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Track and Field Announces Captains for 2008-09 Season
Jan. 15, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville track and field head coach Ron Mann announced the team captains for the 2008-09 season on Thursday. On the women's side, Lindsey Cook, Rachel Gehret, Tarah McKay, and Heather Trimiew were selected, while the men choose Andre Black, Michael Eaton, Andrew Hackney, and Shawn Spalding. "This is one of the most decorated set of captains that we have had in the history of Louisville track and field," said U of L head coach Ron Mann. "Seven out of eight have post-season championship experience and we are optimistic their leadership will inspire their teammates as we strive toward our goal of winning the BIG EAST and being a national contender." The Cardinal women's group comprised of Trimiew (Sr.), Gehret (Jr.), Cook (Jr.), and McKay (r-So./Jr.) will be looking to defend their 2008 BIG EAST Outdoor championship and improve upon their first ever NCAA Championship appearance (37th). Trimiew, a Chattanooga, Tenn. native, will be returning as a captain for her third straight year. She is the school record holder in the indoor and outdoor 400-meter hurdles as well as the indoor 500 and 600-meter dashes. Trimiew captured two BIG EAST titles (400m hurdles, 400m) on her way to a 14th place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships in the 400-meter hurdles as a freshman.
Cook, who hails from Borden, Ind., has won two event titles in the discus and hammer throw in her two seasons with the Cardinals. She finished ninth at the 2008 BIG EAST Indoor Championships in the weight throw and sixth at the 2007 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw. Gehret, from Altoona, Pa., is the returning BIG EAST Outdoor Champion in the high jump. She has won eight even titles in the event, while posting a seventh place finish at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships. McKay, a native of St. Clements, Ont., will be a team captain for her third consecutive year. McKay did not compete during the 2007-08 indoor season, however; she did pick up two wins in the 1500-meter run during the 2008 outdoor season. She earned a pair of fifth place finishes at both the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and NCAA Mideast Regional. On the men's side, Hackney (Sr.), Black (r-Jr./Sr.), Spalding (Jr.), and Eaton (So.) will be looking to advance the Cardinal men to their fourth consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championship bid as well as their second straight NCAA Indoor Championship appearance. Hackney, a Lawrenceville, Ga. native, has had a tremendous week for the Cards. The defending BIG EAST Champion won the weight throw at the Indiana Open on Dec. 10 with a personal best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark. The senior's performance also earned him the UofLsports.com Student-Athlete of the Week honor. Black, a three-time NCAA All-American, returns to the Cards after missing the 2007-08 indoor season to focus on the 2008 Olympic trials. The 2007 NCAA indoor triple jump champion has finished as runner-up the past two seasons in the same event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Mobile, Ala. native is the school record holder in the indoor and outdoor triple jump. Black will serve as captain for his third straight year. Spalding, who hails from Louisville, won the 400-meter run at the Austin Peay Spring Fling and took second in the same event at the Austin Peay Invitational last season. This will be Spalding's first season competing indoor as he looks to make his mark in the BIG EAST in the 200 and 400-meter runs. Eaton, from nearby Bowling Green, Ky., earned All-American status last season after finishing 13th in the 10,000-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The school record holder in that event, Eaton finished third at the 2008 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. The Cards will return to action this weekend, Jan. 16-17, at the Kentucky Invitational in Lexington, Ky. |
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