May 24, 1999

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Three Notre Dame women’s track and field members reached NCAA provisional marks Saturday at the Georgia Tech-Reebok Invitational in Atlanta, Ga., in a last chance meet to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Boise, Idaho, June 2-5.

Senior hurdler Nadia Schmiedt (London, Ontario) led the Irish with a first-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a season-best and NCAA provisional time of 58.27. Schmiedt’s time also is ranked among the top 25 in the country so far this season in that event.

Freshman Dore DeBartolo (Aurora, Ill.) claimed Notre Dame’s second-best finish by placing second in the discus competition with a NCAA provisional mark of 171-1. DeBartolo also set a new career and school record mark with her toss, beating her own school-record mark of 156-3, which she recorded earlier this season.

Other competing for the Irish at the meet included freshman Liz Grow (New Braunfels, Texas), who continued her excellence in the 400 meters with a NCAA provisional time of 53.41 in placing eighth overall. Junior Jennifer Engelhardt (Battle Creek, Mich.) also took fourth in the high jump with a leap of 5-8 1/2.

Selected members of the Notre Dame women’s track and field team will be back in action at the NCAA championships in two weeks. Bids for the championships will be announced May 27.