May 31, 2008

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Ohio's Bahiyjaui Allen (Toledo, Ohio) placed eighth in the shot put at the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regionals on Saturday afternoon at John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas.

She took first in the third flight with a throw of 52 feet, 2.75 inches, which was good for eighth overall. Allen broke her own school record yet again this season, besting her throw of 51 feet, 11.25 inches two weekends ago at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships. Allen was one of four underclassmen to place in the top-eight in the shot put.

Emily Amendola (Beach City, Ohio) also competed in the event, taking 34th overall after placing eighth in the second flight.

"Overall it was a great meet for both Emily and Bahiyjaui," said head coach Clay Calkins. "For Bahiyjaui to break the school record again at the regional meet and set a new personal best is fantastic and is all that you can ask for."

Memphis' Susan King took first in the event, with a toss of 57 feet, nine inches.

On Friday, Amendola competed in the hammer throw, taking fourth in her flight and 22nd overall with a throw of 173 feet, three inches. She qualified for the regionals in the hammer with her school-record throw of 180 feet, seven inches at the Ohio Open in May.

To earn an automatic bid to the NCAA National Championships at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, a student-athlete must finish in the top-five of an event or meet a certain time or distance throughout the regular season.

While Allen did not place high enough for automatic qualification, she did qualify for an at-large bid by finishing in the top-12 at the regional.

After results are compiled from all the regionals, competitors finishing in the 6-12 range will be stacked up against one another based not just on regional results, but marks tallied the entire season.

Five additional at-large qualifiers for each event will be announced on Monday afternoon.