Hermann makes it seven regional qualifiers
5/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Indoor Track, Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
University of Montana senior Eli Hermann qualified for his first NCAA Midwest Regional when he ran a 9:05.41 in the steeplechase at Saturday???s Oregon Twilight meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The NCAA regional qualifying time in the steeplechase is 9:07.
Hermann was the Grizzlies??? second regional qualifier of the weekend and gives Montana seven heading into this week???s Big Sky Conference championships at Dornblaser Field in Missoula. Additional athletes can qualify this week by hitting the regional standard or winning Big Sky titles.
Sophomore Courtney Kosovich became Montana???s sixth NCAA regional qualifier when she went 12-7.5 in the pole vault at Friday evening???s Tom Gage Classic in Bozeman, Mont.
Hermann became UM???s seventh regional qualifier Saturday at the Oregon Twilight with his fifth-place finish. Thomas Kloos, competing for adidas Transport, won the event in a time of 8:39.20.
Hermann entered the season with a steeplechase career best of an altitude-adjusted 9:21.56. He ran an altitude-adjusted 9:16.91 at the Griz-Cat Dual on May 2, then posted his 9:05.41 Saturday.
???Eli???s finally been able to stay healthy. He was hurt in cross country and the indoor season, so he???s been working hard to get back,??? Montana distance coach Courtney Babcock said. ???The biggest factor was that he really believed he could run the regional time. He???s been going after it every race, and every week he???s been getting stronger and stronger. He???s really coming into his own at the right time.???
Hermann???s time ranks ninth on the current Big Sky Conference performance list in the Big Sky???s deepest event. Eleven athletes have hit the steeplechase regional mark, more than any other event in the conference. A pair of Weber State runners has posted times of 8:52.85 and 8:53.39. The other nine regional qualifiers have run times between 8:59.71 and 9:06.95.
???Once you get to conference it???s pretty much a clean slate,??? Babcock said. ???The race could be tactical or there might be some runners who take it out hard. Everybody???s so close that anything???s possible for Eli. Being at home and coming off a big PR, I???m expecting pretty good things from him.???
Senior Dan Bingham also raced Saturday in Oregon, finishing 18th in the 1,500 meters in a time of 3:52.79. Georgia State???s Mark Steeds had a winning time of 3:44.01.
Montana???s seven NCAA Midwest Regional-qualified athletes will compete Friday and Saturday, May 29-30, in Norman, Okla. Kosovich, sophomore Katrina Drennen in the 5,000 meters and sophomores Richard Brumbaugh and Cole Beyer in the javelin will all compete Friday.
Hermann, junior Kara DeWalt in the steeplechase and junior Chris Hellekson in the hammer will compete Saturday.
