men’s and women’s track and field teams began their 2004 indoor campaign Friday evening in the warm confines of the Loftus Sports Center with 16 event victories in the Notre Dame Indoor Opener. The non-team scored meet with Western Michigan, Ball State, DePaul and Loyola Chicago witnessed several solid efforts by the home team.
Seniors Tiffany Gunn and Godwin Mbagwu walked away with double victories. Mbagwu swept both horizontal jumps, winning the long jump competition with a 6.73m effort (22-1) and the triple jump with a 15.06m (49-5) measurement.
Gunn took home victories in the 500 meters (1:13.41) and the 60-meter hurdles (8.83). Her 500-meter time is a season-best for the team captain. She also helped the 4×400 relay team qualify for the BIG EAST Championship with a 3:45.70 effort. The men’s 4×400 relay team also qualified for the conference meet by finishing first in 3:15.99.
Other top efforts for the Irish on Friday evening:
* Sophomore Petra Dankova won the triple jump with a leap of 11.46m (37-7 1/4).
* Senior Juan Alba improved his personal best in the weight throw, winning the competition with a toss of 17.16m (56-3 3/4).
* Senior Jill VanWeelden cleared 3.50m (11-5 3/4) in the pole vault to claim an easy event victory.
* Freshman Dave Viken qualified for the BIG EAST Championship in the pole vault, clearing 4.65m (15-3) and finishing second in the competition.
* Junior Ryan Mineburg continued his solid efforts in the high jump, placing first with a 2.05m (6-8 3/4) clearance.
* Sophomore Stacey Cowan easily won the high jump competition (1.75m – 5-8 3/4) and took three solid stabs at the school record height of 1.80m.
* Junior Trevor McClain-Duer blazed past the field in the final 200 meters to win the 500-meter race in 1:03.29 – a new personal best.
* Freshman Tommie Lee moved closer to qualifying for the BIG EAST Championship in the 60 meters, winning the event with a time of 7.09.
* Sophomore Molly Huddle, the 2003 U.S. Junior 3,000-meter champion, stepped out for her first indoor event of the ’04 campaign and easily won the mile in 4:49.21.
* Sophomore Ryan Postel won his second 400-meter competition of the young indoor season in 48.32.
* Junior Selim Nurudeen won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.96.
* Junior Eric Morrison led a bevy of Irish runners across the finish line in the 800 meters, placing first in 1:52.21. Thomas Chamney was second (1:52.71), Kurt Benninger was third (1:52.71) and Kevin Somok was fourth (1:52.12).
* Senior Ayesha Boyd trimmed almost a second off her season-best time in the 200 meters, winning the event in 24.94.
Both Irish teams will be back in action in seven days, right back in the Loftus Sports Center when Notre Dame plays host to DePaul, Marquette and Michigan State.