Tribe Junior Again Qualifies for NCAA Regionals
NEW HAVEN, CT - Junior Charlotte LaRoche's (Centreville, VA) All-East performance in the pole vault highlighted the Saturday efforts of 2004 CAA Champion William and Mary women's track and field competed at ECAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. With LaRoche scoring five points for the Tribe the College moved into 20th position with six points after nine scored events. UNC has taken a slight lead over second-place Pittsburgh, 24 to 23.20, while Friday-leader Duke is a close third with 23. Points are awarded to the top-eight finishers in each event, who receive All-East honors. The meet, hosted by Yale, attracts a large field of teams from across the Eastern U. S. and represents the last opportunity for athletes to set NCAA qualification marks.LaRoche, earning her second All-East honor of the season after meriting the distinction in the indoor pole vault, claimed fourth place today in the pole vault by clearing 12'3.5". The mark again qualified LaRoche for competition at the NCAA East Regional.
In the other stellar performance of the day the Tribe's 4x100m relay team of Mary Whitehead (Dulles, VA), junior Naomi Mattos (Woodbridge, VA), freshman Kathleen Woody (Oakton, VA) and sophomore Erica Johnson (Stephens Church, VA) broke the school record for the event for the second time in a month. The quartet combined to clock a 46.85 to win its heat, automatically qualifying for the finals of the event to be held tomorrow. The time was the fifth fastest run on the day among 26 teams and was a school record by nearly half a second. The same four athletes had broken the Tribe 4x100m record at the CAA Championships in April.
The Green and Gold saw several other solid performances today as athletes battled an elite field. Junior Naomi Mattos (Woodbridge, VA) clocked a 56.01, her second-fastest time of the season, in the 400m but it was not enough to advance to the finals of the event as Mattos finished 13th. In the 1,500m, freshman Meghan Bishop (Blue Bell, PA) also set her second-fastest time of the season, pacing a 4:34.00 for 18th. Freshman Brenna Blevins (Pulaski, VA) also notched a top-20 finish, taking 20th in the javelin with a throw of 124'4", her second-best mark of the year.
The ECACs conclude Sunday.
ECAC - Team Rankings - 9 Events Scored 1) University of North Caroli 24 2) University of Pittsburgh 23.20 3) Duke University 23 4) Syracuse University 22 5) Rutgers University 20 6) Boston College 18.20 7) Bucknell University 18 7) New Hampshire 18 9) University of Maryland 17 10) James Madison 14 11) Yale University 13 12) Connecticut 12 12) Northeastern University 12 14) Providence College 11 15) U.S. Naval Academy 10 16) Liberty University 9.20 17) Iona College 9 18) University of Vermont 7 18) Georgetown University 7 20) William & Mary 6 20) Columbia 6 20) Duquesne University 6 20) Rhode Island 6 24) Dartmouth College 5 24) West Virginia University 5 26) Towson University 4 26) Sacred Heart University 4 26) Robert Morris 4 29) Pennsylvania University 3.20 30) Binghamton 3 30) Brown University 3 30) St. John's 3 33) Harvard University 2 34) Cornell University 1.20 35) Fairleigh Dickinson 1 35) Monmouth 1