May 18, 2009

Junior Doug Caves (Oxford, MA) and senior Andrew Grange (Methuen, MA) are seeded eighth and 11th in the 400 meter dash and will also compete in the 4X400 meter relay to lead 10 UMass Lowell athletes at the NCAA Track and Field Championship Thursday-Saturday at Angelo State University.

Caves and Grange, along with juniors Haley Catarius (Marshfield, MA) and Tim Guerin (Auburn, MA), and seniors Christina DaLomba (Marstons, Mills, MA) and Sarah Brassard (Oxford, MA), are making repeat trips to the NCAA Championship after earning their way in the indoor season.

Two River Hawks - sophomore Lauren Raimondi (East Longmeadow, MA) and junior Jacqui Barrett (Woburn, MA) - are making their first appearances this season and are seeded highest among UMass Lowell's female contingent.

Also earning qualification, but missing out due to injury is sophomore Donte Brown (Raynham, MA), who posted the eighth-fastest time in the country in the 400 meter hurdles (52.77).

Live results: www.angelosports.com/d2track.

Raimondi currently ranks sixth in the high jump as she cleared 5 feet, 8.0 inches at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational on Apr. 18. The leap is UMass Lowell's best since Hall of Famer Jill Croft (1998-02) matched the school record of 5' 10.0'' in 2001 and fourth highest in school history.

Raimondi's leap is just two inches behind leaders Aisha Adams of Angelo State and Whitney Hendershot of Slippery Rock, each of who have cleared 5' 10.0''.

Barrett makes her second straight appearance in the outdoor shot put after placing 12th (44' 4.0'') a year ago. She posted the sixth-farthest throw in Division II this season - a distance of 47' 4.25'' - when she won the Northeast-10 Championship on May 2.

Angelo State's Adree Lakey earned the No. 1 seed with a distance of 52 8.25''.

Catarius makes her third straight appearance in the NCAAs and looks to repeat as an All-American. Last year, Catarius placed sixth in 2:12.07 and enters Friday's preliminary seeded 10th with a time of 2:11.82.

At the NCAA indoors, she placed ninth in the 800 meters preliminary, one place shy of moving on to the final. Ashley Puga of Northwest Nazarene leads the 800 field with a time of 2:05.23.

A two-time All-American in the distance medley relay, DaLomba makes her first solo appearance in the NCAAs as she enters the 1,500 meters seeded 12th with a time of 4:32.93, a school record set at the New England Championship May 9.

Jessica Pixler of Seattle Pacific is seeded No. 1 with a time of 4:17.68.

Also a member of UMass Lowell's All-American distance medley relay team in the indoor season, Brassard also makes her first individual appearance at the NCAA Championship in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

Brassard, who bested her own school record three times this season, enters the event seeded 13th with a time of 10:50.79, shaving nearly a minute off her time of 11:40.70 a year ago. Mary Ballinger of Southern Indiana sits atop of the steeplechase field with a time of 10:26.73.

Leading UMass Lowell's men's entries, Guerin enters the 3,000 meter steeplechase seeded fifth with a school-record time of 9:01.93, set at the Larry Ellis Invitational. Reuben Chebon-Mwei leads the steeplechase contingent with a time of 8:48.72.

Caves and Grange enter the NCAA Championship having qualified a combined seven times in the 400 meter dash between the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Caves, currently ranked eighth with a time of 46.77 seconds (at the Larry Ellis Invitational), looks to earn All-American honors for the second time in the outdoors after placing 13th in the 2009 indoor 400. Grange, who has earned All-American status in the 400 twice, is seeded 11th with a time of 46.91 seconds, also set at the Larry Ellis Invitational.

Caves and Grange, along with junior Robert Liekweg (Salem, NH) and freshman Jeff Wundt (Southwick, MA), enter the 4X400 meter relay with the aim of earning All-American honors for the second time this year. The UMass Lowell foursome, which placed fifth at the NCAA indoor championship in March with a time of 3:16.68, is seeded sixth with a time of 3:10.90, achieved when it won the New England Championship.

UMass Lowell 2009 NCAA Championship Schedule

Angelo State University - San Angelo, TX

Thursday, May 21 (Eastern Standard Time) 

Women's 1,500 Meters Preliminary (Christina DaLomba) 6:40

Men's 400 Meter Dash Preliminary (Doug Caves, Andrew Grange) 7:25

Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase Preliminary (Sarah Brassard) 8:10

Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase Preliminary (Tim Guerin) 8:40

Friday, May 22

Women's 800 Meters Preliminary (Haley Catarius) 7:40

Women's Shot Put (Jacqui Barrett) 8:30

Men's 4X400 Meter Relay Prelim. (Caves, Grange, Robert Liekweg, Jeff Wundt) 10:40

Saturday, May 23

Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase Final 6:10

Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase Final 6:25

Women's High Jump (Lauren Raimondi) 6:35

Women's 1,500 Meters Final 7:05

Women's 800 Meters Final 8:37

Men's 4X400 Meter Relay Final 10:40