Track and Field Enters Louisville Cardinal Twilight
5/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO The DePaul men’s and women’s track and field teams seek additional NCAA Regional Championship qualifications this weekend at Louisville’s Cardinal Twilight. The Blue Demons enter Saturday’s meet at Cardinal Park already holding a program-best five qualifications.
Melissa Fraser opens competition for DePaul at 10 a.m. (CDT) when she enters the women’s javelin throw. The BIG EAST Conference champion already holds eight marks this season greater than the NCAA Regional standard of 43.45m, including a DePaul record throw of 48.34m. Fraser’s top mark currently stands as the 26th best throw in the NCAA this year.
Joe Strawder joins the meet at 11 a.m. in the men’s long jump. The Blue Demon sophomore opened the 2008 outdoor season with an NCAA Regional qualifying leap of 7.41m. Strawder is also slated to compete at 2:30 p.m. in the men’s triple jump. His season-best mark of 14.77m places him just 0.23m away from a second NCAA Regional bid.
DePaul places another BIG EAST champion in Saturday’s competition as Brad Millar takes on the men’s hammer throw at 11:30 a.m. Millar joins the meet with seven throws greater than the NCAA Regional standard of 56.80m. His season-best mark of 61.96m is currently the 40th ranked mark in the NCAA.
Tammy Burris competes at 3 p.m. in the women’s discus throw before she closes out field events at 5 p.m. in the hammer throw. The Blue Demon senior holds a season-best hammer throw of 53.29m and a top discus mark of 44.07m.
DePaul opens competition on the track just after 5 p.m. when Claire Duck races in the women’s 1,500m run. Duck recorded a personal-best time of 4:28.00 at the BIG EAST Championship, placing herself just 0.20 seconds away from the NCAA Regional standard.
Saturday’s middle-distance events also place Allyson Petersen in the women’s 800m run. The Blue Demon senior carries a pair of 800m times this season better than 2:14.00, with a personal-best race of 2:12.87.
Stephanie Williams is set to represent the Blue Demons in Saturday’s sprinting events as she enters the women’s 100m dash and 200m dash. The BIG EAST Championships saw Williams set DePaul records in both races with a 100m time of 11.80 and a 200m time of 24.01. She heads into Saturday’s competition just 0.05 seconds shy of both the 100m and 200m standards.
The Cardinal Twilight is one of several “last chance” meets being held across the nation this week as NCAA Regional Championships run May 30-31.