May 2, 2010
CINCINNATI, Ohio – Despite battling a rain-soaked stadium and unfavorable weather conditions, the Notre Dame men’s track and field team won its third straight BIG EAST Outdoor Championship Sunday at Gettler Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati.
Entering the final day of competition in fourth place, the Irish racked up two individual titles and six all-BIG EAST honors to climb the leaderboard and bring home their sixth outdoor title in the last eight years.
Senior Daniel Clark won the men’s 1500 meters, while sophomore Kevin Schipper was the top men’s pole vaulter. The 4×800-meter relay team of Blake Choplin, Kevin Labus, Jim Notwell and Jack Howard finished second to earn all-league recognition. Greg Davis and Mitchell Gormley took the second and third spots, respectively, in the hammer throw, while Howard also finished third in the 800 meters to garner his second all-conference nod of the day.
Notre Dame finished with 123 total points, cruising past Louisville in second with 114 and Rutgers in third with 112 points. Connecticut and Georgetown rounded out the top five.
For their efforts, head coach Joe Piane and his staff earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
The Irish women finished sixth with 62.50 points. Louisville won the women’s crown with 108 points, followed by Connecticut in second at 101 and Georgetown in third with 86 points. West Virginia finished fourth with 68 points, and Villanova was fifth at 67.50.
Notre Dame got a stellar performance from senior Joanna Schultz, who set a BIG EAST Championship record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Schultz won her fourth conference title and Notre Dame’s first ever hurdle crown with a time of 56.82, setting the Irish and Gettler Stadium records, as well.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay team of Samantha Williams, Schultz, Natalie Johnson and Maddie Buttinger earned all-BIG EAST honors with a second-place time of 3:44.39. The 4×800-meter team of Abby Higgins, Kelly Langhans, Allison Schroeder and Rebecca Tracy clocked in at 8:53.47 to finish fifth and set a Notre Dame record.
The Irish have no time to celebrate their success, however, as they travel to the Michigan Invitational May 7-8 in Ann Arbor.
BIG EAST Championship Day Three Results
Men’s 1500m: Daniel Clark won his first individual title with a time of 3:56.93. Jeremy Rae finished fifth in 3:57.79, just ahead of Jordan Carlson in sixth at 3:57.84.
Men’s 400m: Edward Hitchler just missed all-conference honors, finishing fourth in 48.07. Cincinnati’s Antoine Drakeford won the event in 46.31.
Men’s 800m: Jack Howard earned all-league accolades with a third-place time of 1:50.70. Connecticut’s Brian Gagnon was the top runner at 1:49.78, edging Husky teammate Michael Rutt in second at 1:50.07.
Men’s 5000m: Dan Jackson finished 14th in 14:35.03, Jake Walker was 16th at 14:38.66, Greg Kiley finished 19th in 14:56.36 and Kelly Lynch finished 21st in 15:04.87.
Men’s 4x800m Relay: The Irish team of Blake Choplin, Kevin Labus, Jim Notwell and Jack Howard finished second in 7:27.63 to earn all-BIG EAST honors. Connecticut won the event in 7:27.13.
Women’s 4x400m Relay: Notre Dame’s team of Edward Hitchler, Cameron Eckert, Matthew Brown and Balazs Molnar finished eighth in 3:14.67. Rutgers won the relay in 3:07.50.
Men’s Hammer Throw: Irish throwers took five of the top eight spots, led by Greg Davis in second at 58.65m (192-05). Mitchell Gormley finished third at 57.28m (187-11), John Belcher was fourth at 56.75m (186-02), Andrew Hills finished sixth at 55.74m (182-10) and Denes Veres was eighth in 53.05 (174-00).
Men’s Pole Vault: Kevin Schipper won his second BIG EAST pole vault title with a mark of 5.25m (17-02 3/4). Matt Schipper finished fourth at 5.05m (16-06 3/4), Jim Merchun was ninth at 4.65m (15-03) and Andrew Kolbeck finished 11th at 4.65m (15-03).
Men’s 4×100-meter Relay: The Irish team of Sean Lindbloom, Miklos Szebeny, Tyrell Atkins and Eric Quick finished eighth at 42.33. Syracuse won the event in 40.63.
Women’s 100-meter Hurdles: Nevada Sorenson finished fourth at 14.04, followed by Kali Watkins in sixth at 14.38. Villnova’s Shericka Ward was the top hurdler at 13.55.
Women’s 1500m: Rebecca Tracy finished fourth at 4:28.89. West Virginia’s Karly Hamric won the event in 4:28.02.
Women’s 800m: Natalie Johnson was sixth in 2:10.68, while Villanova’s Sheila Reed was the top runner in 2:06.38.
Women’s 400m Hurdles: Joanna Schultz set BIG EAST, Gettler Stadium and Notre Dame records won the Irish’s first ever hurdle title with a time of 56.82. She bested 2009 champ London Finley of Georgetown, who finished second in 59.22. Ericka Nowell finished seventh in 1:03.40.
Women’s 5000m: Theresa Cattuna finished 13th in 17:13.20. West Virginia’s Marie Louise Asselin finished first in 16:31.04.
Women’s 4x800m Relay: The Irish team of Abby Higgins, Kelly Langhans, Allison Schroeder and Rebecca Tracy set a school record with a fifth-place time of 8:53.47. Georgetown won the event in 8:41.11.
Women’s 4x400m Relay: Notre Dame’s team of Samantha Williams, Joanna Schultz, Natalie Johnson and Maddie Buttinger earned all-BIG EAST honors with a third-place time of 3:44.39. Seton Hall finished first in 3:37.24, followed by Pittsburgh in second at 3:42.03.
Women’s Hammer Throw: Madeline Casanova finished 15th at 46.35m (152-01). Louisville throwers took the top three spots with Jere’ Summers finishing first at 61-12 (200-06).
Women’s High Jump: Kendra Jennings tied for ninth at 1.70m (5-07), while Maddie Buttinger tied for 14th at 1.65m (5-05).
Women’s Triple Jump: Jasmine Williams finished eighth with a mark of 11.83m (38-09 3/4).
Men’s Final Standings
1. Notre Dame, 123; 2. Louisville, 114; 3. Rutgers, 112; 4. Connecticut, 100.50; 5. Georgetown, 82; 6. Cincinnati, 75.50; 7. Syracuse, 66; 8. South Florida, 4; 9. Villanova, 44; 10. DePaul, 37; 11. Seton Hall, 22; 12. Marquette, 13; 13. Providence, 11; 14. Pittsburgh, 8
Women’s Final Standings
1. Louisville, 108; 2. Connecticut, 101; 3. Georgetown, 86; 4. West Virginia, 68; 5. Villanova, 67.50; 6. Notre Dame, 62.50; 7. South Florida, 59; 8. Syracuse, 58; 9. Pittsburgh, 55; 10. Seton Hall, 48; 11. DePaul, 36; T12. Rutgers, 31; T12. Cincinnati, 31; 14. Marquette, 19; 15. Providence, 14; 16. St. John’s, 13
–ND–