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Cards Set Three Records and Earn NCAA Automatic Mark at Virginia Tech Last Chance Meet
March 7, 2009
BLACKSBURG, Va. - The University of Louisville men's and women's track and field teams won three event titles, set three school records, improved four NCAA provisional marks and earned an NCAA automatic mark at the Virginia Tech Last Chance Meet on Saturday in Rector Field House. Louisville sent a limited number of athletes to the meet while another group competed at the Alex Wilson Invitational. Leading the way for the Cardinal women was sophomore D'Ana McCarty who finished with a school record and NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 71-04.75 (21.76m), the best in the NCAA this season. McCarty, an Indianapolis, Ind. native, surpassed her previous school record by over three feet. It also marked the eighth consecutive meet that McCarty has won and reached NCAA provisional status or better in the event. Junior Rachel Gehret won the high jump with a school record leap of 5-11.50 (1.82m), improving her NCAA mark on the descending order list. Gehret previously set the school best on Feb. 6. Senior Seidre Forde finished fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 41-07.75 (12.69m). The leap in just her second meet of the season was an improvement upon her first NCAA mark. She also placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 19-09.75 (6.04m). Freshman Khadija Abdullah took third in the shot put with a toss of 51-10 (15.80m), while sophomore Chinwe Okoro finished right behind in fourth with a mark of 51-05 (15.67m). On the men's side, the Cardinals were led by the efforts of senior Steven Hnat who finished with a school record throw of 59-09.50 (18.22m) in the shot put. Hnat who held the previous school best, bettered his NCAA qualifying mark in hopes of making the final field or participants.
Red-shirt junior Tone Belt and sophomore Phil Feinberg finished first and second, respectively, in the high jump as they both cleared 6-10.25 (2.09m) with Belt winning on a tiebreaker. Belt also finished third in the long jump with a leap of 25-02 (7.67m). Other notable finishers included: senior Andrew Hackney who placed third in the weight throw with a toss of 64-04 (19.61m), freshman Wesley Smith who finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 25-00.75 (7.64m) and senior Michael Johnson, Jr. who captured fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 50-08.75 (15.46m). The final list of qualifiers for the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships which will be held at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas on March 13-14 will be announced on Monday evening. Virginia Tech Last Chance Meet - Blacksburg, Va. |
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