BIG EAST Preview
May 03, 2007 09:33 AM | General
May 3, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - After two months of exciting competition and intense training, West Virginia University’s outdoor track and field squad is prepared to sink its teeth into the heart of its schedule, starting with the BIG EAST Championship, May 4-6 at the George J. Sherman Sports Complex in Storrs, Conn.
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| WVU coach Jeff Huntoon will have 20 qualifiers competing at this weekend's BIG EAST championships.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
“I feel really confident with the group we’re sending and the progress everyone has made so far this season,” coach Jeff Huntoon says. “Each individual has little goals. With 20 girls competing, that equals 20 different goals, which should lead to a very exciting weekend.”
Leading the Mountaineers is senior all-around athlete Abbie Stechschulte. The Columbus Grove, Ohio, native has had a phenomenal outdoor season in the heptathlon, qualifying for NCAAs with the league’s best score of 5,609 points.
Stechschulte nabbed the personal best score back on April 3, at the prestigious Texas Relays in Austin, Texas. Competing against five All-Americans in arguably one of the nation’s best heptathlon meets, the 2007 BIG EAST pentathlon champion finished fourth, automatically qualifying for the June 6 NCAA Championship and securing an Olympic Trials ‘B’ standard.
Fellow seniors Jessica Czaikowski and Halimah Bashir also look to guide the squad this weekend at BIG EAST.
Czaikowski, set to compete in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, will also defend her title in the 100-meter hurdles. The Tottenham, Ontario, native’s qualifying times in the 100-meter dash (11.61) and the 100-meter hurdles (13.45) are the second best in the league and NCAA regional qualifiers.
Bashir, once again participating in the 400-meter dash (57.18), will also try her hand in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. After only two meets, the Willingboro, N.J., native enters the championship with the 18th best qualifying time (1:03.72).
Also competing for the Mountaineers in the sprint and mid-distance events are freshmen April Rotilio (200-meter dash) and Kristen Loughry (100-meter hurdles), and sophomore Raeleen Hunter (800-meter run).
After taking a very small distance squad to last year’s championship, WVU is now one of the most talent-saturated teams in this year’s field.
“We didn’t have any representatives in the 1,500-meter run last season, and now we are sending five girls,” assistant coach Sean Cleary says. “All of the distance runners appear to be very ready and very focused for the championship.”
The Mountaineers look to score big points in the 1,500 meter run. Freshman Keri Bland leads all qualifiers with the league’s third-best time (4:23.71). The Fairview, W.Va., native is coming off an excellent first season, highlighted by her win in the 1,500 at last weekend’s Penn Relays. Bland’s victory was the first for a WVU runner in the meet’s 112-year history.
Bland is joined by fellow freshman Marie Louise Asselin, who enters the meet with the BIG EAST’s ninth-best time (4:25.52). Both Bland and Asselin have already qualified for the NCAA regionals.
Making their first appearance at the outdoor BIG EAST Championship, sophomore Karly Hamric and juniors Alison Spiker and Maria Stover-Bartlett will also compete in the 1,500 meter run.
Junior Nicole Lemal will make her first trip to the championship, running in the 5,000 meter event, while sophomore Clara Grandt is entered in the 10,000-meter run.
“After Clara’s eighth place finish (16:31.27) in the 5,000 at the Penn Relays, I’m very excited to see how she can handle the longer race,” Cleary says.
The Mountaineers also look to stake their claim in the field events, especially the high jump. After redshirting the 2006 outdoor season, senior Nancy Regalbuto looks to capitalize on her extra workouts and earn her first conference championship.
“Nancy is on such a hot streak right now,” Huntoon says. “After qualifying for the ECAC Championship two weeks ago and finishing fourth at the relays, I’m really excited to see how far she can go this weekend.”
Joining Regalbuto in the high jump are senior Alexis Noel, sophomore Julie Tawney and freshman Natasha Redman.
Noel will be busy this weekend as she will also compete in the long jump and the triple jump.
Rounding out the field of participants are sophomores Rachael Goodman (javelin), Maggie Smith (pole vault) and Loughry (pole vault). Each is making her first appearance at BIG EAST.
Despite the relatively large number of first-timers at this weekend’s championship, Huntoon believes his squad will find the right balance needed to reach the goal of a fifth place finish.
“This is going to be a really neat opportunity for our younger girls to begin their great BIG EAST careers under already proven athletes,” he says. “There will be great senior leadership to feed off of, and hopefully everyone will perform to the best of her abilities.”
Live results, daily recaps and photos will be available each day at BIG EAST.org.
