May 14, 2005

ATLANTA, Ga. – Sophomore sprinter Okechi Ogbuokiri ran a season’s best time of 53.45 seconds in the women’s 400-meter dash on Saturday to improve her qualifying status for next week’s NCAA Mid-East Regional track meet, highlighting action as 11 Notre Dame athletes competed at the Georgia Tech Invitational this weekend.

Ogbuokiri posted a drastic improvement in the 400, shaving .35 of a second off her previous 2005 seasonal best performance while placing sixth in the event. It solidified her position for the upcoming regional meet, a qualifying meet for the NCAA Outdoor Championships to be held in June. The performance also represents a career best for her in the event.

In other action by Irish women’s athletes, Maryann Erigha placed third in the 100-meter dash in a time of 11.62 seconds and was fifth in the 200 at 23.84. Katie DeRusso was fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:56.80.

For the Irish men, Sean O’Donnell and Adam Currie produced seasonal best times in the 1,500 meters while finishing back in the pack. O’Donnell broke the tape in a time of 3:49.51 while Currie posted a time of 3:50.47. Currie also posted a time of 1:52.40 in the 800. In field events, Derek Goguen was fifth in the javelin with a throw of 56.21 meters (184 feet, five inches) while Garet Koxlien was sixth in the discus with a toss of 48.86 (160-4).