Track and Field Opens Season at Notre Dame
12/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO The DePaul men’s and women’s track and field teams open their 2008-09 indoor season on Friday at the Notre Dame Blue/Gold Invitational. The Blue Demons face off against squads from Detroit Mercy, as well as BIG EAST Conference rivals Marquette and Notre Dame.
The meet gets underway at 4 p.m. (CST) with the women’s high jump and the men’s pole vault. DePaul begins competition at 5 p.m. as freshman Meredith Klein and Kelcie Daniels are slated to run the 60m hurdles.
Juniors Joe Strawder and Cynthia Edwards open up the field events with the triple jump scheduled for 5:15 p.m., followed by the long jump at 6:15 p.m. Strawder won the long jump at last season’s Blue/Gold meet with a BIG EAST qualifying distance of 7.10m. In addition, he delivered BIG EAST qualifying performances during every jump of his 2007-08 indoor season.
Sophomore Mary Cate Quiett takes to the track at 5:15 for the 1000m run. Last year at the Loftus Center, Quiett set the first of her seven school records she would break during the 2007-08 season with a first place 1000m time of 2:55.35.
The Blue Demon throwers get underway at 5:45 p.m. with the weight throw, followed by the shot put at 6:45. Two-time BIG EAST weight throw champion Brad Millar tallied six conference qualifying marks last season, culminating in a runner-up performance at the BIG EAST indoor championships. Millar will be joined by sophomore Jim Theologes and new comer James Waller.
On the women’s side, junior veterans Virginia MacFabe and Ebonie Cobb, as well as sophomore Melissa Fraser, look to guide freshman Katie Finck and Alanna Kovacs to similar success they experienced during the 2007-08 season. MacFabe leads the way in the indoor weight throw with a season-best performance of 16.91m. Fraser's unprecedented success came on the outdoor track, where she became the first Blue Demon female thrower to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The sprinting events begin at 5:30 p.m. with the men’s and women’s 60m dash and conclude with the 200m dash at 7 p.m. Senior Stephanie Williams, who garnished conference qualifying marks in the 60m dash, as well as the 200m dash last season, leads the way on the women’s side, while the men are lead by Gilbert Lifton and Gabe Harris.
The competition concludes at 7:45 p.m. with the running of the 4x400m relay race. For full competition schedule, see link at the top of the page. Check back at www.depaulbluedemons.com on Friday night for full Blue/Gold Meet results and recaps.