BUFFALO, NY - Amanda Kaverman won the 200 meter dash as Toledo's track and field team wrapped up the 2010 MAC Championships on Saturday with an eighth place finish.
The Rockets tallied 56 points in matching head coach Kevin Hadsell's best finish as the director of the track and field program (eighth, 2008). Kent State won the meet, which was hosted by Buffalo, with its total of 142 points.
UT's 56 points were the most since scoring 59 points in 2003.
"We continue to improve as a program," Hadsell said. "We were missing 25 points from Ari Fisher and Emma Kertesz that was hard to overcome. But we return almost the entire team and have another great recruiting class coming in."
For her efforts on Saturday, Kaverman earned First Team All-MAC honors, while Dagna Sztykiel and Michelle Sutherland were both named to the second team.
The Sylvania, OH native crossed the line in a time of 23.99 in the 200, just a shade ahead of Western Michigan's Iris Campbell (24.04). Her time is the third-fastest in school history, and she was the first UT woman to crack 24 seconds since 1993 (Nicole Wilson, 23.90).
Earlier in the day, Kaverman finished second in the 100 dash, barely edged out by Central Michigan's Dierra Riley. Riley finished in 11.83, and Kaverman was one-hundredth of a second behind in 11.84. Her time did qualify her for the NCAA's.
Meanwhile, Sutherland placed second in the high jump with her height of 5-07.00. The senior also finished second at the MAC Indoor Championships in February. Julie Snyder concluded her weekend with a seventh place finish in the high jump (5-05.00).
Sutherland also qualified for the NCAA's in that event for the third time in her career.
"I'm so happy for Mikki," Hadsell said. "She placed all four years in the high jump at both the indoor and outdoor championships, and she's one of only a few people to ever accomplish that."
Sztykiel backed-up her runner-up steeplechase effort with a seventh place finish and new personal record in the 5000 meter run (17:10.83). She will compete in the steeplechase at the NCAAs for the second time in her career. Devyn Ramsay just missed scoring with a ninth place showing (17:14.42).
Sztykiel moved into seventh on UT's all-time list with her time while Ramsay now sits ninth.
"Dagna and Devyn had great races in the 5K," Hadsell said. "They both had huge PRs and Devyn will run that at the USA Junior Championships as well this summer."
Rounding out Toledo's point scorers on Saturday was Alexandra Afloari, who had a fourth place effort in the triple jump with her distance of 39-11.50.
"Alex had a great performance in the triple jump," Hadsell said. "She will have another shot at the event at the NCAAs."
Afloari, Kiah Douglas (long jump), Fisher (5000), Kaverman, Sutherland and Sztykiel all qualified for the NCAA First Round Regional, which takes place May 27-29 in Greensboro, NC.
Contact: Scott Miles
scott.miles@utoledo.edu
