April 9, 2008

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Several members of the Notre Dame track & field team competed in two days of action at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., this past weekend, taking part in one of the biggest annual track meets of the season.

Senior Jake Watson, who held the program’s 10th-best all-time mark in the 1,500m run heading into the weekend, eclipsed that mark with a time of 3:43.39. Junior Patrick Smyth bested his previous personal record in the 5,000m run.

800m Run (M): Notre Dame was paced by Adam Currie and his time of 1:50.67 … Blake Choplin (1:51.36) and Cameron Eckert (1:53.50) were in close pursuit.

800m Run (W): Jacqueline Carter stepped over the line with a time 2:16.47.

1,500m Run (M): Watson’s time of 3:43.39 was the eighth-fastest time in program history … Currie got around the pack with a 3:57.58 finish.

3,000m Steeplechase (M): Paul Springer was the top Irish finisher … he dried off to the tune of 9:29.70.

5,000m Run: Smyth’s time of 13:46.73 was the fifth-best time in school history … he ran a 13:48.53 at the meet in 2007.

Discus (W): Jaclyn Espinoza turned in a long toss of 49.78m.

Hammer Throw (W): Anna Weber covered 55.90m with her best launch of the meet.

Shot Put (W): Weber turned around and recorded a long mark of the day that spanned 14.06m.

Freshman Justin Schneider made his outdoor debut a memorable one, totaling 6,810 points against a stiff field for a third-place finish in the decathlon. Schneider competed at Arizona’s Jim Click Shootout.

Decathlon (M): Schneider (100m Dash – 11.52 / Long Jump – 6.75m / Shot Put – 10.50m / High Jump – 1.85m / 400m Dash – 49.71 / 100m Hurdles – 15.73 / Discus Throw – 32.87m / Pole Vault – 4.10m / Javelin Throw – 48.90m / 1,500m Run – 4:22.89)

The Irish also enjoyed their fair share of success at Purdue’s Mike Poehlein Invitational held at the Dave Rankin Track in West Lafayette, Ind.

100m Dash (M): Chandler Brooks (11.33) was sixth … behind him was Alex Gannon (11.81), who took the No. 12 spot.

100m Dash (W): Brienne Davis headed the field with a 12.05

200m Dash (M): Miklos Szebeny was third with a time of 22.31.

400m Dash (M): Two of the top three spots went the way of the Irish … Balazs Molnar (48.36) was first, while Billy Buzaid (49.44) was third.

400m Dash (W): Taking home the gold was Cora Dayon in 55.29 … she was trailed by Natalie Johnson (56.39) Crysta Swayzer (56.83), Samantha Williams (58.35), and Kelly Langhans (58.41).

800m Run (M): Third-place went to Kevin Labus … he finished in 1:56.18.

800m Run (W): Second- and third-place went to Elizabeth Myers (2:16.89) and Nicole Yergler (2:17.24).

1,500m Run (M): Kevin McFadden topped the field with a mark of 3:57.43 … Spencer Carter was fourth, checking in at 4:00.59.

1,500m Run (W): Lindsey Ferguson (4:42.03) took fifth in the race.

5,000m Run (M): Kevin Veselik (15:15.57) was second, and Mat Abernethy (15:15.62) was third.

5,000m Run (W): Ann Mazur (18:06.74), Erica Watson (18:07.64), and Emily Wauford (18:08.22) were Notre Dame’s highest finishers.

10,000m Run (M): Dan Curran (31:36.17) and Mike Popejoy (32:08.07) claimed the top two spots.

100m Hurdles (W): Kali Watkins finished in 14.50, which was good for fifth-place honors.

400m Hurdles (M): Austin Wechter was second after clocking in at 53.87.

400m Hurdles (W): Joanna Schultz was second in 1:01.64.

3,000m Steeplechase (M): Notre Dame’s highest finisher was James Millar … he crossed the line with a time of 10:11.59.

4x100m Relay (W): Watkins, Schultz, Davis, and Swayzer teamed for first, breaking the tape in 46.58.

4x400m Relay (M): The Irish cruised through with a first-place finish in 3:14.73 … the team included Bob Kueny, Wechter, Buzaid, and Molnar.

4x400m Relay (W): The race’s top time was registered by Swayzer, Dayon, Johnson, and Schultz (3:45.43).

High Jump (M): Blair Majcina’s highest jump of the day went into the books at 2.02m.

Pole Vault (M): Matt Schipper hit his NCAA regional qualifying standard by getting up and over 5.05m.

Pole Vault (W): Mary Saxer qualified for the NCAA regional meet with a high mark of 3.85m.

Long Jump (M): A first-place finish and a distance of 7.53m assured Eric Quick a spot in the NCAA regional meet.

Long Jump (W): Alyissa Hasan (5.87m) was fourth among the 20-person field.

Triple Jump (M): Quick took third with a best leap of 14.37m.

Triple Jump (W): Jaime Minor covered 11.33m of ground to place second.

Shot Put (M): Mike Schubert achieved an NCAA regional standard by touching ground at 17.14m, as did Denes Veres (16.84m).

Discus (M): Brandon Drenon (51.18m) was second.

Hammer Throw (M): Greg Davis was the highest finisher for Notre Dame … he sent the hammer 48.15m through the air.

Javelin (M): Tray Morgan was sixth … his best throw covered 50.71m.

Javelin (W): Elise Knutzen heaved the javelin 42.42m, second-best in the invite.

–ND–