DePaul University Athletics
Friday, February 8
Geneva, Ohio
All Day
DePaul University
at
Spire Division I Invitational
Trio of Winners for Track & Field at SPIRE Division I Classic
2/9/2019 11:16:00 PM | TRACK AND FIELD
Jade Nolan, Emily Eller and Alex Murray all placed first in their respective events
CHICAGO – It was a busy two days for the men's and women's track & field squads at the SPIRE Divison I Classic. The meet saw success among mostly-new competition by setting nermous personal and career bests as they gear up for the BIG EAST Indoor Championship in two weeks.
Day two of the meet hosted at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio saw a trio of winners. Jade Nolan in the women's triple jump, Emily Eller in the women's shot put and Alex Murray in the men's shot put.
Nolan's impressive 11.99m jump edged Toronto's Laura Amori (11.97m) to earn first in the event. This helps maintain DePaul's dominant presence in the top five among conference competitors. The women's shot put saw competition from York University, Florida International, Dayton, West Virginia along with Chicago neighbors Robert Morris and Chicago State. Eller's dominating 14.04m first-place throw in the shot put saw fellow thrower Alex Murray also claim first with a 14.86m haul.
"The Women's Team as a whole, is starting to round into shape nicely. They brought great competitive energy to the meet this weekend," said head coach Dave Dopek. "The facility is cavernous and when it is not full of people and noise, it is easy to feel like there isn't any energy in the place."
Contributing to the women's successes were standout performances by Jade Nolan in the triple and long jump, along with Kiersten Walker and Courtney Pickering on the track. Nolan finished third among high-level competitors with a season-best 5.59m. Both the 300m and 400m dash saw standout performances by Walker. The Wisconsin native finished third among more than 30 competitors in the 400m dash, clocking in a 55.29 time which places her second in conference. The success carried over into distance as Pickering marked a 5:07.68 in the elite mile run, which marked a new personal best for the junior.
"We faced all new teams, aside from Chicago State, and the ladies came prepared to compete against all comers. They had two meet champions, five additional top-three placers, and recorded 11 personal records," Dopek said. "The last two weekends have shown the women's team is prepared to capitalize on the success that they had during the outdoor championship last year."
Last year's BIG EAST Outdoor Championship saw the women's team secure a second place victory for the first time in program history. The men took home the conference's Indoor and Outdoor championship titles in 2017.
"The men's meet had a different feel to it. While we didn't have all of our normal travel roster, many of those that did travel, came away either with personal records or indications that those PRs are right around the corner," Dopek said.
The men's team saw one meet winner, three additional men in the top three and 10 personal records. Murray's distance helps him maintain a spot in the top five among conference competitors along with his teammates Kyle Hedge and Isaac Jimenez who hold the first and third (t), respectively.
"There is still much work to do for these teams to be at their peak performance level, but we'll get back to work on Monday and continue to get ready for the BIG EAST Indoor Championships in two weeks," Dopek said.
Up Next:
In two weeks, the Blue Demons will return to the same site as the SPIRE Institute will host the championship meet. Before then, DePaul will finish up its regular indoor season at the Alex Wilson Invitational hosted by Notre Dame on Saturday, Feb. 16. Blue Demons saw success during their last trip to Indiana at the Meyo Invitational last weekend.
Social Media:
For everything DePaul track and field, follow the Blue Demons across multiple social media platforms: Twitter or Instagram. Join in the conversation using #PlayingPossesed and #dpuxctf.
Be sure to like DePaul on Facebook and check out some of the sights and sounds around DePaul on Twitter or on Instagram.
Miss any of the action? Subscribe to the Blue Demons on YouTube.
Day two of the meet hosted at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio saw a trio of winners. Jade Nolan in the women's triple jump, Emily Eller in the women's shot put and Alex Murray in the men's shot put.
Nolan's impressive 11.99m jump edged Toronto's Laura Amori (11.97m) to earn first in the event. This helps maintain DePaul's dominant presence in the top five among conference competitors. The women's shot put saw competition from York University, Florida International, Dayton, West Virginia along with Chicago neighbors Robert Morris and Chicago State. Eller's dominating 14.04m first-place throw in the shot put saw fellow thrower Alex Murray also claim first with a 14.86m haul.
"The Women's Team as a whole, is starting to round into shape nicely. They brought great competitive energy to the meet this weekend," said head coach Dave Dopek. "The facility is cavernous and when it is not full of people and noise, it is easy to feel like there isn't any energy in the place."
Contributing to the women's successes were standout performances by Jade Nolan in the triple and long jump, along with Kiersten Walker and Courtney Pickering on the track. Nolan finished third among high-level competitors with a season-best 5.59m. Both the 300m and 400m dash saw standout performances by Walker. The Wisconsin native finished third among more than 30 competitors in the 400m dash, clocking in a 55.29 time which places her second in conference. The success carried over into distance as Pickering marked a 5:07.68 in the elite mile run, which marked a new personal best for the junior.
"We faced all new teams, aside from Chicago State, and the ladies came prepared to compete against all comers. They had two meet champions, five additional top-three placers, and recorded 11 personal records," Dopek said. "The last two weekends have shown the women's team is prepared to capitalize on the success that they had during the outdoor championship last year."
Last year's BIG EAST Outdoor Championship saw the women's team secure a second place victory for the first time in program history. The men took home the conference's Indoor and Outdoor championship titles in 2017.
"The men's meet had a different feel to it. While we didn't have all of our normal travel roster, many of those that did travel, came away either with personal records or indications that those PRs are right around the corner," Dopek said.
The men's team saw one meet winner, three additional men in the top three and 10 personal records. Murray's distance helps him maintain a spot in the top five among conference competitors along with his teammates Kyle Hedge and Isaac Jimenez who hold the first and third (t), respectively.
"There is still much work to do for these teams to be at their peak performance level, but we'll get back to work on Monday and continue to get ready for the BIG EAST Indoor Championships in two weeks," Dopek said.
Up Next:
In two weeks, the Blue Demons will return to the same site as the SPIRE Institute will host the championship meet. Before then, DePaul will finish up its regular indoor season at the Alex Wilson Invitational hosted by Notre Dame on Saturday, Feb. 16. Blue Demons saw success during their last trip to Indiana at the Meyo Invitational last weekend.
Social Media:
For everything DePaul track and field, follow the Blue Demons across multiple social media platforms: Twitter or Instagram. Join in the conversation using #PlayingPossesed and #dpuxctf.
Be sure to like DePaul on Facebook and check out some of the sights and sounds around DePaul on Twitter or on Instagram.
Miss any of the action? Subscribe to the Blue Demons on YouTube.
Players Mentioned
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Jumps
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Distance
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Sprints
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