TAMPA - The University of South Florida track and field teams will send several athletes to the BIG EAST Championships looking to score key points for the Bulls in the long and triple jumps.
TRIPLE JUMP MEN - Junior Antillio Bastian, the school record holder in the event, finds himself sixth in the BIG EAST this year at 49-9.25. After placing seventh at last year's meet, Bastian will look to get back to top form that got him over the 51-foot mark as a sophomore in 2009. Bastian will compete in the NCAA Preliminary Round (formally the East Regional) as well in late May.
The Lowdown: Bastian has the talent to earn All-BIG EAST honors when at full health, which he hasn't been yet this year. Louisville's Andre Black is the only BIG EAST athlete to get past 51 feet this year at 52-7.25, with Notre Dame's Eric Quick and Louisville's Seon Powell ranking second and third, respectively. DePaul's Joseph Strawder and Pittsburgh's Folarin Ijelu also have gone over 50 feet, making this a very unpredictable event.
TRIPLE JUMP WOMEN - Senior Samantha Shade is one of four Bulls set to compete in the triple jump at the outdoor meet after she had her best season ever when she became one of four Bulls all-time to jump 40 feet, as she now sits third on the top 10 list at 40-1.5. Freshman Monique Williams landed in seventh at 38-8.25, while junior MaShonda Rayner leapt 38-1.5 for ninth place all-time at USF. Shade ranks fifth in the BIG EAST, with Williams ninth following her best indoor jump of 39-3. Freshman Tralanda Todd is the fourth member of the group heading to Cincinnati. As of this moment, Shade has a spot locked up for the NCAA Prelims.
The Lowdown: Shade nearly earned All-BIG EAST honors last year when she took fourth, then did the same during the indoor meet, with Williams coming in fifth as well. Rachel Gehret of Louisville comes in with the top jump and won the indoor title this year, with Nwamaka Okobi of Rutgers at second in the conference this year and the indoor runner-up. At this point, no one has distinguished themselves and it could be any of a number of athletes going for the crown.
LONG JUMP MEN - Freshman Neamen Wise, a former high school state champion in the long jump, has been hampered by a hamstring injury but returned to action at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet April 17 to leap 23-4.5, landing him fourth all-time at USF. Much like the 400 hurdles, Wise will have a bigger impact with more experience under his belt, but the hugely-talented decathlete is capable of making the final.
The Lowdown: Louisville has five of the top six jumpers, including Rudon Bastian, Tone Belt and Wesley Smith, who have all gotten over 25 feet. Seon Powell and Andre Black also sit atop the rankings with Notre Dame's Eric Quick in there as well. Belt won the title last year, while Rudon Bastian won it during the indoor campaign. Right now it's anyone's title for the taking.
LONG JUMP WOMEN - Williams made an immediate impact when she landed third all-time at USF with a jump of 19-4, while Shade and junior Rachel Etienne moved into fifth and sixth, respectively, giving the Bulls three of the top six all-time jumps during the 2010 campaign. Shade leapt 19-1.5, and Etienne went 19-0. Williams sits at ninth in the conference and placed eighth at the indoor meet, and is on pace to compete at the NCAA Prelims.
The Lowdown: All of the top seven jumpers this year achieved their season bests during indoors, with the top five within four inches of each other, making it a wide open competition. Jasmine Cotton of Cincinnati, Gehret and Chelsea Carrier of West Virginia all have gone over 20 feet and rank 1-2-3. Syracuse's Uhunoma Osazuwa and Amaka Omenyinma of Louisville will also figure into the mix. Gehret is the defending champion, while Osazuwa won the indoor title.
