University of Connecticut Athletics
2010 BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championship Preview
4/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
April 29, 2010
Cincinnati Hosts Championships For First Time
The BIG EAST Conference is pleased to have the 2010 Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Gettler Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati for the first time in championship history. This year marks the 31st anniversary of the BIG EAST Conference and the Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Notre Dame Men Look to Carry Success Into The Next Decade
The Notre Dame men's squad had a successful start to the new millennium, winning six of the first 10 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field team titles and coming in second once. The four other titles of the 2000s were divided among four schools: Georgetown (2001), Connecticut (2002), Rutgers (2005) and Louisville (2007). The men's BIG EAST Outdoor Championships have been a story of decades, as Villanova controlled the 1980s with five titles and Georgetown ran the 90s with nine banners.
Louisville Women Aim to "Hammer" Home Third Consecutive Title
Backed by one of the top throwing contingents in the country, the Cardinals will look to three-peat at this year's championships. The UofL women have dominated the throwing events in the regular season and at the championships. The Cards' have won the hammer throw and shot put titles the past three championships, while senior Jere' Summers won the discus throw in 2008. Summers, a four-time outdoor event champion, ranks first in the BIG EAST in the shot put, discus and hammer throws, while standing 24th, fifth and fourth, respectively, among all NCAA competitors. The Cardinals boast the BIG EAST's top three distances in the shot put and hammer throw and the top two marks in the discus throw this season.
BIG EAST Women Rank High At All Distances
Conference athletes rank among the fastest runners in the country at short, middle and long distance. The BIG EAST's top two times in the 400 meters, owned by Seton Hall's Jernail Hayes and Notre Dame's Joanna Schultz, stand at sixth and seventh, respectively, among NCAA athletes. In the 800 meters, BIG EAST indoor champion Mary Cate Quiett of DePaul ranks 18th in the NCAA. Meanwhile, Syracuse boasts the BIG EAST's top two times in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, as Rebekah MacKay and Stephanie Slekis rank ninth and 10th, respectively, among NCAA competitors. Georgetown's Natasha Lebeaud and Providence's Katie DiCamillo stand at 10th and 14th in the NCAA in the 10,000 meters.
BIG EAST's Fastest Man Aims to End Georgetown's Drought
Graduate student Kenny Mitchell owns the BIG EAST's fastest marks in the 100- and 200-meter sprints this season, two events which the Hoyas have experienced 20-year droughts in titles. The last GU student-athlete to win either event was Chris Brown in 1990, when he won both titles. Mitchell is also a member of the 4x100-meter relay team which owns the second-fastest time in the BIG EAST.
Belt Looks to Notch A Few More Titles
Louisville senior Tone Belt has five BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field titles to his name, including three in the high jump and two in the long jump. Belt already owns the most outdoor titles in Louisville history and has the potential to pick up a few more, as the senior has qualified for the high jump, long jump and triple jump in this year's competition.
Nine Different BIG EAST Schools Earn Weekly Awards
For the second consecutive year, the BIG EAST recognized a men's and women's Track Athlete of the Week as well as Field Athlete of the Week for five weeks of the outdoor season.
Men's Track Athlete of the Week Field Athlete of the Week
Week 1: Mike Krisch, Sr., Georgetown Jared Thomas, Sr., USF
Week 2: David Aristil, So., USF Steven Hnat, Sr., Louisville
Week 3: Kenny Mitchell, GS, Georgetown Steven Hnat, Sr., Louisville
Week 4: Matt Hughes, Jr., Louisville Tone Belt, Sr., Louisville
Week 5: Brian Gagnon, Sr., Connecticut Mike Alleman, So., Connecticut
Women's Track Athlete of the Week Field Athlete of the Week
Week 1: Mary Cate Quiett, Jr., DePaul D'Ana McCarty, Jr., Louisville
Week 2: Ariann Neutts, Fr., Villanova Jere' Summers, Sr., Louisville
Week 3: Shelby Greany, Fr., Providence Uhunoma Osazuwa, Sr., Syracuse
Week 4: Rebekah MacKay, Jr., Syracuse Rachael McIntosh, Fr., Pittsburgh
Week 5: Mary Cate Quiett, Jr., DePaul Casey Wagner, So., USF
BIG EAST Web Coverage/Live Streaming
The BIG EAST Conference will once again offer web site coverage and streaming of the 2010 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. BIGEAST.tv - the league's online streaming platform - will offer live coverage from the championship.
Fans can subscribe to BIGEAST.tv for one low price to catch all of the action from the comfort of their home computer. There are flexible subscription options available:
Purchase an Outdoor Track and Field sport-specific package for a one-time price of $9.95. This allows users full access only for the championship to which they have subscribed.
Gain an all-access pass to all premium BIGEAST.tv content (all sports) for 30 days with a recurring monthly subscription of $9.95/month.
Get the best value by subscribing to an annual subscription, which gives fans access to all BIGEAST.tv content for the entire 2009-10 season for $79.95.
To start the seamless registration process, visit BIGEAST.tv and click "sign-up".
For all of the BIG EAST's coverage of the Outdoor Track and Field Championship, visit the 2010 Championship Central page at BIGEAST.org. Championship Central will contain a live scoreboard feed and results, photo galleries, recaps and will house all video archives.
* Preview brought to you by the BIG EAST Conference.
Players Mentioned
