Track & Field: Owls Set To Compete at NCAA Regionals
5/26/2005 Nineteen Owls from the Rice men?s and women?s track and field teams are set to compete at the 2005 NCAA Midwest Region Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend in Norman, Okla., vying for a trip to the national championships in two weeks.
2005 NCAA MIDWEST REGION
Rice heads to Norman, Okla., where the Univ. of Oklahoma will host more than 700 track and field competitors from more than 40 schools for the 2005 NCAA Midwest Region Men?s and Women?s Track & Field Championships Friday and Saturday at the John Jacobs Track & Field Complex on the OU campus. The meet begins at 12 noon both days with the field events, while the running events start at 4 pm on Friday and 5 pm on Saturday. The Midwest Regional is one of four regional meets across the nation that will send its top five finishers in each event to the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be contested in Sacramento, Calif. on June 8-11. The Midwest Region consists of schools from Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming and Montana. The other regionals will be contested in Manhatten, N.Y. (East), Bloomington, Ind. (Mideast), and Eugene, Ore. (West).
MAY 14 ? COMMENCEMENT & WAC
Several Owls had a very busy day on the final day of the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Tulsa, Okla., as they were also scheduled to graduate that morning. After Friday's competition, Whitney McAlpine, Seth Neumuller, Leor Pantilat, Aaron Redman, Megan Smith, Yvonne Umeh, Keia Watkins, and Ben Wiggins got up and headed to the airport at 5:30 am to catch a flight back to Houston for the 92nd Commencement of Rice University at 8:30 am. Neumuller and Pantilat had to withdraw from the 10,000 meters, which was scheduled for Friday night but was moved to Saturday morning when severe weather moved through the area and the event was rescheduled for Saturday morning. After receiving their degrees at the outdoor graduation ceremony, Redman, Umeh and Watkins returned to Tulsa to compete in Friday night's finals that were set to start at 6:30 pm. Redman scored for the Rice men in the 800 meters with a sixth-place finish, and Watkins took fourth in the 400 meters and ran the lead-off leg of the 4x400-meter relay that placed second for the Owls. By far, though, Umeh had the best day. After receiving her degree, she ran the second leg of the 4x100-meter relay that placed second, finished third in the 100 meters, won the 200 meters, then capped the day by anchoring the 4x400.
2005 WAC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Rice women finished second at the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 159 points, while the men were third with 122.5 points. Owls won six individual gold medals in Tulsa, Okla., May 11-14: Ryan Walsh (decathlon), Yvonne Umeh (200m), Marissa Daniels (10,000m), Funmi Jimoh (long jump), Luke Stadel (shot put) and Krystal Robinson (discus). Daniels also placed second in the 5,000 meters to garner freshman of the year honors.
LOPEZ TO RETIRE, BEVAN TABBED
Now in his 26th season at the helm of the Rice women's track and field program, head coach Victor Lopez will retire at the end of the outdoor season. During his tenure, Lopez's charges have earned 151 all-America awards and won 17 national titles. In recent years, the Owls have won three WAC indoor titles (2000, 2001, 2002) and four outdoor crowns (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004). Longtime assistant coach Jim Bevan, in his 19th year with the program, has been selected to take the reins from Lopez in 2005-06.
RECORD HOLDER
Junior Krystal Robinson shattered Regina Cavanaugh's 19-year-old Rice record in the discus with a throw of 177-01 to lead the Owls at the Tom Tellez Invitational on March 26. Robinson's throw was an improvement of four and a half feet on the Owl great's mark of 172-07 set on May 17, 1986. The throw (53.98m) also improved on Robinson's career best by a staggering 13 feet. Two weeks ago at the WAC championships in Tulsa, Okla., she added two feet to 179-2 (54.62m) and won the gold medal. Robinson also claimed the Rice record in the hammer throw at the conference meet with her heave of 160-1 (48.80m). She also ranks third on the Trackwire Dandy Dozen list for the discus.
DEFENDING HIS CROWN
Junior Jason Powell is set to defend his 2004 NCAA Midwest Region title in the triple jump this weekend. A year ago in College Station, the then-sophomore posted a lifetime best on his final jump, recording a 54-0 (16.46m) to win by a quarter of an inch. The leap was an improvement of almost three feet on his previous best.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Rice newcomer Marissa Daniels was named the WAC freshman of the year at the 2005 outdoor conference championships. She began the meet by winning the 10,000 meters that Friday night. The next day, she returned to take second in the 5,000 meters. Daniels was also a first-team all-WAC honoree during cross country season.
STADEL WINS GOLD
Junior Luke Stadel won the 2005 WAC shot put crown on his final throw of the day, uncorking a personal-best heave of 58-3 (17.73m). The mark was an improvement of almost two feet on his previous high and was over two and a half feet better than second place. The Osage City, Kan., native ranks third-all time at Rice and two feet, eight inches behind the school record of 60-11 set in 1973... by his father Ken Stadel. The younger Stadel also ranks fourth all-time at Rice in the discus, recording a throw of 181-6 (55.33m) earlier this season. The record of 209-2 is also held by the elder Stadel.
JIMOH SET TO DOUBLE
Junior Funmi Jimoh will be busy this weekend as she competes in the long jump and 100-meter hurdles as well as the 4x100-meter relay. At the WAC championships, Jimoh recorded a personal best on her way to gold, recording a leap of 20-8.5 (6.31m) in the long jump. She was also leading in the hurdles heading into the final obstacle, and despite a bad tumble, still finished third. Jimoh is the Rice record-holder in the event, posting a 13.42 at the 2004 NCAA championships. In the latest Trackwire Dandy Dozen, she checked in at 12th in the long jump.
WRIGHT ON TRACK
After a slow start to his collegiate career, freshman Omar Wright won the silver medal in the high jump at the WAC championships in just his second competition of the year, clearing 6-10.75 (2.10m).
WAC WEEKLY HONORS
The Rice women had back-to-back WAC athletes of the weeks this spring with Krystal Robinson and Yvonne Umeh. Robinson took the award after shattering the school record in the discus on March 26. Umeh was honored on April 3 after she won both the 100 and 200 meters at the Rice Bayou Classic. Additionally, she began the day helping the 4x100 relay to third, then anchored the 4x400 relay to second. |
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