University of Illinois
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Four Illini Qualify for NCAA Championships
May 26, 2007 | Women's Track & Field
May 26, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - The Illini women's track & field team qualified four athletes for nationals during today's second and final day of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, hosted by the University of Missouri at Audrey J. Walton Stadium. And despite having entrants in just 10 of the meet's 19 events, Illinois totaled an impressive 30 points to finish seventh in the team standings.
The top five finishers in individual events as well as the top three relay teams from each of the four regional sites automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Junior LaNeisha Waller started things off for the Illini by setting a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles. Waller scored five points by placing fourth, clocking 13.18 seconds to earn her first trip to nationals.
Also on the track, seniors Camile and Carlene Robinson both ran season's bests to qualify for nationals in the 400-meter hurdles. Camile Robinson was the highest Illini finisher during the weekend, taking third in a time of 56.71 (6 pts). Carlene Robinson tied her personal best, placing fourth with a time of 56.76 (5 pts).
In the field, senior Yvonne Mensah qualified for nationals in the triple jump. Mensah scored five points, finishing fourth with a mark of 42 feet, 5 ¼ inches.
"We had some very solid performances this weekend, and we're pleased to have four qualify for the NCAA Championships," head coach Gary Winckler said. "LeNeisha did great, 13.18 is a big PR for her. The twins also did a super job. Their runs have gotten a little better each week, and they both ran their top time of the season today. Yvonne was disappointed with how things went in the 100 yesterday, but she came back and took care of business today in the triple jump, doing exactly what she needed to move on to nationals."
In addition to the four national qualifiers, also scoring points for the Illini were sophomore Briana Cunningham, who placed seventh in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.26 (2 pts) and the 4x100-meter relay team of junior Tiara Armstrong, Waller, Carlene Robinson and Mensah that finished fifth in a time of 45.42 seconds (4 pts). Yesterday, junior Mariesa Greene scored three points by finishing sixth in the javelin (149-10).
"I'm a bit surprised that we finished as high as we did," Winckler said. "We're pleased with seventh place because there were other events we could have scored in had we entered them. But as I've said, our approach to regionals is to concentrate on qualifying our athletes for nationals in the events in which they want to compete. They did a great job winning a conference championship two weeks ago. When you consider what they've already done for us, we support their focus on individual accomplishments at this time of year."
In other Illini action, freshman Taylor Bennett ran a personal best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, running 10:42.76 to finish 10th while fellow freshman Angela Bizzarri took 11th in the final of 1,500-meter run, clocking 4:41.33. Junior Amada Pintaro (11th place) and sophomore Jacqueline Ziegler (15th place), meanwhile, each broke the school record in the pole vault. Both athletes cleared 12 feet, 6 inches to break the previous record of 12-5 ½ that those two held along with junior Ashley Whittaker. Whittaker also competed in the pole vault tonight but did not clear the opening height. Finally, senior Kristina Jones finished 23rd in the triple jump with a mark of 39 feet, 1 ¼ inches.
While the majority of athletes qualify for nationals by virtue of their finish at regionals, there will also be at-large selections to complete the field. Those at-large selections will be announced on Tuesday. The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held June 6-9 at Sacramento, Calif.
Illinois Results - NCAA Mideast Regional Championships (Day 2) 1500m Run Final 11. Angela Bizzarri 4:41.33100m Hurdles Final 4. LaNeisha Waller 13.18 Q (5 pts)
400m Hurdles Final 3. Camile Robinson 56.71 Q (6 pts) 4. Carlene Robinson 56.76 Q (5 pts) 7. Briana Cunningham 59.26 (2 pts)
3000m Steeplechase Final 10. Taylor Bennett 10:42.76
4x100m Relay Final 5. Tiara Armstrong, LaNeisha Waller, Carlene Robinson, Yvonne Mensah 45.42 (4 pts)
Pole Vault 11. Amanda Pintaro 12-6 (3.81m) 15. Jacqueline Ziegler 12-6 (3.81m) -- Ashley Whittaker NH
Triple Jump Final 4. Yvonne Mensah 42-5 ¼ (12.93m) Q (5 pts) 23. Kristina Jones 39-1 ¼ (11.92m)
Q = Qualified for NCAA Championships
NCAA Mideast Regional Final Team Standings (19 scored events) 1. LSU 112 2. Arkansas 77 3. Michigan 63 4. Tennessee 43 5. Auburn 35 6. Purdue 32 7. ILLINOIS 30 8. Tulane 28 9. Louisiana Tech 23 10. Mississippi 22 11. Wisconsin 19 11. Alabama 19 13. Missouri 17 14. Southern Illinois 16 15. Michigan State 15 15. Western Michigan 15 17. Notre Dame 14 17. Akron 14 17. Toledo 14 17. Akron 14 21. Louisville 12 22. Memphis 10.33 23. Kentucky 10 24. South Alabama 8 24. Samford 8 24. Ohio State 8 27. Indiana State 6 27. Cincinnati 6 29. Northern Illinois 5 29. Middle Tennessee State 5 31. Southeastern Louisiana 4 31. Eastern Michigan 4 31. Tennessee-Chattanooga 4 31. Ball State 4 31. Central Michigan 4 36. Wisconsin-Milwaukee 3 36. Marquette 3 36. Indiana 3 39. Kent State 2 39. Missouri State 2 39. Ohio 2 42. Vanderbilt 1 42. Youngstown State 1 42. Troy 1 45. Loyola-Illinois 0.33 45. East Tennessee State 0.33
