June 2, 2006

NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

BEST OF THE BEST: For the second consecutive season, Miami University senior Dan Huling will represent the RedHawks at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships when he travels to the national meet June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif. After qualifying in the 3,000-meter steeplechase as a junior, Huling will compete in the 5,000-meter run this season as he earned one of six at-large bids to compete in the 26-athlete field.

GETTING IN: Following an eighth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA MidEast Regional, senior Dan Huling earned one of six at-large bids to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. As one of the top-12 finishers in the 5,000 meters at the regional meet, Huling earned at-large consideration and was the second runner selected for an at-large bid. Huling qualified based on his time of 13:46.53, set at the Mount San Antonio College Relays (April 13). After the 20 automatic qualifiers were set with the top five finishers from each of the four regions, six at-large bids were handed out in the 5,000-meter race. Three of the at-large bids went to runners from the MidEast Region, with Huling, Scott Overall of Butler and Seth Summerside of Arkansas earning half of the at-large berths. Four of the top six runners in the 5,000-meter race and eight of the 26 entrants represent the traditionally loaded MidEast Region, including top-seeded Chris Solinsky of Wisconsin.

THE HULING FILE: After becoming the first Miami athlete to win three individual Mid-American Conference track titles in the same season, senior Dan Huling heads to the NCAA Championships seeking his second All-America honors of the year. A 2005 Cross Country All-American during the fall, Huling qualified as an at-large selection in the 5,000 meters, but he is seeded sixth based on his time of 13:46.53 set at the Mount SAC Relays (April 14). During his senior track and field season, Huling set a new school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Wake Forest Invitational (8:41.53; March 24), and his clocking in the 5,000 meters at the Mount SAC Relays was the third-fastest time in program history. In addition to scoring 30 team points at the conference meet, Huling won eight individual track events in the outdoor season and set two indoor school records in the mile run (4:02.72) and the 3,000 meters (8:06.38).

HULING AT THE NATIONAL MEET: Making his second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships, senior Dan Huling seeks to improve on his 26th-place showing at last season's national meet. After turning in a then-Miami school record time in the MidEast Regional (8:43.59) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Huling clocked in with a 26th-place time (9:02.76) in the steeplechase at the 2005 national meet. Huling already excelled in the first national meet he ran in during the fall cross country season, placing as the 13th American runner in the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championship and earning All-American honors.

MIAMI ALL-AMERICANS: When senior Dan Huling travels to the national meet, he will be attempting to become the third Miami track and field athlete in the past three seasons to earn All-America status. Former RedHawk Jake Dunkleberger accomplished the feat in the hammer throw in both 2004 and 2005, finishing sixth in 2004 and seventh in 2005. Miami's last track athlete to be named an All-American was Mike Berwanger in 1994, and of Miami's 30 outdoor track and field All-America honorees since 1923, 21 have been track athletes. In the history of the indoor and outdoor track and field programs, five different Miami athletes have combined to win seven national titles.

LAST TIME OUT - NCAA MIDEAST REGIONAL (MAY 26): Senior Dan Huling placed eighth in the 5,000 meters and freshman Pat Sovacool and senior Chris Swisher placed 13th and 16th, respectively in the 1,500-meter preliminaries as Miami completed competition at the NCAA MidEast Regional. Huling's time was good enough for at-large consideration for the national meet, while Swisher and Sovacool both narrowly missed qualifying for the finals of the 1,500 meters. Only the top 12 times advanced to the final's heat of the 1,500 meters.

CONFERENCE TITLISTS: Senior Dan Huling was the only Miami athlete to win a conference title, turning in three first-place performances at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships (May 11-13). Huling won the 5,000 meters (14:05.94), 10,000 meters (30:37.25) and 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:44.37), completing a historic trifecta and becoming the first athlete to win three individual conference track titles at the same MAC meet. Miami did take home four additional conference medals as senior Rob Prechtl (javelin) and sophomore Kevin Dwyer (decathlon) both won silver medals and freshman Pat Sovacool (1,500 meters) and senior Kyle Kraus (javelin) each took home bronze medals.

CONFERENCE POINT-SCORERS: Over the three-day MAC Championships, Miami accrued 102.5 points in 16 different events as it finished fifth in the seven-team field. The following is the breakdown of Miami's point-scorers at the conference meet:

200 meters: Michael Watts (6th; 3 pts)

400 meters: Heniz VonEckartsberg (4th; 5 pts)

800 meters: Sam Cosgrove (6th; 3 pts)

1,500 meters: Pat Sovacool (3rd; 6 pts), Chris Swisher (6th; 3 pts), David Mitchell (8th; 1 pt)

5,000 meters: Dan Huling (1st; 10 pts)

10,000 meters: Dan Huling (1st; 10 pts)

110-meter hurdles: Eric Bowman (7th; 1.5 points)

400-meter hurdles: Bobby Houston (8th; 1 pt)

3,000-meter steeplechase: Dan Huling (1st; 10 pts)

4x100 meter relay: Ryan Phillips, Heinz VonEckartsberg, James Harris, Michael Watts (6th; 3 pts)

4x400 meter relay: Heniz VonEckartsberg, Eric Sylvester, Michael Watts, Chris Corgiat (4th; 5 pts)

High Jump: Kyle Kraus (5th; 4 pts), Tom Herrmann (8th; 0.5 pts)

Pole Vault: Chris Skaggs (5th; 4 pts), Ceith Creekmur (8th; 0.5 pts)

Triple Jump: Kyle Kraus (8th; 1 pt)

Javelin: Rob Prechtl (2nd; 8 pts), Kyle Kraus (3rd; 6 points), Bryan Ferres (5th; 4 pts)

Decathlon: Kevin Dwyer (2nd; 8 pts). Ceith Creekmur (4th; 5 pts)

MAC HONORS: After turning in a pair of first-place performances in the javelin and triple jump at the Southern Ohio Cup (April 22), senior Kyle Kraus was tabbed the Mid-American Conference's Field Athlete of the Week. With the award, Kraus became the first Miami men's field athlete this season to earn the weekly conference honor. Kraus joined two-time MAC Track Athlete of the Week Dan Huling as the only RedHawks to win the weekly conference honor during the 2006 season. Huling was named the MAC Track Athlete of the Week on March 28 and April 11.

AND THE WINNER IS: The following is a list of the Miami athletes who has posted individual wins during the 2006 outdoor track and field season:

Eric Bowman - (3) Miami Invitational, Indy Relays, Southern Ohio Cup (110-meter hurdles)

Bryan Ferres - (1) Indy Relays (javelin)

Tom Herrmann - (4) Wake Forest Invitational, Miami Invitational, Indy Relays, Southern Ohio Cup (high jump)

Bobby Houston - (1) Southern Ohio Cup (400-meter hurdles)

Dan Huling - (8) Wake Forest Invitational, Southern Ohio Cup, MAC Championships (3K steeplechase), Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (1,500 meters), Miami Invitational (mile run), Mount SAC Relays, MAC Championships (5,000 meters), MAC Championships (10,000 meters)

Kyle Kraus - (3) Indy Relays (high jump), Southern Ohio Cup (javelin, triple jump)

Jake Kuhner - (1) Wake Forest Invitational (pole vault)

Rob Prechtl - (1) Miami Invitational (javelin)

Pat Sovacool - (4) Wake Forest Invitational, Miami Invitational, Southern Ohio Cup (1,500 meters), Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (5,000 meters)

Chris Swisher - (1) Wake Forest Invitational (3,000 meters)

Michael Watts - (1) Indy Relays (200 meters)