April 10, 2004

Results

OXFORD, Ohio - Senior Lauren Collins (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) won both the hammer throw and shot put to lead Miami University's women's track & field team to a successful defense of its Miami Invitational title Saturday at George L. Rider Track. On the day the RedHawks, who won the event in 2003, took first six events and racked up 177 points to top second-place Ball State by 44 points.

Collins competed in three events on the day, adding a third-place finish in the discus to her two wins. In the hammer throw, she eclipsed the NCAA Regional qualifier with a throw of 173-9, while she registered 44-4 3/4 in the shot put. A pair of freshmen flanked Collins in the shot put in discus, as heptathlete Rachel Buchenroth (Vandalia, Ohio/Vandalia-Butler) took third in the shot put (42-5 1/4) and Quekan Ibidunni (Boulder, Colo./Fairview) was fifth in the discus (130-9).

The senior class represented well as Andrea Kremer (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) blew away the competition in the 3,000m steeplechase, and Erin Connolly (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) repeated as Miami Invitational Champion in the 100m hurdles. Kremer completed the course in 10:23.35 to move to third in the nation in the event, just 0.01 seconds off the No. 2 mark. She also posted a second-place finish in the 1,500m, crossing the line in 4:39.98. Connolly, a MAC Champion both indoors and outdoors in hurdle events, paced the field with her time of 14.04.

Senior Bernitta Johnson (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./GAR Memorial) did her part supporting the upperclassmen, jumping to a first-place finish in the triple jump, clearing a regional-qualifying distance of 40-9 3/4. Sophomore Katherine Johnson (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) finished fifth (36-4 1/4) for Miami. The elder Johnson also teamed with freshmen Lashonda Davis (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) and Jamila Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham) to finish with three runners in the top four of the 100m. Davis missed a school mark by 0.02, taking second in 12.17, while Bernitta was third in 12.33 and Jamila tied for fourth (12.37).

Davis continued her sizzling start in the long jump, taking first place for the second time in three weekends to start her outdoor career. Her first-place jump of 19-4 3/4 would have set a school record had she not previously set the mark on her first collegiate outdoor jump.

Behind Miami and Ball State in the 10-team field was Cincinnati (104 points), Purdue (96) and Ohio (73), which rounded out the top five. Marshall, Cedarville, Butler, Valparaiso and Wright State also competed, finishing sixth through 10th, respectively.

The RedHawks took second place in three other events, with seniors Jen Caldwell (Sabina, Ohio/East Clinton) in the 400m hurdles and Lindsay Hazen (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) in the high jump, as well as the 4x100 relay. Caldwell finished together with teammate, junior Katie Dyer (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville), in third place, as the duo had times of 1:02.50 and 1:02.73, respectively. Hazen reached 5-6 in the high jump, while the 4x100 relay crossed the line in 46.45, the fifth-best mark in school history.

Miami returns to the track next weekend, attending the All-Ohio Championships, hosted by Ohio State. Teams from all over the state ascend on Columbus for the two-day event, April 16-17.

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