Oklahoma State University Athletics
Blumbaha Sets Regional Qualifying Mark at Norman
April 15, 2007 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
“Overall, I was pleased with how the meet went for our squad,” head coach Rene Sepulveda said. “It was tough with the weather conditions we faced, especially in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Our girls tried hard throughout the day and we ended up qualifying one and almost two more.”
Blumbaha, who became the fifth Cowgirl to reach qualifying standards this season, jumped a distance of 40-06.25 (12.35-meters) to finish fifth in her flight.
Also in the triple jump, the Cowgirls got two solid performances from sophomore Mateja Posavec and senior Moira Steyn in flight one. The duo finished with marks of 40-04.25 (12.30-meters) and 39-06.50 (12.05-meters), respectively. Sepulveda said he was pleased with the way the jumpers competed including Posavec's performance as she came within an inch from setting a regional qualifying mark.
In the 5,000-meter run, the Cowgirls were led by junior Maria Trejo as she ran an impressive 12 second personal record time of 17:56.74 to finish 15th. Sophomore Brittany Mason and junior Meghan Sullivan also performed well in the event as they finished 22nd and 24th, respectively. Running unattached in the event, freshman Leah Schroeder ran a time of 17:45.53, a mark that qualified her for the US Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis, June 24.
The Cowgirls were then led by sophomore Merritt Dietz, who set a personal best mark of 153-02 (46.69-meters) to finish first in the discus. The Omaha, Neb., product then finished sixth in the shot put with a distance of 46-01 (14.06-meters), while junior LaKedra Greathouse added a seventh-place finish with a mark of 45-10 (13.98-meters).
In other throwing events, junior Deleanor Kirkpatrick finished seventh in the hammer throw with a distance of 164-09 (50.2-meters), while junior Brandi Broaddus claimed a 10th-place finish in the javelin with a throw of 112-06 (34.30-meters).
Sophomore Tihana Sarac finished seventh in section one of the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.19, while sophomore Kalea Tam ran a personal record time of 1:07.48 to take the final top five position in section two.
OSU then got a solid performance from junior Stephanie Lovely in the 3,000-meter steeplechase as she finished 12th with a time of 11:55.50.
The Cowgirls were then represented by volunteer assistant coach, Alison Erzinger, at UCLA's Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational in Pasadena, Calif. Erzinger, a former All-American in the 400-meter hurdles, ran a time of 58.32 in the event as she is trying to qualify for the US Senior Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Oklahoma State will continue outdoor action next weekend when the throwers travel to Lawrence, Kan., to compete in the Kansas Relays, while the jumpers, sprinters and hurdlers will compete at the TCU Invitational in Ft. Worth, Texas.
