Track and Field Wins 15 Events at Inaugural DePaul Relays
5/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO The DePaul women’s and men’s track and field teams celebrated the opening of the Lane Stadium track on Wednesday at the inaugural running of The DePaul Relays. The Blue Demons won 15 events while notching a pair of NCAA Regional Championship qualifying marks during their first regular-season home meet in more than 50 years.
Brad Millar opened the meet with a winning performance in the men’s hammer throw. The Blue Demon sophomore covered 59.65m as he satisfied the NCAA Regional standard of 55.60m for the seventh time this season. Millar also competed in the men’s discus throw, where he placed third with a mark of 42.35m.
The women’s javelin throw saw Melissa Fraser take first place with a mark of 46.72m. The freshman from Hillsburgh, Ontario exceeded the NCAA Regional standard of 43.45m for the eighth time this season. Fraser opened her day by placing fourth in the women’s hammer throw with a mark of 44.51m. Tammy Burris led the Blue Demons in the women’s hammer throw with a second-place toss of 50.82m.
DePaul won three additional field events with top marks in the women’s shot put, women’s long jump and men’s long jump. Ebonie Cobb placed first in the women’s shot put with a personal-best mark of 12.86m, while Burris followed in second place with a season-best throw of 12.44m. Lauren Rajski won the women’s long jump with a 4.98m leap and Cynthia Edwards took second place with a season-best jump of 4.90m. The men’s long jump saw Joe Strawder grab first place as he cleared 7.11m.
The Blue Demons broke in Lane Stadium’s new track with a season-best performance in the men’s 4x100m relay. Kwaku Attoh, Gilby Lifton, Pat Smith and Mo Drame passed the baton and finished second with a time of 42.48. The women’s 4x100m squad of Kyra Coffey, Shauna Lurey, Ivy Moffett and Stephanie Williams followed up with a first-place finish as they clocked a time of 42.48.
The women’s 4x800m relay saw Maureen Kuhta, Shannon Lane, Mary Cate Quiett and Claire Duck win with a time of 9:33.35. The Blue Demons ran a solo race in the men’s 4x800m event as Mike Fry, Nick Schaefer, Greg Udzielak and Jakub Kolacz notched a time of 8:16.85.
DePaul won the men’s 4x200m relay as Gabe Harris joined Attoh, Lifton and Drame for a time of 1:28.77. Kyra Coffey, Shannon Lane, Deanna Yaeger and Lauren Bales posted a victory in the women’s 4x400m relay as they passed the baton and clocked a time of 4:19.60. Richard Fugiel and Jamil Chammas teamed with Smith and Lifton in the men’s 4x400m relay for a winning time of 3:22.31. The women’s sprint medley relay saw DePaul take first place as Allyson Petersen, Coffey, Williams and Quiett notched a 4:09.02 performance.
The Blue Demons highlighted Wednesday’s individual races with victories in the women’s 1,500m run, men’s 1,500m run and men’s 3,000m steeplechase. Terah Cheatham won the women’s 1,500m crown with a personal-best time of 4:55.89, while Stephanie Hughes followed in second place with a personal-best race of 4:57.73. Nick Schaefer won the men’s 1,500m run with a performance of 4:04.97 before Greg Udzielak finished second with a personal-best time of 4:06.03. Luke Rygh won the men’s 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 9:46.93.
The Blue Demons return to competition this weekend at the Louisville Cardinal Twilight. The last-chance meet runs Saturday at Cardinal Park in Louisville, Kentucky.