In the final meet before the Big East Outdoor Championships, freshman Kyle Winter failed to qualify for the Big East in the 800-meter race, while redshirt senior Carrie Schmid set the Melvin “Bus” Shimek Memorial Track and Field Facility record in the pole vault.
Schmid set the record (11 feet, 11 7/10 inches) in one of the first events of the day. She also broke her personal record, which was set at the Marquette Twilight meet last year (11 feet, 7 8/10 inches).
After setting the new facility record, she came near the height of 12 feet, 5 1/2 inches but was unable to meet the mark.
During the pole vault competition, Schmid had to deal with heavy rain and wind, something she said affected her ability to grip the pole. The rain also forced her to be more mindful of keeping her grip on the runway.
What Schmid was most proud about with her performance was her ability to cope with the elements the weather threw at her. She said it’s important for her to have this experience because the elements she faced on Saturday could resemble those she has to compete under at the Big East, which is in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Coach Bert Rogers said if there had been ideal weather conditions, Schmid would have met the mark that evaded her. He added that Schmid is ready to vault around 13 feet when the Big East Outdoor Championships begin this Friday.
Later in the afternoon, Winter won the 800 (1:54.44), but his time wasn’t fast enough to qualify him for the conference championships (1:52.54).
Winter said he was upset about his failure to qualify for the Big East in the 800 but felt good about his performance in the first 200 meters of the race – he ran it in 26 seconds, which is exactly what he wanted to do.
Winter got into trouble between the 200 and 400 meter marks, Rogers said. He needed to run about two seconds faster during that split in order to meet the Big East qualifying time. The last 400 through the finish line was also at exactly the time Rogers and Winter wanted.
The rain that ravaged the meet earlier in the day was gone, but the wind remained when Winter competed in the 800.
Rogers said the wind certainly played a role in Winter’s time — it was against him between the 200 and 400 meter marks — but that in the outdoor season athletes have to be able to withstand the elements and get the job done.
Winter’s season isn’t over, as he’ll compete in the Big East as a member of Marquette’s 4×800-meter relay team and will probably compete in one meet after the Big East so he can finish the season off on a strong individual basis.
