Women's Track: WVU Set for BIG EAST Indoors
February 20, 2004 11:39 AM | General
February 20, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The WVU women's track team is set to compete in the BIG EAST indoor championships on Saturday, Feb. 21, and Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
The weekend's action begins at 8:30 a.m., on Saturday and is scheduled to conclude on Sunday afternoon.
All-American Megan Metcalfe will look to defend her title in the 3,000 meters where she finished with a time of 9:15.25 a year ago. The Edmonton, Alberta, native is currently ranked second nationally in the event. Metcalfe also returns to this weekend's championships as the 2003 BIG EAST Outstanding Track Performer.
Competing in the pentathlon is sophomore Nancy Regalbuto, freshman Abbie Stechschulte and junior Mary Greene. Each competitor achieved career high marks in the event at the State Farm Games on Feb. 6 and will look to build on those scores in the postseason. Regalbuto and Greene are also scheduled to compete in the weekend's high jump while Stechschulte is West Virginia's lone competitor in the long jump.
West Virginia's only representative in the 60 meter hurdles and 60 meter dash is freshman Jessica Czaikowski. The Tottenham, Ontario, native currently boasts five top 10 finishes in the 60 meter hurdles on the year including one first place finish at the WVU Holiday Classic on Dec. 6.
Competiting in the 500 meter dash for West Virginia is junior Pam Richardson. The Atco, N.J, native is coming off a second place finish in the 800 meters at the State Farm Games.
Halimah Bashir is West Virginia's lone representative in the 400 meters. Bashir has shown vast improvement in the event over the past two weekends recording two career best times. The Willingboro, N.J., native captured first place at the State Farm Games with a time of 57.60 and bettered her mark the following week by crossing the line in 56.55 en route to a fifth place finish at the Penn State National Open.
Representing the Mountaineers in the 200 meter dash is Czaikowski and sophomore Junique Morris. The pair finished first and second respectively in the event two weeks ago at the State Farm Games.
Sophomore Susan Davis is set to compete in the mile run for West Virginia. The Romney, W.Va., native is coming off a solid outing at the Penn State National Open where she crossed the line in 5:08.21. Davis's sister, Jennifer, will be West Virginia's representative in the 1,000 meters.
Junior Jennifer Kemp is the Mountaineer's representative in the 800 meters. The Edmonton, Alberta, native will look to improve on her sixth place BIG EAST championship finish in the event in 2003.
Representing West Virginia in the 5,000 meters are juniors Tara Struyk and Devon Plesuk. Struyk looks to turn the corner this season after finishing second a year ago while Plesuk is set to improve on her 10th place performance at last years championships.
Senior Mary Beth Held is set to make her fourth consecutive appearance at the BIG EAST indoor championships in the pole vault. The Vienna, W.Va., native has finished in the top 15 each year including a third place finish as a sophomore in 2002 with a mark of 3.45 meters.
Sophomore Michele McGinnis is West Virginia's lone representative in the 20 lb. weight throw and shot put. The Winfield, W.Va., native has been solid all season long and will be making her second consecutive trip to the BIG EAST indoor championships where she competed in the shot put as a freshman.
As a team, the Mountaineers finished fifth at the 2003 BIG EAST Championships. West Virginia, ranked 24th nationally according to the latest trackwire poll, is coming off victories over No. 12 Kent State and No. 17 Cornell at the Penn State National Open and will look to improve on that performance at this weekends BIG EAST indoor championships.
For a complete day-by-day listing of events and results, visit:
http://www.monmouth.com/~scullion/04indoor/bigeast.htm
