May 27, 2009

Mideast Regional Schedule

ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio track & field is sending six student-athletes to the NCAA Mideast Regional this weekend, hosted by the University of Louisville, to compete for a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Action at Cardinal Park Stadium begins Friday, May 29 at 11 a.m. ET and concludes Saturday, May 30.

Three Bobcats will compete on Friday and another three will be in action on Saturday. First up will be junior Emily Amendola (Beach City, Ohio) in the hammer throw at 2:30 p.m. Amendola placed fifth in the event at the Mid-American Conference Championships and currently holds the school record with her heave of 186 feet, four inches. She is competing in Regionals for the second-straight season in the hammer throw.

On the track Friday night for Ohio will be Kari Summers (Troy, Ohio) and Annie Beecham (Granville, Ohio) in the 5,000 meters, which is scheduled to kick off at 6:40 p.m. Summers is the MAC Champion in the 5,000 and also holds the school record with her time of 16:35.97 set this season at the Stanford Invitational. Beecham turned in her best time at the Wake Forest Open, finishing in 16:48.32, which stands second on Ohio’s all-time list.

On Saturday, senior Susan Plungis (Great Barrington, Mass.) will compete in the javelin at 11 a.m. Plungis took runner-up honors at the MAC Championship with her personal-best throw of 146 feet, two inches that qualified her for the Regional for the second time in her career. Following Plungis will be Cathy Udeani (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) in the high jump, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Udeani placed fourth at the MAC Championship and set her personal-best mark of five feet, eight and three-quarter inches at the Hillsdale Relays earlier this year.

Rounding out the action for the Bobcats will be MAC Shot Put Champion Bahiyjaui Allen (Toledo, Ohio) at 2:30 p.m. Allen won the conference title and bettered her school record in the event with a toss of 54 feet, four and three-quarter inches that currently stands as the eighth-best throw in the country. She is looking to make it to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second-consecutive season, as she qualified last year after placing eighth in the Regional.

The top five performers in each event receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, while the top 12 are eligible for at-large consideration. The final field will be announced on June 2 after the conclusion of the four Regional meets.

For more information and live results for the Mideast Regional, please visit Louisville’s Web site here. Coverage of both days’ action will also be available on OhioBobcats.com.