April 15, 2006
CLAREMONT, Calif. – Despite an unfavorable mix of rain and wind throughout the day, Notre Dame athletes registered victories in five of the eight events they entered at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, which took place Friday afternoon and evening at Strehle Track in Claremont, Calif., on the campus of Pomona College. The meet was part of a busy weekend in southern California for the Irish, who also have several competitors entered in the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays that wrap up late Saturday night in nearby Walnut at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the Mount San Antonio College campus.
The Notre Dame sprint corps took center stage on Friday, accounting for four of the five event wins at Pomona. Junior Okechi Ogbuokiri (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) became the latest of 17 Irish athletes to qualify for the NCAA Mideast Regional, winning the 400-meter dash in a time of 54.47 seconds. Fellow junior Maryann Erigha (Stone Mountain, Ga./Chamblee) collected her fourth individual title of the outdoor season, and second in the 100-meter dash with a winning time of 11.74 seconds. Ogbuokiri and Erigha also ran the middle two legs on Notre Dame’s victorious 4×100-meter relay squad, which took top honors in a season-best 45.84 seconds, more than a second and a half clear of second-place Utah Valley State. Sophomore Domenique Manning (Riverside, Calif./John W. North) led off the relay unit, while another second-year Irish sprinter, Brienne Davis (Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie) ran the anchor leg.
Senior Ryan Postel (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Catholic) was the only Notre Dame male to race at Pomona and made the most of his opportunity, winning the 400-meter dash in 47.34 seconds. Like Erigha, Postel collected his fourth outdoor event title this season, and third in the 400 meters, a distance at which he has already qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional, scheduled for May 26-27 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Senior Stacey Cowan (Ferndale, Wash./Ferndale) earned the other first-place finish for the Irish on Friday, winding up in a group of four high jumpers to clear 5-5 (1.65 meters) in a weather-abbreviated competition. The poor conditions didn’t allow Cowan to improve on her top mark this season (5-8.75, 1.75m), which has put her into next month’s NCAA Mideast Regional. The rain also delayed the reporting of final results in the women’s 200-meter dash, with Erigha considered a favorite in the event after winning it twice in the past month.
Besides closing out action at the Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday evening, Notre Dame athletes took part in the Indy Relays on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. Complete results for all Irish competitors in that meet will be available on Sunday and will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com) and on the Irish Sports Hotline (574-631-3000).
— ND —
Pomona-Pitzer Invitational
April 14, 2006
Strehle Track — Claremont, Calif.
Women’s Results
100 Meters: 1. Maryann Erigha (ND) 11.74
400 Meters: 1. Okechi Ogbuokiri (ND) 54.47
800 Meters: 1. Tyrona Heath (Nike Farm Team) 2:09.10; 4. Jacqueline Carter (ND) 2:11.00
1500 Meters: 1. Brianna Dahm (Nike Farm Team) 4:32.14; 12. Katie DeRusso (ND) 4:40.52
100-Meter Hurdles: 1. Ruky Abdulai (Simon Fraser) 14.03; 11. Domenique Manning (ND) 15.68
4×100-Meter Relay: 1. Notre Dame (Domenique Manning, Okechi Ogbuokiri, Maryann Erigha, Brienne Davis) 45.84
High Jump: 1. (tie) Stacey Cowan (ND) 5-5 (1.65 meters); 5. Emily Loomis (ND) 5-3 (1.60m)
Men’s Results
400 Meters: 1. Ryan Postel (ND) 47.34