Runners head to Indianapolis
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Associate Sports Editor
The Notre Dame track and field teams will fill out the race entries this weekend with the Indy Relays in Indianapolis.
Most of the team has not competed since a home meet on April 1, since weather canceled running events the following week, and very few athletes competed in Saturday's Mt. SAC Relays.
"We started off April really well, and our next meet got cancelled because of weather," women's distance coach Tim Connelly said. "So we're not really sure where we're at right now."
With just two weeks remaining before the focal point of the team's outdoor season, the Big East Championships, it's about time the Irish found out where they stood.
"This meet is sort of in preparation for the Big East meet, where they'll have to run several events," sprints coach John Millar said. "This is a meet when we're going to try to prepare for the Big East meet. We want to give some people some opportunities to run, and make decisions on who we're going to run at the Big East."
Notre Dame faces mainly local schools this weekend and hope to come away with the team title.
"I don't think it's going to be too hard for our team to win," sprinter Liz Grow said. "It's all coming together. We're working hard, and it really seems to be paying off."
"If we qualify, that's all right," Millar said. "We're going to run people in several events, which is usually not where you get people to qualify. You never know about the weather up here."
Some of Notre Dame's most competitive sprint events will be the 4x100-meter relay, the 4x200-meter relay, senior Marshaun West in the 200-meter dash, Big East champion Chris Cochran in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and sophomore Liz Grow in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
On the women's distance end, Erin Olson, Cara Motter, Erin Luby and Patty Rice will square off in the 1500-meter run, Jennifer Handley and Hilary Burn will compete in the 3,000-meter run and Leanne Brady should pace Notre Dame in the 800-meter run.
"We're just trying to keep improving," Connelly said. "We're trying to give a lot of people a chance to compete."
Among field events, West and freshman Tameisha King highlight the long jump, All-American Jennifer Engelhardt leads high jump competition, and freshman Jaime Volkmer powers Notre Dame in the pole vault.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, April 20, 2000
