Track and Field Enters BIG EAST Outdoor Championships
5/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
VILLANOVA, Pa. The DePaul men’s and women’s track and field teams line up with the best of their league this weekend at the 2008 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Blue Demons look to compete in 19 events throughout Saturday and Sunday at Jumbo Elliott Track.
DePaul enters Saturday’s action at noon (EST) when Melissa Fraser takes on the women’s javelin throw. The Blue Demon freshman carries the top javelin mark in the BIG EAST this season with her March 29 performance of 48.34m.
Ebonie Cobb continues Saturday’s throwing events at 1:30 p.m. when she joins the women’s shot put. Cobb recorded a season-best throw of 12.48m on April 4 at the Chicagoland Championships.
Claire Duck opens competition on the track at 1:30 p.m. in the women’s 1,500m run trials. Duck clocked three times this season better than the BIG EAST qualifying standard of 4:38.44. Her season-best time of 4:29.72 came on April 5 at the Chicagoland Championships.
Saturday’s field events continue at 2:30 p.m. when Joe Strawder enters the men’s long jump. The Blue Demon sophomore holds the league’s fifth-best mark this season with his NCAA Regional Championship qualifying jump of 7.41m. Strawder exceeded the BIG EAST standard of 6.90m in four meets during the outdoor campaign.
Competition on the track continues at 2:45 p.m. as Gabe Harris races in the men’s 400m dash preliminaries. Stephanie Williams follows at 3 p.m. in the women’s 100m dash trials. Saturday also places Williams in the 200m dash preliminaries at 4:40 p.m.
Allyson Petersen and Mary Cate Quiett join the women’s 800m run trials at 3:30 p.m. The April 12 Sun Angel Track Classic saw Quiett set a DePaul 800m record of 2:10.24, while Petersen followed with a season-best time of 2:12.87 in the same race.
Tammy Burris and Brad Millar close out Saturday’s field events at 4:30 p.m. with the women’s discus and men’s javelin. Burris carries a season-best discus mark of 41.96m, while Millar boasts a javelin throw of 57.20m.
DePaul wraps up Saturday’s competition at 4:55 p.m. when Gabe Vargas joins Harris in the men’s 200m dash preliminaries. Harris enters the race with a season-best time of 22.04, while Vargas carries a top mark of 22.12.
Sunday’s events place the Blue Demons in the women’s and men’s hammer throw, women’s and men’s triple jump, women’s and men’s 4x100m relays, women’s 4x800m relay and men’s 4x400m relay. The final day of competition also brings the final heats for the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m races.
The 2007 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships saw DePaul place 11th in the men’s standings with 31 points and 15th in the women’s standings with 13 points. Louisville won the men’s team title with a score of 142, while Notre Dame won the women’s crown with a score of 120.50.
Live video and results of the 2008 BIG EAST Championships can be viewed throughout the weekend at BIG EAST Championship Central.