University of Richmond Athletics
Atlantic 10 Track & Field Indoor Championships Preview
02/13/2002 | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 13, 2002
The University of Richmond track & field team travels to Kingston, R.I. this weekend for the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Championships. The event will be held at the University of Rhode Island's Mackal Field House on February 16.
The women's team has improved throughout the indoor season and appears to be primed for finishing in the top-3 at the conference meet. The Spiders are particularly strong in the distance events, running several top times in the conference.
In the 5,000 meters, junior Sarah Taylor ran the A-10's second-best time with a 17:58.64 at the Blue Heaven meet. Junior Anne Rettig ran the fifth-best time of 18:25.69 at the Christopher Newport Classic.
Richmond has also performed well in the field events. Sophomore Julee Wilson, owner of four school records, jumped an A-10 best 19' at the Maryland Invitational but has battled injuries for the remainder of the indoor season. Freshman Ashley Bell recorded the third-best leap in the triple jump, a 36'8" effort at the CNC Invitational.
The Spiders have also claimed two of the top four slots in the shot put event. Junior Rachel Shrewsbury threw a 44'4.50" at the VMI Invitational, second-best in the Atlantic 10, and sophomore Diane Schreiber threw the fourth farthest at 42'9".
The men's squad has also improved over the last few weeks and should make a strong showing in Kingston. Senior Jeff Wilburn cleared the high jump bar at 6'8" in the CNC Invitational, second-highest in the Atlantic 10. Junior Justin McElfish threw the shot put 48'10.25" in the same meet, fourth-longest in the conference.
Senior David Blanchard won an event in each of the last two meets. At the VMI Invitational, Blanchard won the 800 meters by .01 seconds. The following week, he won the 1,500 meter run at the Winter Frolic in Newport News, Va.
Rhode Island won both the men's and the women's conference titles last season.
The women's competition begins at 9:30 a.m. with the field events and goes until approximately 2 p.m. The men's championship follows from 2:15 p.m. to approximately 7 p.m. The first women's track event begins at 11 a.m., the first men's race at 4:45 p.m.
Tickets are available at the event from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The prices are $5 for adults, $3 for children and senior citizens, and $1 for students with an ID.
For More Information on the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships
