Three Members Of Men's Team Capture Individual Titles At Big East Outdoor Track Championships
May 5, 2002
On Sunday, May 5 in Storrs, Conn., the Villanova University men's and women's track & field teams completed competition at the 2002 Big East Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In women's action, the Wildcats tallied 60 points to finish in fifth place, while the Villanova men registered 67 points to earn a sixth place tie with Seton Hall. The University of Miami captured the women's team title with 150 points, while the University of Connecticut won the men's crown with 192 points. Villanova's best performance of the day on the men's side came in the 800 meter run where sophomore Ryan Hayden (Richmond, Canada) ran 1:50.47 to edge out Connecticut's Elliot Blount who crossed the line in 1:50.66 for the individual title. Wildcat sophomore Jason Jabaut (Peru, N.Y.) ran a strong race for the 'Cats and was right with Hayden and Blount, finishing third in a time of 1:50.70 to give the Wildcats a much needed 16 team points in the event. In a thrilling race in the 1,500 meter run, Villanova junior Tom Parlapiano (Honeybrook, Pa.) and Connecticut's Dan Wilson each crossed the line in identical times of 3:45.41. Parlapiano was credited with the win, giving him the first Big East title of his Main Line career. The Wildcat men tallied their third individual championship of the meet when junior Nic O'Brien (Auckland, New Zealand) ran an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 50.58 in the 400 meter hurdles to outdistance James Graham of Georgetown who was timed in 51.00. In the 200 meter dash, sophomore Carlos Bedoya (White Plains, N.Y.) just missed claiming a fourth title for Villanova when he placed second with a time of 21.15. West Virginia's Blake Pearson grabbed first place honors with a clocking of 21.12. In the 5,000 meter run, sophomore Pat Dunn (East Setauket, N.Y.) was 10th with a time of 14:40.87. Senior Sherese Price (Pleasantville, N.J.) highlighted the day for the Wildcat women as she registered a second place effort in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.75. Miami's Sharianne Lawson won the race in 13.63. Two Wildcat women distance runners had strong efforts for Villanova, with sophomore Rebecca Mitchell (Geneva, Ill.) and freshman Kalin Toedebusch (Rockford, Mich.) each recording NCAA provisional qualifying times. Mitchell placed third in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 4:23.01, while Toedebusch was clocked in 16:46.64 and placed seventh in the 5,000 meter run. Also, in the 1,500 meter run, freshman Ioana Parusheva (Sliven, Bulgaria) earned a ninth place finish in 4:27.80.
MEN'S SCORES 1. Connecticut 192 2. Georgetown 106 3. Notre Dame 99 4. Rutgers 73.50 5. West Virginia 70 6. VILLANOVA 67 6. Seton Hall 67 8. St. John's 46 9. Syracuse 36 10. Miami 28 11. Providence 26 12. Pittsburgh 21 13. Virginia Tech 18.50 14. Boston College 6 |
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