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Track & Field
Johnson Wins Steeplechase To Pace Irish At BIG EAST Championships
May 7, 2005 Piscataway, N.J. - Notre Dame senior Ryan Johnson won the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase while leading an Irish sweep of the top three places in the race to highlight action Saturday at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Rutgers University. Heading into the final day of competition, the Irish men's team stands second in the team standings with 57.5 points while the Notre Dame women's team ranks fourth in the team race with 33 points. Rutgers leads the men's competition with 75 points while Pittsburgh leads the women's race with 77. Both Irish teams are in position to contend for team titles on Sunday. On the men's side, Notre Dame is looking for its third consecutive BIG EAST Outdoor Championship and figures to be tested by host Rutgers and Connecticut. The women's race should be a battle between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. Johnson won the steeplechase for the second consecutive year, finishing in 9:04.21. The senior finished less than one second ahead of Irish newcomer Jake Watson (9:04.60). Notre Dame sophomore Todd Ptacek took third in a time of 9:06.12 as the Irish garnered 24 points in the event. Notre Dame picked up 13 more points in the men's 10,000 meters as Kaleb Van Ort led the way in third place (30:26.01) followed by Tim Moore in fifth (30:41.27) while Dan Driscoll was seventh (31:42.40) and Todd Mobley finished eighth (31:44.48). Other top performances for the Notre Dame men included a third-place finish by Garet Koxlien in the discus (51.06 meters/167 feet, 6 inches). The Irish picked up 10 team points in the event as Chip Roberts placed fifth with a toss of 46.96 meters (154-1).
Notre Dame added 7.5 points in the men's high jump when Chris Staron tied for fourth with a clearance of 1.99m (6-6 ¼) followed by Chris Jacques in sixth, also with a clearance of 1.99. The women's competition for Notre Dame was highlighted by a second place finish in the 10,000 by Lauren King, who collected eight points for Notre Dame in a time of 35:57.74. Jean Marinangeli was fourth in 36:42.66. Meghan Horn posted a pair of third place finishes in both the shot put (14.46m/47-5¼) and discus (45.69m/149-11) to pick up 12 points in the team standings. Kate Duman was third in the javelin with a toss of 42.38 meters (139-0). In qualifying heats for Sunday finals, Irish sprinter Maryann Erigha had an impressive day as she led all qualifiers in both the women's 100 and 200-meter dashes. Erigha ran the 100 in 11.97 seconds and posted a time of 24.17 in the 200. Hurdler/sprinter Selim Nurudeen led Irish men's qualifiers for Sunday in the 110-meter high hurdles and the 200-meter dash. Seeking his fourth consecutive 110 hurdles outdoor title, Nurudeen was easily the leading qualifier for Sunday's final with a time of 13.78 in the hurdles. He will be joined by teammate Geoffrey Bennett in that event as Bennett qualified sixth overall with a time of 14.66. In the 200, Nurudeen posted the third-fastest qualifying time to the final, breaking the tape in 21.11. Notre Dame will send two finalists to the men's 1,500 on Sunday. Todd Ptacek (3:50.57) and Brett Adams (3:51.61) will compete in the final for the Irish. Eric Morrison failed to advance as he posted the 10th-fastest qualifying time on the day at 3:52.33. The Irish also will have two finalists in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles as Roberto Garcia (54.44) and Austin Wechter (54.80) garnered the seventh and eighth-fastest qualifying times, respectively. The championships conclude on Sunday, May 8, with competition beginning at 11:00 a.m. A summary of Saturday's action: TEAM STANDINGS |
    
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