TAMPA – All of the blood, sweat and tears from the start of fall practice to today has led up to the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships for the University of South Florida track and field teams. Everything gets started Friday at 11 a.m. with the decathlon at the University of Cincinnati's Gettler Stadium and lasts into the mid-afternoon Sunday.
Riding a wave of momentum from the last few weeks, the Bulls will look for their best finish ever now in their fifth full season in the conference. Last year, the women placed their highest ever at 10th, while in 2008 USF piled up the most points in the first four years in the conference with 39.5.
The men will look to better their seventh-place finish from the last two outdoor championships after placing ninth and then eighth their first two years in the conference. USF's 63 points in 2008 marks the best ever in those four previous years.
Check back at GoUSFBulls.com for the complete recap and meet results when they become available each day. As always, results from every meet throughout the year can be found on the Media Center page, while fans can keep track of USF's performances through the history and records section.
2010 Outdoor Championships Preview
With so many athletes competing for the Bulls this weekend, GoUSFBulls.com has decided to preview each area of events separately for fans. Click on the links below to read about USF's athletes in each specific area and what the Championships hold in store.
Sprints/Relays
Hurdles
Distance
Horizontal Jumps
Vertical Jumps
Throws
Both Direct Athletics and TRFFS.org have links to the NCAA descending order list and the list for the BIG EAST to view the degree of difficulty USF athletes will face at the meet.
Piling Up the BIG EAST Qualifying Marks
The women outdid the men in 2010 when it came to BIG EAST qualifying marks, as USF's ladies piled up 36 marks by 22 different athletes along with both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay, a steep increase from the year before when the Bulls had 21 marks by 16 athletes and did not run either relay.
The men faired better than the previous year too, compiling 27 marks by 18 different athletes along with both relays, up slightly from the 24 and 16 the Bulls had in 2009. Click here for the complete list of qualifiers on the men's side, and click here for the list of women heading to the championships along with the 4x100 and 4x400 relays for both squads.
BIG EAST Conference History
The men have had four conference champions since joining the BIG EAST, including two-time winner Glenn Fowler, who won the 400 hurdles title in 2008 and '09. In addition, current senior Sean Young won the pole vault title in 2008 as did Mikese Morse in the long jump. A total of 13 performances have earned USF athletes All-BIG EAST honors in the previous four years for finishing in the top 3 in their respective events.
The women have never had an outdoor champion, although the Bulls have had two indoor champions in pole vaulters Stephanie Duffy this year and Denise vonEynatten in 2008. USF has had seven all-BIG EAST performances in the outdoor championships since joining the conference prior to the 2005-06 season.
Some of the Best in the BIG EAST
Following the last weekend of competition for conference athletes, several Bulls enter the BIG EAST Championships ranked in the top 5 in the conference in their respective events, including sophomore Jared Thomas (discus), junior Stephanie Duffy (pole vault) and the men's 4x400 relay, which all sit at second in the conference's descending order list. Check the table on the right for the complete list of athletes who rank in the top 5.
Breaking Records
With sophomore Casey Wagner setting the school record in the javelin for the second time this year last week at the Penn Relays, the tally now stands at 10 in 2010 in terms of the number of times a school record has been broken. Sophomore Jared Thomas has done so three times in the discus, while Wagner and sophomore Nicole Rozario (3,000 steeplechase) have accomplished the feat twice. Also setting school records this year were sophomore Allie Prendergast (3,000 meters) and the men's 4x100 and 4x400 relay.
Looking Ahead
The next step for USF's athletes following the BIG EAST Championships occurs May 27-29 at the NCAA Preliminary Round at Greensboro, N.C. The top 48 athletes in each event and the top 24 relays from the East Region will head to what used to be called the NCAA Regional meet looking to get to the NCAA Championships. Based on results there, the top 12 athletes in each event will head to the championships June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore., to meet the top 12 from the West Region.
Following this weekend's action, several Bulls are in line to earn a berth in the Preliminary Round. It all starts with sophomores Jared Thomas and Nicole Rozario, who rank second and sixth, respectively, in the East Region in the discus and the 3,000 steeplechase. Close behind them is sophomores Casey Wagner (javelin) and David Aristil (400 hurdles) who come in at eighth and 10th, respectively.
Junior Stephanie Duffy and seniors Tyler Perkins and Michael Kursteiner also rank in the top 20, as Duffy sits in 14th in the pole vault, while Perkins ranks 19th in the discus. Kursteiner's jump of 6-11 puts him at 20th. Aristil also sits at 23rd in the 110 hurdles, with senior Sean Young (pole vault) and junior Antillio Bastian (triple jump) each coming in at 24th in the Region.
Other athletes who rank in the top 48 right now include Sarah Canter (javelin), Lauren Noe (hammer), Yvana Hepburn (100 hurdles), Samantha Shade (triple jump), Monique Williams (long jump) and Dana Webb (pole vault). On the men's side, Wyatt Metzger (pole vault) and Greg Fontus (100 meters) both rank in the top 48 at the moment. In addition, the men's 4x400 relay would qualify as well, as the Bulls rank in the top 24 when you factor out schools that have more than one relay team qualified.
Cherry Starts Things Off With a Bang
Former USF track standout Damu Cherry got things started off with a bang at the Drake Relays, just edging out American teammate Lolo Jones in the 100 hurdles to take the Relays title. Cherry ran 12.65, tying for the second-fastest time in the world this outdoor season. Jones finished seventh in the finals of the 100 hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Cherry came in fourth. Here's an article about the two in the USA Today, as Cherry defeated the hometown hero in Jones. FloTrack.org has the press conference interview with the two following the race as well.
Another Former Bull Still Going Strong
The 114th running of the Boston Marathon April 19 marked the fourth-straight one former USF All-American Christa Benton has run in, as she placed 33rd overall in the women's division with a time of 2:48.41 and 15th among American runners. Benton has run a better time each of the last four years, with her top finish being 20th in 2008. Click here to read about Benton at this year's marathon.
Phillip Wise - Nesquik Student-Athlete of the Week
Sophomore Phillip Wise is this week's Nesquik Student-Athlete of the Week. Click here for the article highlighting Wise's achievements and for the link to the video interview he did with BullsVision host Joel Godett discussing his athletic and academic careers.
Last Time Out For the Bulls
USF sent several athletes up to the Penn Relays at the end of last week, with sophomore Jared Thomas taking second overall in the discus with a throw of 181-0, getting edged out by Rutgers' James Plummer.
Sophomore Casey Wagner had the best weekend for a USF athlete when she bested her school record in the javelin after tossing it 155-7, a little farther than the 154-6 she had previously boasted from the USF Open March 5. Other competitors included junior Stephanie Duffy in the pole vault at 12-11.5, and seniors Sean Young in the pole vault (16-2.75), Michael Kursteiner in the high jump (6-9.75) and Yvana Hepburn in the 100 hurdles (13.84).
Head to the Media Center page to find the links to the full recap and the results in PDF format from all of the outdoor meets, as well as the recap and results from every meet during the rest of the season as they happen. Don't forget to keep tabs on the team's progress throughout the year with the Track & Field Records and History Index page, which includes everyone's personal bests - indoor and outdoor - as well as a running tab of the best times and marks for the season and a complete performance list.
USF Unveils 2009-10 Online Interactive Guide
The USF athletics department will no longer print media guides and has now switched over to a new online, interactive format, which features vivid photography, videos of both the coaches and athletes, as well as everything else one would need in order to stay informed about the USF track and field program. Click here to head to the press release and then click on the image inside the story to open up the 2009-10 Track & Field Interactive Guide. Learn more about the athletes, watch them perform on the track, listen to what the coaches have to say about the program, and much, much more.
Up Next
USF will host its last home meet of the season May 14 with the South Florida Invitational out at the USF Track & Field Stadium.
