Bland ran the fastest time in the 800
meters at the meet and also in the BIG
EAST this season when she crossed
the finish line in 2:07.01. The time was
Bland also ran a solid time in the
1,500 meters at 4:27.09. She currently
ranks fourth in that event in the league
after her run (4:21.66) at the Stanford
Invitational on April 5.
Bland is looking to pick up a BIG
EAST outdoor championship in an event
after she claimed the 1,000 meters at
the league meet in the indoor season.
This Week in Track & Field
The Mountaineers return to action at the historic Penn
Relays on April 24-26, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
Last Week in Track & Field
West Virginia had one of its best meets of the outdoor
season on April 19, at the WVU Invitational at the WVU track
… Keri Bland highlighted the day by running the 800 meters in
2:07.01 … that time is the fastest in the BIG EAST this season
and one of the top times in the country … Bland also ran
4:27.09 in the 1,500 meters to move into the top 10 in the
league 1,500m times … the Mountaineers showed they have
depth in the 800m as well as Karly Hamric ran a 2:11.88 and
Kaylyn Christopher posted a time of 2:13.32 to finish behind
Bland … those times are among the top 20 in the conference so
far this year … other big performances on the afternoon came
from freshmen Christopher and Katelyn Williams … Christopher
ran the 1,500m in 4:27.38 to move into the top 10 BIG EAST
times, while Williams high jumped 1.75m to tie for the fourth
highest mark in the league this season … both athletes posted
NCAA Regional qualifying marks … April Rotilio ran a 24.47 in
the 200m, while Halimah Bashir finished the 400m hurdles in
1:01.64 … freshman Chelsea Carrier ran a 13.96 in the 100m
hurdles … Kelly Fortune ran her best 100 meters of the outdoor
season at 12.45 and the 4x100 relay squad ran a season-best
time of 46.97 … in the field events, Alexandra Acker pole vaulted
a season-best 3.66 meters, while senior Alexis Noel triple
jumped 12.01 meters.
Notes & Quotes
“This is probably the best we have performed all season. We
had a few athletes post some really good marks and it helped to
have nice weather.” - Head Coach Sean Cleary
West Virginia University - Varsity Sports Report
This Week in Rowing
The Mountaineers will travel to Oak Ridge, Tenn., to compete at the BIG EAST Championship on Melton
Hill Lake.
Last Week in Rowing
The West Virginia University rowing team traveled to Shamokin Dam, Pa., for a scrimmage against Bucknell
on the Susquehanna River … originally scheduled as a double, dual meet, the Mountaineers and Bisons competed
in several shorter segments after two teams dropped out of the event.
Notes & Quotes
The varsity four boat finished in second place in the Grand Finals at the Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J., on
April 12-13 ... the Mountaineer’s crossed the line with a time of 7:32.4 behind Lafayette (7:30.7) ... the
Mountaineers second varsity four boat also placed in the Grand Finals with a fifth place time of (8:20.7) ... on
Saturday, April 12, the varsity four had a high-quality performance as they placed second in their heat with a
time of 8:02.0 to advance to the afternoon semifinals ... the Mountaineers once again placed second on their
heat as they improved their time to 7:52.6, to secure a spot in the Grand Finals on Sunday, April 13 … the
varsity four boat consists of Brittany Brooks, Alita Meyers, Kim Benda, Caroline Rettig with coxswain Stephanie
Brown.
The novice four and eight boats also completed at the Knecht Cup ... on Saturday, April 12, the novice
eight boat posted a fifth-place finish (7:41.1) in the afternoon semifinals to advance to the petite finals ...
there the Mountaineers finished fourth with a time of 7:36.9.
This Week in Tennis
The West Virginia University tennis team has completed its 2007-08 spring season.
Last Week in Tennis
The WVU tennis squad finished 10th at the BIG EAST Championships in Tampa, Fla., at the USF Tennis
Courts … the Mountaineers (15-10, 5-4 BIG EAST) went 1-2 at the postseason tournament, highlighted by a 4-
2 victory over No. 11 seed Connecticut on Saturday … WVU, seeded No. 10, lost its first match by a 4-3 score
to No. 7 St. John’s … WVU then fell to No. 9 Pitt in the 10th-place match, 4-3 … leading the Mountaineers was
freshman Ashley Pilsbury, who went 5-1 over the weekend … the Port Orange, Fla., native won all three of her
singles matches at the No. 6 spot, and went 2-1 with teammate Monique Burton at No. 3 doubles … senior
Natalia Prinz also swept her matches at No. 3 singles to complete her best season as a Mountaineer …
Stephanie LaFortune and Monica Lyskawa also enjoyed a successful weekend at No. 2 doubles, going 2-1 to
boost their season-ending record to 15-6.
Notes & Quotes
Prinz led the Mountaineers with 29 victories this season, nine more than her previous high of 20 during her
freshman campaign … Lyskawa (28), LaFortune (27), Stacey Percival (26) and Pilsbury (26) also garnered 20-
plus wins this season … WVU finished 10th at the BIG EAST Tournament for the second consecutive season,
but improved on last season’s 13-12 record … WVU’s 5-4 BIG EAST record marks the fourth straight season
the Mountaineers have garnered a .500 or better conference record … Percival’s 105 career wins are tied for
16th on the all-time list.
“I was very impressed with Natalia in singles play. She and Ashley Pilsbury had a terrific weekend. Stephanie
LaFortune also put forth a good showing today.” – WVU Head Coach Marc Walters
West Virginia University - Varsity Sports Report
This Week in Baseball
WVU will travel to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne on Tuesday, April 22, before hosting a BIG EAST series
against Connecticut this weekend at Hawley Field.
Last Week in Baseball
WVU went 2-2 on the week, downing Duquesne and going 1-2 against BIG EAST foe Notre Dame … junior
Justin Parks recorded 11 hits, including two doubles and one home run, four runs and two RBIs on the week …
he finished the week with a .611 batting average and led WVU with eight hits in BIG EAST play this week …
WVU won game two of the three-game series on Saturday, when Stephen Morrison pitched 8 2/3 strong innings
and Joe Agreste drove in four runs to lead West Virginia to an 11-6 victory over Notre Dame ... West Virginia’s
victory snapped Notre Dame’s 11-game winning streak that included seven straight in Big East play … defensivley
the Mountaineers recorded a season-high three double plays in game two of the Notre Dame series and recorded
45 hits on the week and 31 RBIs … the pitching staff finished the week with a 4.25 ERA.
Notes & Quotes
The Mountaineers currently have five sluggers hitting .400 or above ... senior Tyler Kuhn leads the team with
71 hits and seven home runs, while Vince Belnome leads the team with 55 RBIs and a .429 batting average.