It might be an understatement to say Annette Echikunwoke is having a monster season for the University of Cincinnati track and field program as the sophomore throws specialist shredded the school records book for the fifth week in a row by smashing the weight standard during competition at the SPIRE Division I Invitational in Geneva, Ohio. Echikunwoke, this week’s recipient of the American Athletic Conference Female Field Athlete of Week honor, bettered her own mark in the event by nearly four feet and launch herself up the national lists.
Echikunwoke’s stellar performance, in which she recorded three marks that would have broken the record, including an identical 21.57m toss later in the event, set the pace on the day for the Bearcats as the men and women combined to collect nine marks that rank among the Top 10 all-time in program history. The group of competitors today also tallied 14 personal-best times/marks.
// WOMEN’S RESULTS
at SPIRE DI Invitational
– The meet opened with the weight throw competition and, for the fifth week in a row, it also opened with a school record as Annette Echikunwoke blew away her previous record by over one meter, pushing the standard to 21.57m (70-09.25). With that throw, she not only improved her record by 1.08m (3-07.75), but she also has now increased her PR from last year by nearly 11-feet (60-01.00 in 2015 to 70-09.25 today). Entering the weekend ranked 13th in the nation and 24th in the world, the sophomore now ranks third in the NCAA and 11th in the world.
– Maggie Loeffler had a career day in the pentathlon, finishing the five-part event with a personal-best 3,249 points, the 10th-best all-time in UC history. She got to that total on the strength of three individual event personal bests, all three of which rank among the Top 10 pentathlon marks in school history. After running a PR 9.46 in the 60m hurdles (pentathlon #8) and clearing a PR-tying (pentathlon #4-tie) height of 1.65m (5-05.00) in the high jump, Loeffler remained in fifth place overall. In the final event, the 800m run, she ran 2:32.37 (pentathlon #9) to help her better her pentathlon PR by 208 points.
– For the second week in a row, the women’s 200m dash provided a Top 10 mark in the program’s record book with this week’s entry coming from Jada Grant, who ran a personal-best 24.92 to finish 16th in the event. Her time ranks as the seventh-fastest (tie) in UC history and gives the Bearcats four women under 25-seconds this season.
– The final two all-time Top 10 marks came on the track in the 1,000m run as Meg Westerheide (13th) and Vanessa Robinson (22nd) each ran personal-best times to make the list. Westerheide clocked in at 2:59.07 to become only the fifth UC woman to crack three minutes and moved her to No. 4 on the charts while Robinson’s PR of 3:02.54 ranks her seventh.
– The final PR came in the pole vault with Sadie Brass clearing 3.67m (12-00.50) to finish fourth overall.
at Tyson Invitational
– Kenya Woodall was the lone woman to compete in Arkansas on Friday as she took part in the 400m dash. Entering the meet with a season-best time of 55.49, Woodall moved well past that mark, running 53.96 to win her heat and finishing third overall. Her time is not only her best of the season and just 0.23 off her personal-best, it also vaulted her into the Top 30 nationally and pushed her to the top of the American Athletic Conference list as the only woman to run a sub-54 this season.
// MEN’S RESULTS
at SPIRE DI Invitational
– Jarrod Hart posted the lone all-time Top 10 mark on the day for the men as he ran 2:28.50 in the 1,000m run and claiming the No. 3 spot on the UC charts. Just the fourth man to run under 2:29 in the event, Hart placed 10th overall on the day.
– A distance race provided another PR, this time with Greg Sanders finishing with an improved time of 15:11.17 in the 5,000m run. Finishing 16th overall, Hart’s time bettered his previous PR by nearly 17 seconds (16.67).
– In the 200m dash, Jaashir Morris turned in a PR with his time of 22.27 to finish tied for 15th with teammate Tevin-Lloyd Thompson. Despite running in two different heats, both Bearcats clocked identical times, even down to the thousandth with matching 22.267 marks.
– In the field, Colt Robinson finished a team-best third on the day by clearing 4.73m (15-06.25). That clearance is a PR for Robinson.
at Tyson Invitational
– Adrian Valles was the lone Bearcats male entry this weekend in Fayetteville as he took part in the invitational section of the pole vault. In the event, Valles finished tied for ninth as he cleared 5.21m (17-01.00).
Action concludes Saturday with three women competing in Arkansas and the remaining members of the team competing in Geneva.
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Women’s Results
at SPIRE DI Invitational / Geneva, Ohio – Day 1 (2/12/16)
Pentathlon
5. Maggie Loeffler – 3,249 points – PR & UC #10
Event #1 – 60m Hurdles
7. Maggie Loeffler – 9.46 – 816 points – PR & UC Pentathlon #8
Event #2 – High Jump
5. Maggie Loeffler – 1.65m (5-05.00) – 795 points – PR & UC Pentathlon #4 (tie)
Event #3 – Shot Put
6. Maggie Loeffler – 8.75m (28-08.50) – 448 points
Event #4 – Long Jump
8. Maggie Loeffler – 4.88m (16-00.25) – 527 points – PR
Event #5 – 800m Run
5. Maggie Loeffler – 2:32.37 – 663 points – PR & UC Pentathlon #9
200m Dash
16. Jada Grant – 24.92 – PR & UC #7 (tie)
21. Haisha Bisiolu – 25.13
47. Alanna Hendricks – 26.46
1,000m Run
13. Meg Westerheide – 2:59.07 – PR & UC #4
22. Vanessa Robinson – 3:02.54 – PR & UC #7
Pole Vault
4. Sadie Brass – 3.67m (12-00.50) – PR
Weight Throw
1. Annette Echikunwoke – 21.57m (70-09.25) – PR & UC Record
7. Monica Phillips – 17.99m (59-00.25)
13. Leah Heckaman – 16.59m (54-05.25)
19. Nicole Breeden – 15.90m (52-02.00)
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at Tyson Invitational / Fayetteville, Ark. – Day 1 (2/12/16)
Women’s 400m Dash – FINAL
3. Kenya Woodall – 53.96
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Men’s Results
at SPIRE DI Invitational / Geneva, Ohio – Day 1 (2/12/16)
200m Dash
t15. Jaashir Morris – 22.27 – PR
t15. Tevin-Lloyd Thompson – 22.27
27. Mykel Chambers – 22.66
1,000m Run
10. Jarrod Hart – 2:28.50 – PR & UC #3
5,000m Run
16. Greg Sanders – 15:11.17 – PR
Pole Vault
3. Colt Robinson – 4.73m (15-06.25) – PR
t7. Cody Curry – 4.58m (15-00.25)
Weight Throw
9. Josh Province – 18.59m (61-00.00)
20. John Zedella – 14.82m (48-07.50)
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at Tyson Invitational / Fayetteville, Ark. – Day 1 (2/12/16)
Men’s Pole Vault – Invitational
t9. Adrian Valles – 5.21m (17-01.00)
