Student-Athletes Set for NCAA Mid-East Regional
5/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 24, 2007
NCAA Mid-East Regional Home Page
MILWAUKEE - Six members of the Marquette University track & field teams will continue their journey to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Friday, at Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia, Mo., as they compete in the NCAA Mid-East Regional on the campus of the University of Missouri.
The record-number of student athletes competing in the regional includes senior Damian Anisko in the men's hammer and discus throws, junior Michael Boedeker in the men's discus throw, senior Tommy Schmitz in the men's 1,500m, junior Cassie Peller and senior Michaela Courtney in the women's 1,500m and sophomore Scott Mueller in the men's 5,000m.
"All six athletes are really excited to be competing and are all peaking at the right time of the year," said head coach David Uhrich. "All six are ready to have their best meet of the season and if they do that, they at least give themselves the chance to advance to the NCAA Championships."
Six competitors is the most Marquette has ever sent to an NCAA Regional. In 2003, five student-athletes competed. The four male competitors is the most ever on the men's side.
The top five individuals in each event from all four regionals will advance to nationals, held June 6-9 in Sacramento, Calif., automatically. Student-athletes finishing in the top 12 from each regional, but not in the top five, will be placed on a list in descending order according to their season-best mark. From the list, the top six to eight student-athletes per event will be awarded at-large bids and will also advance to nationals, bringing the total per event to 26-28 student-athletes.
Anisko will begin competition with the men's hammer throw at 11 a.m. CST in the first of three flights. His throw of 188-9, a Marquette record, ranks him second in his flight, 26th in the regional, and 94th in the NCAA. The top nine of 35 competitors, plus ties, advance to the finals.
The Mid-East Regional is host to the top hammer thrower in the NCAA this season in Cory Martin. The Auburn star's best toss of the season, 234-3, is the fourth-longest in the United States this season and almost six feet ahead of his closest regional competitor, Jake Dunkleberger, his teammate.
At 3:30 p.m., Anisko, along with Boedeker, will compete in the men's discus throw. Anisko will once against toss in the first of three flights. He ranks 10th (169-11) in the flight, 31st in the regional and 97th in the NCAA. Boedeker tosses in the second flight, ranking fifth (174-6) in the group of 10, 15th in the regional and 67th in the NCAA. The top nine of 31 competitors, plus ties, advance to the finals.
John Harper (Kent State) has the best discus throw in the regional this season, a toss of 190-9, ranking him 16th in the NCAA.
At that same time, Schmitz will run in heat one of the men's 1,500m. He enters the meet with the sixth-fastest time (3:45.11) in his heat, 11th fastest in the regional and 62nd fastest in the NCAA. The top four in each of the two heats, as well as the next fastest four times of the overall 23 competitors in the event, will advance to the final, which will be run on Saturday at 4:20 p.m.
Southern Alabama runner Vincent Rono, ranking fifth in the NCAA, has the top 1,500m time (3:41.43) in the region.
At approximately 3:50 p.m., Peller and Courtney will step up to the line for the women's 1,500m. Peller will run with the sixth-fastest time (4:24.55) in heat one, which also ranks 12th in the regional and 65th in the NCAA. Courtney, who finished fifth in the event at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned All-American honors, ranks seventh (4:25.88) in the second heat, 14th in the region and 92nd in the NCAA. The top four in each of the two heats, as well as the next fastest four times of the overall 23 competitors in the event, will advance to the final, which will be run on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
A junior from Arkansas, Dacia Barr, has the fastest 1,500m time in the regional at 4:14.97 and ranks second in the NCAA.
The final competitor for the Golden Eagles will be Mueller, who will run in the finals (one heat, 26 student-athletes) of the men's 5,000m at 8:40 p.m. His time of 14:06.85 ranks 13th in the region and 73rd in the NCAA.
Wisconsin's Chris Solinsky's time of 13:30.54 is the best at the 5,000m distance in the region. It also ranks fifth in the NCAA, ninth in the United States and 18th in the world.
Players Mentioned
