Track and Field Opens Season with BIG EAST Marks
12/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
NOTRE DAME, Ind. Nine Blue Demons posted BIG EAST Championship qualifying marks as the DePaul men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their 2007-08 indoor season at the Notre Dame Blue/Gold Invitational on Friday. The Blue Demons won three events in a meet that featured competition from BIG EAST rivals Marquette and Notre Dame.
Joe Strawder won the long jump with an indoor personal-best mark of 7.10m. He surpassed the BIG EAST qualifying standard of 6.55m while edging Shawn McLarney of Marquette by 0.50m.
DePaul’s throwing corps gave three more qualifying performances in the field events. Tammy Burris placed third in the women’s weight throw with a distance of 16.13m, while Virgina MacFabe followed in fourth place with a 15.38m throw. Both Blue Demons exceeded the BIG EAST standard of 15.25m. Brad Millar posted a weight throw of 16.96m as he took second place in the men’s event and eclipsed the standard of 14.97m.
Mary Cate Quiett and Claire Duck delivered a pair of first place races on the track. Quiett won the 1,000m run with a time of 2:55.35, while Duck took the 3,000m crown with a time of 10:11.66. Quiett’s time broke through the 1,000m BIG EAST standard of 2:59.04.
DePaul’s sprinters posted four BIG EAST qualifying times beginning with Gabe Harris’ second-place finish in 400m dash. Harris clocked a time of 49.84 to hit the qualifying time on the nose. The women’s 200m dash saw Stephanie Williams finish second with a time of 25.24 as she surpassed the qualifying standard of 25.50. Gilbert Lifton and Gabe Vargas both met the men’s 200m dash qualifying time of 22.69. Lifton finished fourth with a time of 22.54, while Vargas finished fifth with a time of 22.69.
No team scores were kept at the meet.
The Blue Demons return to action on Saturday, January 12 at the Purdue Invitational in West Lafayette, Indiana.