Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
MAC Championships
Women's Track Heads to MAC Championship
5/12/2009 4:37:23 PM | Women's Track & Field
Strong underclassmen squad look to make impact
YPSILANTI, Mich.—The Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team will travel to Akron, Ohio, May 14-16, for the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championship. Thursday's events will kick off at 10 a.m. with the hammer throw, while Friday and Saturday's events will begin at 12:15 p.m. and 12:05 p.m., respectively.
The women's team, under the guidance of third-year head coach Sue Parks, has a stellar group of freshmen and sophomores that are looking to make an impact at their first outdoor championship. The Eagles sit within striking distance of several events. Beverly Elcock (Ft. Wayne, Ind.-Northrop), Jasmine Gates (Virginia Beach, Va.-Tallwood), and Jessica Novakowski (Wixom, Mich.-Walled Lake Western) are all ranked second in their respective events, with each one of them hitting an NCAA Regional qualifying mark.
Elcock hit an NCAA mark at the beginning of the season and spent the entire spring improving it, with her best time, 2:09.53, coming at the Len Paddock Invitational, May 8-9. Elcock is looking to sweep the 800 this year, after winning the title at the indoor championship. Gates cleared a personal-best 5-08.75 in the high jump at the Gina Relays to finish second in the event. With her mark, she is now ranked second all-time in school history and is tied for first in the conference. Novakowski cleared a personal-best height of 12-07.50 in the pole vault at the Len Paddock Invitational. Her mark not only was a career-best in the event and is the fourth highest attempt in school history.
Several other Eagles rank in the top-10 in their respective events. Freshman Ashley Wartley (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Belleville) is the only Eagle to run under 12 seconds in the 100-meter dash this season, running 11.98 at the Len Paddock Invite, the seventh-fastest mark in the conference thus far. In the longer sprints, Shade St. Louis (Kansas City, Mo.-Kansas City CC) and Shantavia Williams (Homestead, Fla.-South Dade) rank sixth and ninth, respectively, in the 400-meter dash. In the 400-meter hurdles, Dejaa Shearer (Canton, Ohio-Glen Oak) looks to make an impact after having run the fifth-best time, 1:01.53.
In the long jump, freshman Rosie White (New Albany, Ohio-New Albany) cleared over 19-feet this season, going 19-04.25, the fifth-farthest mark in the conference.
As for the longer distances, several Eagles sit just within striking distance to a top-eight finish at the Championship. Rachel Hollinger-Janzen (Goshen, Ind.-Goshen) has the fourth-best mark in the 10,000-meter run, 36:23.02)
The 4x400-meter relay team has run the second-fastest time in the conference this season, while the 4x100-meter relay team has run the third fastest.
