March 4, 2006

Chicago Takes Second at UAA Championship

CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago women's indoor track & field team was the runner-up at the 2006 University Athletic Association Championship held Friday and Saturday at Chicago's Henry Crown Field House.

Eleven Maroons posted top-three finishes en route to earning All-Association recognition, including three UAA champions: senior Jessica Winter (Wheaton, Ill./ Wheaton-Warrenville South), junior Alexandra Robertson (Yakima, Wash./ A.C. Davis), and freshman Olivia Ndyabagye (Albuquerque, N.M./ Sandia).

Winter won the mile run with a time of 5:05.77. She was also the runner-up in the 3,000-meter run (10:24.93).

In the 800-meter run, Robertson clocked a winning time of 2:17.77, which met the NCAA Division III provisional-qualifying standard.

Ndyabagye set a UAA record in the long jump with an NCAA Division III provisional-qualifying distance of 5.60 meters. She also turned in a fourth-place showing in the 55-meter dash (7.52 seconds).

Freshman Tiffany Hosten (Tucson, Ariz./ Tucson Magnet) was the runner-up in the shot put competition with an 11.67-meter heave.

Four Chicago competitors recorded third-place performances. Sophomore Nofi Mojidi (Silver Spring, Md./ Bullis School) accomplished the feat in the 55- and 200-meter dashes with respective times of 7.42 and 26.20 seconds.

Other third-place finishers included senior Sarah Eldridge (Swarthmore, Pa./ Strath Haven) in the high jump (1.57 m), sophomore Myra Collins (Converse, Texas/ Antonian) in the long jump (5.31 m), and sophomore Appie Hirve (Burke, Va./ Jefferson Science & Math) in the triple jump (10.99 m).

Hirve also finished fifth in the high jump (1.52 m) and 55-meter hurdles (9.30 seconds).

Comprised of Mojidi, juniors Trina Ruhland (Golden, Colo./ D’Evelyn) and Nellie Movtchan (Woodbury, Minn./ Woodbury), and sophomore Cynthia Lin (State College, Pa./ State College), the Chicago 1,600-meter relay team placed third with a time of 4:05.36.

Junior Vidthya Abraham (Spartanburg, S.C./ Governor’s School) placed among the top six in two distance events, taking fourth place in the 5,000-meter run (18:38.41) and sixth place in the 3,000-meter run (10:40.32).

Washington (Mo.) University claimed the team title with 149.5 points, while Chicago finished second with 108.5.

Results