FINAL RESULTS
AKRON, Ohio -- The Western Michigan women's track and field team battled torrential rain and made a furious charge on the final day of the 2009 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships to score 103 points to finish in third place and capture four event titles on Saturday afternoon.
The Broncos took home wins in the 4x100 meter relay, the 4x400 meter relay, the 400 meter dash and the 400 meter hurdles. Akron finished in first place for the fourth consecutive season with Kent State finishing in second and Miami in fourth.
Ashley Hunault, Victoria Chatman, Jennifer Sabra and Stephanie Okolo combined for a time of 46.14 to edge out Akron's team by .03 seconds to take first place in the 4x100.
“I don't know how they did it,” said head coach Kelly Lycan. “They had to run at full speed in a downpour as well as hand off the baton and they didn't make a single mistake. I was really impressed.”
The time was good enough to qualify for the Broncos for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in two weeks.
In the 4x400 Danielle Brown, Leya Munwam, Sabra and Chatman combined for a time of 3:44.91 to take the crown, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of second place Eastern Michigan.
“Everyone was gunning for us in the 4x400,” said Lycan. “It is hard to stay at the top with everyone coming for you but we were able to stay focused and win again.”
Chatman took home the first individual MAC Championship in her two years with the Broncos, taking home first place in the 400 meter dash. In a repeat from last year, WMU took first, second and third place in the event. Sabra finished in second place, edging out Brown by .01, scoring a combined 24 points in the event.
Chatman also scored for WMU in the 200 meter dash, taking third place with teammate Okolo finishing in sixth. Okolo, a freshman, also scored for in the 100 meter dash, taking fifth place with a time of 11.99.
“Sometimes the first one is the hardest,” commented Lycan. “Victoria did a great job for us not just in the 400 dash but during the whole day.”
Brown successfully defended her title in the 400 hurdles, finishing ahead of Sabra with a time of 1:00.04. With Sabra and Brown taking first and second, WMU was able to secure 18 points in the event to make its strong final-day push. Sabra actually led for the majority of the race, fighting through the rain, but banged the 10th hurdle so hard that it spun and flipped over. Although she hit it, she was able to maintain her balance and recover to finish in second after Brown passed her. It was the third straight 400 meter hurdles title for Brown, who along with Sabra, only had 45 minutes to recover at the 400 meter dash before running in the hurdles.
“Danielle and Jennifer were just amazing,” added Lycan. “Danielle missed out on being the top point scorer by .50 points but to me both of them were the Outstanding Track Performers today. They were just amazing.”
Senior captain Jennifer Roberts had a memorable final meet with her Bronco teammates, scoring in two distance events. Roberts finished in fourth place in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 4:33.28 to score five points and in the 5,000 meter run she turned in a time of 17:31.17 to take fifth place and score five points.
“I am so happy for her,” said Lycan about Roberts. “She fought through injuries her whole career and she worked hard and had her best season of her career this year.”
For Brown, Chatman, Sabra, Munwam, Hunault, Okolo, Irene Cooper and Sarah Morris the season is not over. The six student-athletes will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in Louisville, Kent., on May, 29.
