DePaul University
at BIG EAST Outdoor Championships
Blue Demon Men Place Second at BIG EAST Championships
5/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
May 11, 2014
Men's Results | Women's Results
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The DePaul track and field teams capped its 2014 BIG EAST season in outstanding fashion on Sunday afternoon at Villanova University.
The Blue Demon men posted 166 points to grab second place in the conference, while the women took fourth (115 points), just five points behind third place Marquette. Villanova won both the men's and women's team championships.
In addition, DePaul's Xavier Jones was named the Men's Most Outstanding Track Performer, while Matt Babicz was named the Men's Most Outstanding Field Performer. On the women's side, Sarah Moss was named the Women's Most Outstanding Field Performer.
"It was a tough and long weekend but we got 80-degree weather today and people really took advantage of it out there," said head coach Dave Dopek. "The ladies fell just short of the hardware but the men put forth a valiant effort trying to win the conference title. We did a great job with the 18 guys that we had."
Jones captured three individual conference championships and a runner-up title on Sunday. He won the 100-meter dash in 10.61 seconds and took the 200-meter dash in 21.44 seconds. DePaul swept the 200 as well. After Jones, Brandon Threats (21.61) took second and Mac Melto (21.67) finished third. Jones was also a member of two relay teams that medaled. Along with Melto, Threats and Chaz Bottoms, Jones and the Blue Demons won the 4x100-meter relay in 41.89 seconds. In the 4x400-meter relay, the same Blue Demon quartet took second place, logging a time of 3:14.90.
In other men's track events, Melto and Threats placed 1-2 in the finals of the 400-meter dash. Melto crossed the line in 47.29 seconds and Threats finished just a fraction of a second later (47.49).
Babicz won the shot put competition in convincing fashion at the Championships. The senior threw a career-best and Championship-record toss of 19.27 meters to capture the crown by over three full meters. Anthony Babicz (15.91m) took second, while Trevor Kintyhtt (15.62m) placed third.
The Blue Demons also swept the men's discus event. Kintyhtt won the BIG EAST title with a best throw of 51.36 meters. Matt Babicz followed in second (49.83m) and Blake Thompson reached the podium thanks to his throw of 45.26 meters.
On the women's side Moss paced the Blue Demons by reaching the podium in three separate events. She won the discus thanks to her throw of 47.61 meters and placed third in both the shot put (12.88m) and hammer (50.45m) throws.
Women's track events featured a thrilling Blue Demon conference championship in the 4x100-meter relay. Shayna Nwokenkwo, Taylor Farley, Tayler Whittler and Ayesha Ewing won the event in 46.27 seconds, a school record. Whittler also reached the podium thanks to a pair of third place finishes in the 100-meter (11.74 - school record) and 200-meter (24.27) dashes.
In other field events, Corinne Franz was the runner-up finisher to Moss in the discus throw, thanks to her best throw of 43.58 meters.
"It was a tremendous effort. We had eight conference champions and three athletes of the meet. I think people are starting to get the idea as to what kind of success we need to have here. This was the best meet I've been apart of in a long time," Dopek said.
The Blue Demons' success at the Outdoor Championships caps their 2014 team season. They will be notified of Individual National Qualifiers in the coming days.
Players Mentioned
