Track and Field Set to Compete at the EMU Twilight
4/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO The DePaul men’s and women’s track team returns to action this weekend in Ypsilanti, Mich. for the Eastern Michigan Twilight on April 17-18.
On Friday, the hammer throw and shot put competitions get underway at 3 p.m. (CST) Last week at the Sun Angel Track Classic, Blue Demon standout Brad Millar improved his personal record to 64.79m to place fifth overall. The distance was the junior’s fifth mark of the season to meet the NCAA Regional qualifying requirement of 56.80m. Jim Theologes met his first BIG EAST Conference standard in the shot put, with a throw of 15.51m
On the women’s side, Alanna Kovacs and Virginia MacFabe have both posted conference qualifying marks in the hammer throw. In addition, Kovacs, a freshman out of Minesing, Ontario, has also earned a berth in the BIG EAST Championships in the javelin and discus throws which get underway at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
The remainder of the events occurring on Friday evening includes the 3,000m steeplechase, 1,500m, 400m hurdles, and the 5,000m. Kelcie Daniels, Erik Felt, and Patrick Smith have collected two BIG EAST marks apiece in the 400m hurdles. On Saturday, the running continues at 11 a.m. with the 4x100m relay.
The latest record breaker for the Blue Demons, Joe Strawder, is slated to compete in the long jump and triple jump on Saturday morning. Last weekend in Tempe, Ariz. the junior broke the school triple jump record with a leap of 15.18m to place fifth overall. Previously, Chris Stafford had held the record for nearly 11 years with a distance of 15.17m.
Matthew Graham and Terah Cheatham lead the way for the distance runners, having both placed in the top-10 during every race of the outdoor season. Graham has won every 3,000m steeplechase race of the season, while Cheatham has contributed a first place finish in the 3,000m.
Results will be posted on Friday and Saturday night at www.depaulbluedemon.com as they become available.