Four Qualify For Nationals
June 01, 2005 10:49 AM | General
June 1, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University will be sending its largest contingent of athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1999, and is looking to place at the meet for the first time since 1998.
 Czaikowski |
 Davis |
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 Kemp |
 Metcalfe |
Seniors Megan Metcalfe, Jennifer Kemp and Jennifer Davis will pair with sophomore Jessica Czaikowski at this year’s national event to be held at Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif., June 8-11.
“I’m very happy,” Huntoon said. “When you preach at the beginning of the year that you want everybody to run well two times in March and then in May when the championship season comes and then to have it play out like this, it has been a special year.”
In 1999, former coach Martin Pushkin sent four individual performers and a relay to nationals, although none were able to advance to the finals. A year earlier, Kristin Quackenbush and Charity Wachera each earned All-America honors to help the Mountaineers to a 35th-place finish.
West Virginia’s best-ever performance at outdoor nationals came in 1995 when the Mountaineers tied for 24th place behind the performance of national champion Pat Itanyi.
This year, West Virginia has a national title contender in Metcalfe in the 5,000. Metcalfe blew away the East Regional field with a time of 15:47.64 last Saturday at Icahn Stadium in Randall’s Island, N.Y. It was the fastest winning time at all four regional sites and is the second-fastest time heading into nationals behind Stanford’s Sara Bei’s 15:41.57 performed back on April 15. Bei won the West Regional last week with a time of 16:22.41.
“Megan and Sara Bei will be in two different sections,” said Huntoon. “That will kind of guard it to make sure they get through (the first round). But Megan is going to have to concentrate to get through.”
Huntoon expects the top four performers from both heats and then the next four best times will qualify for the finals.
Other top contenders in the 5,000 include N.C. State’s Julia Lucas (15:50.96) and Notre Dame’s Stephanie Madia (15:53.11).
Metcalfe is gunning for her ninth All-American certificate, having already earned six in track and two in cross country. Metcalfe’s best finish at nationals was fourth during the 2003 indoor season. The last time she ran at outdoor nationals she placed ninth in the 1,500, missing All-America honors by one spot.
Also, Jennifer Davis failed to place in the top eight at the East Regional last weekend but qualified for the 5K with a season-best time of 16:23.01. She enters nationals 13th on the qualifier list and is a two-time indoor All-American as a member of the distance medley relay team.
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| Jennifer Kemp has claimed both the ECAC and NCAA East Regional 800-meter titles in back to back weeks.
TrackShark.com/Errol Anderson |
Jennifer Kemp is peaking at the right time having won her last two 800-meter races at the ECAC Championships in Princeton, N.J., and capturing last weekend’s East Regional with a time 2:08.20. Kemp is currently 22nd on the qualifier list and will be making her third trip to outdoor nationals hoping to make the finals for the first time.
Kemp’s top clocking of 2:06.20 is four seconds off the nation’s best 800 time produced by Arkansas senior Aneita Denton (2:02.93).
“(Assistant coach) Sean Cleary has been training (the distance runners) all year long and has done a great job of getting them ready,” said Huntoon.
Jessica Czaikowski was a qualifier by virtue of her season-best time of 13.43 in the 100 hurdle finals last Saturday. Czaikowski is 24th on the performance list heading into the event and will be making her second consecutive trip to outdoor nationals.
“All eight finalists from the East region qualified,” Huntoon said. “Jess went into the meet ranked 15th (in the region).”
The favorite to win the 100-meter hurdles is USC’s Virginia Powell, who has a top time of 12.75 performed on April 17. Five qualifiers have cracked the 13-second mark.
Czaikowski will have to run twice to get to the finals on Saturday.
“The more rounds she runs the better she gets,” said Huntoon.
There are 27 athletes in both the 5,000 and 800 and 28 competitors qualified in the 100 hurdles.
“I’m proud of them all without question,” Huntoon said. “It’s always nice to have qualifiers but to see some names in the middle to the top of the (performance) list makes it even more exciting about what could potentially happen.”
The team will leave for Sacramento on Monday, June 6. All four competitors are scheduled to perform on the first day on Wednesday, June 8.
