Track Travels to the Samford Invitational

Friday, February 12

Birmingham, Ala.

All Day

University of Louisville

Samford Invitational

February 11, 2016 | Track & Field

Cardinals will look to fine tune at the Samford Invitational this weekend

By: Kim Pemberton

Event: Samford Invitational
Date: February 12, 2016
Site: Birmingham CrossPlex | Birmingham, Ala.
Start Times: 10 a.m. EST Field Events | 12 p.m. EST Running Events

This Week: The Louisville men's and women's track and field teams conclude their indoor regular season as they compete at the Samford Invitational this weekend. This weekend will be the final tune up for the squads before the Cardinals compete at the ACC Indoor Championships on Feb. 25-27 in Boston, Mass.

Field events are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with the women's weight throw while running events are slated to begin at 12 p.m. EST with the women's 60m trials.

The Cardinals will compete against athletes from the following schools and affiliations: Alabama (M&W), Alabama State (M), Alabama A&M (M&W), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (M), Benedict (M), Charlotte (M&W), Coastal Carolina (M&W), East Tenn. St. (M&W), Embry-Riddle (M), Fresno State (M&W), Georgia (M&W), Georgia State (W), Liberty (M&W), Louisiana Tech (M&W), Louisville (M&W), Miss State (M), Monmouth (W), North Carolina (M&W), Shorter (M&W), South Alabama (M&W), Southern Miss. (M&W), Tulane (M&W), UAB (M&W), UT-Chattanooga (M&W), Virginia Tech (M&W), Western Carolina (M&W), Western Michigan (W), Gotham Spark Athletic Club (M), and Samford (M&W).

SEASON NOTES
Multi-Event Athletes Shine: At the Akron Invitational, five athletes were given a chance to compete in multi-events. Sophomore Eric Fox broke a school record by compiling 5353 points in the heptathlon, breaking teammate Marcus Motill's record of 5036 in 2014. Motill also competed at the Akron Invitational and finished sixth with 4807 points. Three Cardinal women competed in the pentathlon at the Akron Invitational with all three breaking the previous school record of 3621 points set by Kelly Faber in 2004. Holly Hankenson paced the Cardinals with 3903 points while Mara Zielonka finished with 3776 points and Linda Mutter finished with 3737 points.

Setting the Bar High: A week after teammate Jade Hawkins tied the school indoor pole vault record, Chanel Krause set a new record with a mark of 4.20m/13-09.25 en route to a runner-up finish. The Mobile, Ala., native has secured five top-5 finishes in the pole vault including a victory at the Notre Dame Invitational. Of her six pole vault victories in her time as a Cardinal, Krause has picked up two during the indoor season.

New School Records: On the season, seven Cardinals set school records with their performances, four of them coming this past weekend. Sophomore Eric Fox set a new record in the heptathlon with 5353 points and freshman Holly Hankenson set a new record in the pentathlon with 3903 points. Chanel Krause set a new record in the pole vault with a mark of 4.20m/13-09.25. At the Meyo Invitational, the men's 4x400m relay squad composed of Andrew Nsuk, Jeron Brown, Teague Peck, and Josh Hall set a new school record with a time of 3:11.65. At the Notre Dame Invitational, sophomore Josh Hall competed in his first meet of the season and broke his own school record with a time of 47.59 for a second place finish in the 400m. Senior Steve Wade set a new school record with a throw of 18.42m en route to his second shot put victory of the season. His throw broke the previous school record of 18.22m/59-9.50 set by Steven Hnat in 2009. At the Indiana Relays, Edwin Kibichiy set a new record in the mile in 4:05.49 passing Luc Schout's record of 4:06.10 in 2008.

Freshman Impact: Throughout the indoor season, a few freshman have stepped up to the challenge. Holly Hankenson recently set the school record in the pentathlon with 3903 points. The Decatur, Ga., native won the 60m hurdles and placed in the top-5 in four of the five events to finish second in the pentathlon. Freshman Mara Zielonka turned in an impressive performance finishing fourth in the pentathlon with 3776 points and has two top-5 finishes in the high jump on the season. Freshman Raven Grant competed in her first collegiate meet at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener and immediately made an impact. The Conway, S.C., native kicked off her collegiate career with a victory in the 200m with a 24.29 finish. Later in the night, Grant finished second in the 60m with a time of 7.55, only .04 seconds off the leader. Freshman Morgan Zacharias has two top-5 finishes in the pole vault, adding depth for the Cardinal pole vaulters.

Recapping the IU Relays: At the Indiana Relays, the Cardinals came back to Louisville with three victories and two new school records. Bre'Yana Wash picked up her third straight victory in the long jump while Emmonnie Henderson won her third shot put victory of the indoor season. Sophomore Josh Hall won his first event of the year in the 400m. Edwin Kibichiy continued his hot start with a new school record in the mile and sophomore Jade Hawkins turned in a personal best mark of 4.12m in the pole vault. Redshirt junior Dolly Nyemah solidified her name as one of the best throwers in the nation by throwing a distance of 21.58m/70-09.75 in the weight throw.

Go Long, Wash: Junior Bre'Yana Wash continued her strong start as she picked up her third straight victory in the long jump. She was victorious at the UK Invitational, Notre Dame Invitational and most recently, the Indiana Relays. The Dallas, Texas native was close to breaking the school record at the Indiana Relays as she jumped to a personal best mark of 6.21m to claim the victory. After trailing early on at the UK Invitational, Wash jumped to a distance of 5.87m/19-03.25 in her final jump to capture first-place. The junior followed that performance with a jump of 6.10m at the ND Invitational to win the event. Wash has now posted seven victories, including three straight, in the long jump during her collegiate career.

Kibichiy Keeps On Rolling: Four meets into his junior season, Edwin Kibichiy has continued to impress. Despite snapping a three meet win streak, the junior set a new school record in the mile at the Indiana Relays. Kibichiy ran 4:05.49, which broke the previous record of 4:06.10 set by Luc Schout in 2008.

Kibichiy Earns Honors: After posting two strong finishes at the Notre Dame Invitational, Edwin Kibichiy was named ACC Track Performer of the Week. For the third consecutive meet, Kibichiy found his name in the winning ranks. The Kapsabet, Kenya native posted back-to-back weeks with victories in the mile run at the UK Invitational and a personal best of 4:07.40 at the Notre Dame Invitational. Also at the ND Invitational, Kibichiy ran the nation's 15th-best time in the men's 3,000 meters with a season-best 8:06.55. Kibichiy opened up the track season with a victory in the 5,000m race at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener.

Outstanding Performances: At the Notre Dame Invitational, the Cardinals racked up seven victories, posted 24 top-3 showings and set two school records in the meet. Overall, both the men and women finished second in team competition with the men scoring 122.5 points and the women scoring 111 points. Josh Hall (400m) and Steve Wade (Shot Put) set new school records while Wade, Chanel Krause (Pole Vault), Bre'Yana Wash (Long Jump), Emmonnie Henderson (Shot Put), and Edwin Kibichiy (Mile Run) found their names in the winning ranks once again. Two Cardinals earned their first victories of the season with sophomore Oliver Newport winning the long jump and newcomer Damar Robinson winning the high jump in his first meet as a Cardinal.

Strong Throws Land Victories: After four weekends of competition, the Cardinal throws group have jumped out to a strong start. Junior Emmonnie Henderson leads the group with three shot put victories coming at the Indiana Relays, ND Invitational, and the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener. Senior Steve Wade has captured two victories in the shot put including a school record mark of 18.42m at the ND Invitational. Wade also picked up a victory at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener. Dolly Nyemah picked up the first Cardinal win of the season with a mark of 19.74m/64-9.25 to win the weight throw at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener.

Continued Success: Coming off a successful cross country season in which the men won its first NCAA Southeast Regional in program history, the men's distance runners have continued to shine. Edwin Kibichiy has paced the distance runners with a new school record and three victories on the season, two of them coming in the mile run. The Cardinals took the top four spots of the men's 5000m at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener with Edwin Kibichiy cruising to a first-place finish with a time of 14:07.40. Ernest Kibet finished second in 14:21.15 and was followed by Japhet Kipkoech and Calvin Chemoiywo, who finished third and fourth, respectively.

Impressive Opening Weekend: The Cardinals opened their indoor track season by registering six victories at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener in early December. The women picked up four wins while the men picked up two. Dolly Nyemah, Emmonnie Henderson, Raven Grant, and Benadate Cheruiyot led the women with victories while Steve Wade and Edwin Kibichiy took first-place finishes on the men's side. Cheruiyot led the women distance runners with a time of 9:48.24 en route to a victory in the 3000m run.

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