Five to Compete This Weekend
February 28, 2011 02:06 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s track team still has some work left to do before the 2011 NCAA Indoor Nationals take place March 11-12 in College Station, Texas.
That’s why five athletes will be competing this weekend at the University of Columbia’s Last Chance Meet being held at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City.
Big East champ Jessica O'Connell will be competing in the 3K, Kaylyn Christopher and Keri Bland will be running the mile, Chené Townsend is taking part in the 60-meter hurdles and Chelsea Carrier is entered in the long jump.
Carrier has already qualified for nationals in the 60-meter hurdles and the pentathlon. Her time of 8.15 in the hurdles is the eighth fastest time in the country, while her pentathlon score of 4,170 points recorded at the Big East Indoor Championships is presently fifth in the country.
“We just don’t want to go three weeks without her competing, and the long jump being one of her better events, we just want to get her timing down a little bit better for the national meet (in the multi),” said Cleary. “We know she is a 6-meter-plus jumper and we want to see it happen and that’s what we’re working on for this weekend.”
Christopher is right at the cutoff in the mile with a top time of 4:41.6, which ranks her 26th in the country. The nation’s top mile performer is Oregon’s Jordan Hasay with a 4:34.75 clocking.
Bland has yet to run the mile this winter after placing eight at indoor nationals in that event last year as a junior.
“Kaylyn Christopher is probably right on the line with her only mile performance of the year a month ago, and Keri hasn’t run one so, yeah, if they don’t improve they’re probably sitting at home. Improving is the only thing we’re thinking about right now,” said Cleary.
O’Connell is also close in the 3K, her top time of 9:21.09 ranked 33rd-best in the country right now.
“Jess O’Connell won the 3K at Big East Championships but that’s going to fall a couple seconds out when it’s all said and done,” Cleary said.
Cleary admitted there will be pressure the girls to get qualifying times this weekend.
“As of right now we’ve got to go and get the job done this weekend,” he said. “This is one of the fastest years ever in distance running and we’ve got to go better our times. Keri, Jess and Kaylyn have to get it done, which has been a plan of ours all winter so we feel confident about it.”
The field this weekend at Columbia won’t be big, but Cleary says it will be fast.
“It’s a meet put on by Columbia University and last year they recruited two or three of us to come in and kind of get the meet kick started so we went up there last year and we qualified everyone we brought,” Cleary said. “It’s going to be a small meet in terms of the number of schools competing but everybody that is going there is going there to get this done. The atmosphere will be great.”
Three-time All-American Marie-Louise Asselin, who finished second in the 5K at last year’s indoor nationals, has been hampered by illness for most of the indoor season and Cleary has decided to shut her down until mid-March when outdoor season begins. Katelyn Williams, a national outdoor qualifier in the high jump last year, will also skip the remainder of the indoor season.
“We’re looking for Marie-Louise to make a big, big impact for us outdoors,” Cleary said. “Marie-Louise, (senior sprinter) April Rotilio and Katelyn Williams will be back for us for outdoors so we should be set.”
Cleary said he has opted not to try and qualify a distance medley relay team for nationals this weekend. The DMR has had eight top-eight finishes at nationals since 1999.
“We’re going straight at the individual events this weekend and try and sneak them into nationals,” Cleary said.
That’s why five athletes will be competing this weekend at the University of Columbia’s Last Chance Meet being held at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City.
Big East champ Jessica O'Connell will be competing in the 3K, Kaylyn Christopher and Keri Bland will be running the mile, Chené Townsend is taking part in the 60-meter hurdles and Chelsea Carrier is entered in the long jump.
Carrier has already qualified for nationals in the 60-meter hurdles and the pentathlon. Her time of 8.15 in the hurdles is the eighth fastest time in the country, while her pentathlon score of 4,170 points recorded at the Big East Indoor Championships is presently fifth in the country.
“We just don’t want to go three weeks without her competing, and the long jump being one of her better events, we just want to get her timing down a little bit better for the national meet (in the multi),” said Cleary. “We know she is a 6-meter-plus jumper and we want to see it happen and that’s what we’re working on for this weekend.”
Christopher is right at the cutoff in the mile with a top time of 4:41.6, which ranks her 26th in the country. The nation’s top mile performer is Oregon’s Jordan Hasay with a 4:34.75 clocking.
Bland has yet to run the mile this winter after placing eight at indoor nationals in that event last year as a junior.
“Kaylyn Christopher is probably right on the line with her only mile performance of the year a month ago, and Keri hasn’t run one so, yeah, if they don’t improve they’re probably sitting at home. Improving is the only thing we’re thinking about right now,” said Cleary.
O’Connell is also close in the 3K, her top time of 9:21.09 ranked 33rd-best in the country right now.
“Jess O’Connell won the 3K at Big East Championships but that’s going to fall a couple seconds out when it’s all said and done,” Cleary said.
Cleary admitted there will be pressure the girls to get qualifying times this weekend.
“As of right now we’ve got to go and get the job done this weekend,” he said. “This is one of the fastest years ever in distance running and we’ve got to go better our times. Keri, Jess and Kaylyn have to get it done, which has been a plan of ours all winter so we feel confident about it.”
The field this weekend at Columbia won’t be big, but Cleary says it will be fast.
“It’s a meet put on by Columbia University and last year they recruited two or three of us to come in and kind of get the meet kick started so we went up there last year and we qualified everyone we brought,” Cleary said. “It’s going to be a small meet in terms of the number of schools competing but everybody that is going there is going there to get this done. The atmosphere will be great.”
Three-time All-American Marie-Louise Asselin, who finished second in the 5K at last year’s indoor nationals, has been hampered by illness for most of the indoor season and Cleary has decided to shut her down until mid-March when outdoor season begins. Katelyn Williams, a national outdoor qualifier in the high jump last year, will also skip the remainder of the indoor season.
“We’re looking for Marie-Louise to make a big, big impact for us outdoors,” Cleary said. “Marie-Louise, (senior sprinter) April Rotilio and Katelyn Williams will be back for us for outdoors so we should be set.”
Cleary said he has opted not to try and qualify a distance medley relay team for nationals this weekend. The DMR has had eight top-eight finishes at nationals since 1999.
“We’re going straight at the individual events this weekend and try and sneak them into nationals,” Cleary said.
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