Big East Conference (College) 2009

In an effort to honor the top track and field performers from Kentucky, KYtrackXC.com will have a weekly set of Athletes of the Week.  There will be Middle School, High School, and College awardees.  Former Kentucky High School Track and Field athletes currently running in college are eligible for the College award, even if he or she attends a school out-of-state.

Tynisha McMillian watched her hands shaking. She felt her body quivering and she couldn’t stop it.

Just second after Michael Rutt stepped off the track for the last time, his teammates hoisted him in the air and carried him across the infield. His legs needed a break anyway.

WVU Ties for Fifth, Bland Earns Honor By Allison Hoehn for MSNsportsNet.com February 22, 2009 WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, N.Y. - Two West Virginia University track and field records were shattered today by juniors Keri Bland and April Rotilio in the mile and 400-meter event, respectively, to lead the Mountaineers to a fifth-place finish at the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships in New York City. For her efforts throughout the meet, Bland was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Track Performer, voted on by all 16 women’s head coaches. She shared the award with Providence’s Danette Doetzel. WVU earned 74 points to tie with Notre Dame for the fifth-place finish, while UConn took home their second-consecutive championship title with 107 points. Georgetown took second with 98 points followed by Louisville (88) and Villanova (74.50). “I think it was almost a near-perfect meet,” commented Coach Sean Cleary. “To finish as close to humanly possible to fourth in this meet was fantastic. Ninety percent of our program ran personal-bests this weekend, and to come in and do that in a pressure situation that is the BIG EAST Championship, is beyond great.” Bland set a school and BIG EAST Championship meet record in the mile event when she took the title with a time of 4:34.78. Bland’s performance was also a NCAA automatic qualifier. The previous WVU record was set at 4:35.89 by Megan Metcalfe in 2004, and the BIG EAST Indoor Championship meet record was originally set by Kate Vermeulen of West Virginia in 1999. “That was huge,” said Cleary. “Her performance was the highlight of the meet for what she did.” Rotilio set a new school record and took third in the 400-meter event with a time of 54.38. The mark was also a personal best for the Bellaire, Ohio, native and a NCAA provisional time. Chelsea Carrier finished second in the 60-meter hurdle event with an NCAA provisional time of 8.39. The mark is also a personal record and the fourth-best performance in WVU history. Freshman Kaylyn Christopher placed third in the 1,000-meter with a personal-best, and WVU fourth-fastest time of 2:47.51. Marie-Louise Asselin finished third in the 3,000-meter event with a time of 9:22.05, while Karly Hamric took sixth place in the 800-meter run (2:13.13). Asselin’s mark is the fourth-best in WVU history and is a NCAA qualifier. The 4x800-meter team of Hamric, Christopher, Alison Spiker and Bland placed third in the event (5:51.55). The mark is the second-best in school history, topping an 8:52.44 mark set in 2002. Next up, the Mountaineers will take part in the NYU Fastrack meet on Feb. 27, in New York, N.Y.

It could be coincidence that pole vaulters look toward the sky when they fall back to earth from an attempt. It gives them a chance to curse the heavens when the bar joins the vaulter in their descent. Or coming down from the air can provide an opportunity to send a message upward in gratitude.

What a weekend of college action ont eh schedule here. The MAAC, Big East, and NJAC Conference Championships are all this weekend capping a fantastic week of track and field that saw high school meets every single day.

Welcome to episode seven of our weekly webcast, Jack on Track presented by Super Runners Shop. Here we bring you our very own Jack Pfiefer and Christopher Hunt discussing all things track and field every Wednesday at 3pm.

FOUR ARTICLES SAT - by William Miller SAT - Men's DMR SUN - MEN SUN - WOMEN COMPLETE RESULTS Day 1 Men's Results Day 2 Women's Results Day 2 Men's Day 2 Women's Results Index from Hytek 12 EVENT VIDEOS POSTED Women's Mile Men's 1000m Men's DMR 60m Hurdle and Dash Finals Long Jump Women's 400m High Jump Men's 500m Women's Pole Vault Video Men's Weight Throw Video 60m Dash Trials Video 60m Hurdle Trials Video PHOTO GALLERY All photos from the meet so far are from www.wingedfootfotos.com and a complete gallery with over 500 photos to come Monday and Tuesday. MEET HOMEPAGE HERE