By Kelly Tuckwiller for MSNsportsNET.com
February 21, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University track and field team concluded the 2010 BIG EAST Indoor Championships at the Armory in New York City today with a fourth-place showing.
The Mountaineers placed fourth with 76.50 points behind Villanova (115), Louisville (107) and Connecticut (84), while Georgetown (67) rounded out the top five.
“I am thrilled with the competitive spirit of this team. From top to bottom this was a total team effort,” coach Sean Cleary says. “Our fourth-place showing equals the best indoor finish in the program’s history and I could not be happier with this team’s performance.”
Leading the team today was junior Chelsea Carrier who after placing first in the pentathlon yesterday, returned to take the top spot in the 60-meter hurdles with an NCAA provisional time of 8.31. The Buckhannon, W.Va., native also scored points for the team in the long jump with a seventh-place showing (5.83).
Also racing well were seniors April Rotilio and Clara Grandt, who both met NCAA provisional times in their respective events. Rotilio finished in fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.34, while Grandt placed fourth in the 3,000-meter run with a career-best time of 9:27.34.
The WVU relay teams placed well, as the 4x800 team broke a school record after finishing in third (8:44.98). The team of Keri Bland, Kaylyn Christopher, Jessica O’Connell and Marie-Louise Asselin broke the previous school record of 8:50.10 that was set in 2002. The 4x400 team then finished in sixth, crossing the line in 3:48.21.
In the high jump, junior Katelyn Williams posted a third-place showing after clearing 1.75 meters, while senior Natasha Redman placed 10th (1.70 meters) and freshman Sydney Cummings tied for 11th (1.65 meters).
WVU will continue action on March 5-6 as it travels to South Bend, Ind., for the Alex Wilson Invitational, before heading to the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 12-13.