UM Track Heads To BIG EAST Championships
April 28, 2004
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Coral Gables, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships, April 30-May 2, in Piscataway, N.J.
The sixth-ranked Hurricane women enter the BIG EAST Championships looking to win a BIG EAST record fourth consecutive outdoor title, and their sixth championship in the last seven seasons.
The women will bring a deep and talented group of student-athletes to the BIG EAST Championships having recorded a total of 46 conference qualifying marks in 15 different events.
Several Hurricanes have recorded the top marks in the BIG EAST this season in their respective events including seven-time All-American Lauryn Williams (Rochester, Pa.) in the 100-meters and 200-meters, four-time All-American Charlette Greggs (Miami Northwestern) in the 400-meters, three-time All-American Dominique Darden (Harrisburg, Pa.) in the 400-meter hurdles and two-time All-American Tabia Charles (Pickering, Ontario) in the long jump and triple jump. In addition, the 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay have also recorded the top times in the BIG EAST this season.
UM’s talent group of women are led by Williams and Charles. Williams, who has the fastest times in the world this season in the 100-meters (11.01) and 200-meters (22.46), will attempt to become the first woman in BIG EAST history to win three consecutive 100-meter titles.
Charles, the Canadian Junior record holder in the triple jump, has had a phenomenal freshman season. She was named the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Field Performer after winning the long jump and triple jump at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships and earned All-America honors in both events at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
This weekend she will attempt to become just the second freshman in BIG EAST history to sweep both the long jump and triple jump at both the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championships joining Syracuse’s Janeen Bonner who won all four events in 1986.
The men’s track team will enter the BIG EAST Championships with one of its largest group of competitors ever. Miami has recorded 23 BIG EAST qualifying marks in 11 different events.
The Hurricanes have six runners that have qualified in the 100-meters including sophomore Akieem Jola (New Orleans, La.), freshman Devin Hester (Riviera Beach, Fla.), junior Tanard Davis (Miami Southridge), sophomore Darnell Jenkins (Miami Central), Travarous Bain (Miami Northwestern) and junior Kelly Jennings (Live Oak, Fla.).
Bain has also qualified for the BIG EAST Championships in the 200-meters while Hester will also be competing in the long jump. Hester won the long jump at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships earlier this season.
A total of four Hurricanes have qualified in the long jump including senior Aaron Dolores (Mill Valley, Calif.), senior Russell Landy (Miami Killian) and freshman Jon Beason (Miramar, Fla.).
Senior Jon Mark (St. Charles, Ill.) and junior Chris Centrich (Hamburg, N.Y.) will compete in the pole vault, while senior Kenny Frank (Pomona, N.Y.) qualified in the 110-meter hurdles and freshman Roland DaSilva (Margate, Fla.) qualified in the 400-meter hurdles.
Miami’s 4×100-meter relay has the top time in the BIG EAST this season and has already qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships.
In the distance events senior Matt Mulvaney (South Hadley, Mass.) has qualified in both the 5,000-meters and 10,000-meters. Sophomore Alex Brutvan also qualified in the 10,000-meters.
Freshmen Tavares Gooden (Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas) and Charles Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis.) both qualified in the discus.
