Men’s & women’s track each aim for third BIG EAST outdoor crown

Photo by: Maggie Bean

Men’s & women’s track each aim for third BIG EAST outdoor crown

5/8/2019 3:03:00 PM | Track & Field

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The Golden Eagles will compete Friday and Saturday in New York at Icahn Stadium

By: Communications

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's and women's track and field teams are set to compete in the 2019 BIG EAST Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 at Icahn Stadium on Randalls Island in New York.

LIVE COVERAGE:
LIVE VIDEO (TWITTER) | LIVE VIDEO (CAFFEINE.tv) | LIVE RESULTS | TWITTER | BIG EAST PERFORMANCE LIST

The meet is set to begin at 9 a.m. Central time on Friday with the women's hammer throw and the 100-meter dash of the decathlon. Events on the track will run from noon CT through the men's 10,000 meters at 4:45 p.m. CT. Action resumes Saturday with the decathlon at 8 a.m. CT and the awards ceremony is slated for 2:45 p.m. CT.

Live results will be available through RandallsIsland.org, while live streaming video through the BIG EAST Digital Network can be accessed on www.caffeine.tv/BEDN and www.twitter.com/bigeast.

The men and women are each aiming for their third BIG EAST outdoor crowns and the men are looking to repeat for the first time. The MU women captured back-to-back team titles in 2016 and 2017 but were third last season.

MARQUETTE MEN
The Golden Eagles earned their second-highest point total (230.5) last season to win their second team title in three years. Each year since 2015, the MU men have finished second in odd-numbered years and first in even years.

One competitor who has been key to their success is junior Daniel Armstrong, who is looking for his third men's high jump championship in as many seasons. Armstrong won gold at the 2019 BIG EAST Indoor Championships and is a two-time NCAA Second Team Indoor All-American. He currently leads the BIG EAST with a height of 2.12 meters this outdoor season and won last year's meet at 2.16 meters (7 feet, 1 inch). Prior to Armstrong's jump last season, no jumper had cleared 7 feet at a BIG EAST meet since Adam Bergo of Rutgers in 2010.

Since the BIG EAST realigned for the 2013-14 campaign, MU men have won all five outdoor high jump competitions, with Michael Saindon (2014) and Wally Ellenson (2015 and 2016) preceding Armstrong.

Samuel Johnson (long jump) and Brendan McKinney (hammer throw) also return as event winners on the men's side and have positioned themselves nicely after indoor BIG EAST crowns earlier this year in the long jump and weight throw, respectively. McKinney and fellow senior Terrance Howard form a potent 1-2 punch in the men's throws with McKinney (first in the BIG EAST) leading Howard (second) in the hammer throw, while the spots are reversed in the discus. Howard also ranks second in the shot put.

In the decathlon, sophomore Joe Keys and senior William Eggers each posted stellar marks in mid-April at the Bryan Clay Invitational and should compete with Butler's Wade Walder for the event crown. Eggers won the decathlon in 2016, while Walder has won each of the past two seasons. It was also the decathlon where Marquette captured its first BIG EAST title in any sport as Matt Piekarski won the event in 2006 with a MU record of 7,236 points.

Eggers is also second on the BIG EAST performance list in the pole vault but will solely focus on the decathlon this weekend. Cameron Jemison, who captured the title at the indoor championships in February, looks to be the third MU athlete to win the outdoor event, following Joel Swanberg (2014 and 2018) and Will Ford (2016).

On the track, Marquette freshman record holder Ben Konopka and Mathew Peter are two and three in the men's 110-meter hurdles, while Alec Catarozoli sits second in the 100 entering the meet.

MARQUETTE WOMEN
Senior Keely Knobbe returns as Marquette's lone event winner on the women's side from last season with a discus triumph. The Wadsworth, Illinois native sits first on the BIG EAST performance list entering the meet in the discus and is second in the hammer throw. Knobbe captured her first BIG EAST weight throw crown at the 2019 indoor championships and ranks fifth in MU history in both the discus and hammer throw.

Sophomore Allie Flando is also aiming for a podium spot in the throws as the Avon, Ohio native sits third in the shot put.

In other field events, Lindsey Mirkes enters the meet second in the high jump and is the reigning BIG EAST Women's Field Athlete of the Week after a jump of 1.76 meters at Wisconsin on Friday that ranks her 22nd in the NCAA West Region. The sophomore finished fourth at the indoor championships and will be joined by classmate Marin McClowry.

Rachel Seraphine looks to continue a stellar freshman season in the women's pole vault (3.83 meters), where she sits one spot ahead of sophomore Brielle Buechler on the league's performance list.

Junior Breanne Marchan could be a valuable point scorer for the MU women while competing in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay as well as the high jump and long jump. Marchan sits third in the BIG EAST in the 100 and the long jump this season and was league runner-up in both the high jump and 4x100 relay last year.

Reigning BIG EAST Women's Track Athlete of the Week Emma Moravec enters the meet fifth in the women's 800 after setting the No. 3 time (2:09.02) in program history at Madison on Friday. She also set the MU indoor 800 record earlier this year at the league indoor championships.

Keep up with the Marquette men's and women's track and field programs through social media by following on Twitter (@MUTFXC) and Instagram (@MUTFXC) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MUTFXC).

BIG EAST Performance List – Top-three

100 meters (men)
2. AJ Catarozoli (10.69)

100 meters (women)
3. Breanne Marchan (11.94)

110 hurdles (men)
2. Ben Konopka (14:48)
3. Mathew Peter (14.59)

High Jump (women)
2. Lindsey Mirkes (1.76 meters)

High Jump (men)
1. Daniel Armstrong (2.12 meters)

Pole Vault (men)
2. William Eggers (4.70 meters)
3. Cameron Jemison (4.65 meters)

Pole Vault (women)
2. Rachel Seraphine (3.83 meters)
3. Brielle Buechler (3.68 meters)

Long Jump (men)
3. Samuel Johnson (7.15 meters)

Long Jump (women)
3. Breanne Marchan (5.70 meters)

Shot Put (men)
2. Terrance Howard (16.08 meters)

Shot Put (women)
3. Allie Flando (13.45 meters)

Discus (men)
1. Terrance Howard (54.91 meters)
2. Brendan McKinney (53.35 meters)

Discus (women)
1. Keely Knobbe (47.63 meters)
3. Allie Flando (42.36 meters)

Hammer (men)
1. Brendan McKinney (57.56 meters)
2. Terrance Howard (56.05 meters)

Hammer (women)
2. Keely Knobbe (56.07 meters)

Javelin (men)
3. Eric Fellin (58.48 meters)

Decathlon (men)
2. Joe Keys (7138 points)
3. William Eggers (7019 points)

MEN'S FINISHES SINCE REALIGNMENT (2014)
2018: First (230.5 points)
2017: Second (183)
2016: First (246)
2015: Second (183)
2014: Fourth (150.5)

WOMEN'S FINISHES SINCE REALIGNMENT (2014)
2018: Third (162 points)
2017: First (195)
2016: First (196)
2015: Second (138)
2014: Third (120)

ALL-TIME BIG EAST INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
42 total titles (40 since realignment)
22 men, 20 women

2018 (6 Individual Titles)
Men (4)
Daniel Armstrong (High Jump)
Samuel Johnson (Long Jump)
Joel Swanberg (Pole Vault)
Brendan McKinney (Hammer)

Women (2)
Terica Harris (Triple Jump)
Keely Knobbe (Discus)

2017 (9)
Men (3)
Daniel Armstrong (High Jump)
Dwayne Dash Jr. (Long Jump)
John Krzyszkowski (Javelin)

Women (6)
Monique Felix (High Jump, Heptathlon)
Terica Harris (Long Jump, Triple Jump)
Maya Marion (Shot Put)
Gemma Tedeschi (Pole Vault)

2016 (10)
Men (6)
Dwayne Dash Jr. (Long Jump)
William Eggers (Decathlon)
Wally Ellenson (High Jump)
Will Ford (Pole Vault)
John Krzyszkowski (Javelin)
John Word, Karl Tatum, Connor Boos, Brendan Bell (4x100-meter relay)

Women (4)
Monique Felix (Heptathlon)
Nicole Jaffke (Pole Vault)
Maya Marion (Shot Put)
Omo Tseumah (High Jump)

2015 (7)
Men (4)
Wally Ellenson (High Jump)
Marcell KirkmanBey (110 hurdles)
William Koeck (Hammer)
John Krzyszkowski (Javelin)

Women (3)
Kathryn Koeck (Hammer)
Maya Marion (Shot Put)
Tatyana Pashibin (High Jump)

2014 (8)
Men (4)
William Koeck (Hammer)
John Krzyszkowski (Javelin)
Michael Saindon (High Jump)
Joel Swanberg (Pole Vault)

Women (4)
Kristen Gaffey (Shot Put)
Samantha Kennedy (Hammer)
Tatyana Pashibin (Heptathlon)
Carlye Schuh (Long Jump)

2008 (1)
Women (1)
Cassie Peller, Katlin Millin, Kaitlyn Chambers, Sarah Verdoliva (4x800-meter relay)

2006 (1)
Men (1)
Matt Piekarski (Decathlon)