Thursday, May 15
Storrs, CT
9:00 AM
Creighton University
vs
BIG EAST Outdoor Championships
Jacob Ludwick
Photo by: BIG EAST Conference
4x800 Relay & Ludwick Pace Track at BIG EAST Outdoor Track Championships
5/17/2025 2:42:00 PM | Men's Cross Country / Track, Women's Cross Country / Track
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Men's 4x800 takes second
STORRS, Conn. -- A pair of top-three finishes highlighted Creighton's second trip to the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships Presented by JEEP. CU's 4x800 men's relay placed second while Jacob Ludwick placed third in the javelin.
"To think that one year ago was our first BIG EAST Conference Championships for track and field, to see the progress through indoor and into our second year at outdoor, there is a great sense of accomplishment in that," said head coach Chris Gannon.
CU's final race of the meet led to its best showing in its young history as a participant at the BIG EAST Championships, as its men's 4x800 relay team placed second with a time of 7:27.28. The Bluejays owned the lead after Brian Hiltebrand's opening leg as well as after two quick laps by Evan Kraus got CU to the midway point in front. Georgetown moved into the lead on the third leg when CU's Ryan Hendrickson was running, and Jake Ziebarth helped the Jays maintain second on the final leg. Butler went from fourth to first and posted a winning time of 7:26.59. CU's clocking was more than four seconds better than its time in the event a year ago.
Ludwick owned a spot on the podium as well, finishing third in the javelin with a toss of 57.89 meters (189'11"). His first throw turned out to be hs best and was just behind the UConn duo of Connor Hayford (67.09m) and Joshua Mooney (59.94m).
"Now we wait to see if Jake will get into the first round of NCAAs for the javelin," continued Gannon. "It's going to be close."
Marcos Gonzalez helped CU score points in the 3000 meter steeplechase as he placed sixth in the event for the second straight year, this time finishing in 9:13.52.
Rounding out CU's point-getters on the men's side was sophomore Logan Piper, who crossed the tape in the 400-meter hurdles in 57.61 in the final. He had qualified with a blistering school-record time of 54.47 in the prelims as he became CU's first man to qualify for the final out of a preliminary heat.
Noah Jodon (10th in 31:06.50) and Ryan Montera (13th in 32;12.1) also competed in the 10,000 meter race on Thursday night but did not collect any points for the CU team. Jodon's time was the second-fastest in program history.
The Creighton men finished in eighth of nine teams with 20 points. Host Connecticut (298) ran away with the competition, easily downing nearest competitors DePaul (124) and Georgetown (102).
Anika Nettekoven was part of both women's performances that earned points to help CU take 10th with two points. She broke her school-record in the 800 by two seconds in the preliminary round, crossing the finish line in 2:11.58. She then took eighth in the final in 2:17.87.
Nettekoven also ran the anchor leg in CU's 4x800 relay squad that placed eighth in 9:17.57. CU was seventh after the legs by Carly Manchester, Alexis Huddin and Katie Roche before Nettekoven closed the race.
"We had men and women advance into finals," added Gannon. "We saw two school records. We scored more points. We had two All-BIG EAST performances, with the men's 4x800 nearly grabbing a conference championship. Coach Fayers has done a fantastic job with that mid-distance crew!"
Taylor Rorick (11th in 37:41.97) and Molly Rogers (14th in 41:12.55) ran in the 10,000 meters and Katherine Soule (15th in 18:04.82) raced in the 5,000. Additionally, Manchester (13th in 2:14.53), Huddin (15th in 2:15.58) and Roche (19th in 2:18.54) competed in the 800-meter prelims. Sophomore Sophia Valentine also threw the javelin 31.55 meters (103'6"), five meters longer than her previous best, which was good for 11th.
"As I've said before, we have accomplished a lot, but there is so much more for us to achieve," Gannon reflected. "The future is bright."
Like their male counterparts, Connecticut also collected the title on the women's side. The Huskies scored 206.5 points to finish ahead of DePaul (168) and St. John's (143).
The Bluejays will wait to learn who will move on to NCAA Regional competition, which will determined on Friday.
Most Outstanding Track Performers
Men: Demetrius Rolle, DePaul
Women: Rebecca Ochan, Georgetown
Most Outstanding Field Performers
Men: Joshua Mooney, UConn
Women: Jamora Alves, St. John's
High Point Performers
Men: Kasey Savage, UConn – 24 points
Women: Sade Miller, DePaul – 20.5 points
Coaching Staff of the Year
Men's: Connecticut
Women's: Connecticut
"To think that one year ago was our first BIG EAST Conference Championships for track and field, to see the progress through indoor and into our second year at outdoor, there is a great sense of accomplishment in that," said head coach Chris Gannon.
CU's final race of the meet led to its best showing in its young history as a participant at the BIG EAST Championships, as its men's 4x800 relay team placed second with a time of 7:27.28. The Bluejays owned the lead after Brian Hiltebrand's opening leg as well as after two quick laps by Evan Kraus got CU to the midway point in front. Georgetown moved into the lead on the third leg when CU's Ryan Hendrickson was running, and Jake Ziebarth helped the Jays maintain second on the final leg. Butler went from fourth to first and posted a winning time of 7:26.59. CU's clocking was more than four seconds better than its time in the event a year ago.
Ludwick owned a spot on the podium as well, finishing third in the javelin with a toss of 57.89 meters (189'11"). His first throw turned out to be hs best and was just behind the UConn duo of Connor Hayford (67.09m) and Joshua Mooney (59.94m).
"Now we wait to see if Jake will get into the first round of NCAAs for the javelin," continued Gannon. "It's going to be close."
Marcos Gonzalez helped CU score points in the 3000 meter steeplechase as he placed sixth in the event for the second straight year, this time finishing in 9:13.52.
Rounding out CU's point-getters on the men's side was sophomore Logan Piper, who crossed the tape in the 400-meter hurdles in 57.61 in the final. He had qualified with a blistering school-record time of 54.47 in the prelims as he became CU's first man to qualify for the final out of a preliminary heat.
Noah Jodon (10th in 31:06.50) and Ryan Montera (13th in 32;12.1) also competed in the 10,000 meter race on Thursday night but did not collect any points for the CU team. Jodon's time was the second-fastest in program history.
The Creighton men finished in eighth of nine teams with 20 points. Host Connecticut (298) ran away with the competition, easily downing nearest competitors DePaul (124) and Georgetown (102).
Anika Nettekoven was part of both women's performances that earned points to help CU take 10th with two points. She broke her school-record in the 800 by two seconds in the preliminary round, crossing the finish line in 2:11.58. She then took eighth in the final in 2:17.87.
Nettekoven also ran the anchor leg in CU's 4x800 relay squad that placed eighth in 9:17.57. CU was seventh after the legs by Carly Manchester, Alexis Huddin and Katie Roche before Nettekoven closed the race.
"We had men and women advance into finals," added Gannon. "We saw two school records. We scored more points. We had two All-BIG EAST performances, with the men's 4x800 nearly grabbing a conference championship. Coach Fayers has done a fantastic job with that mid-distance crew!"
Taylor Rorick (11th in 37:41.97) and Molly Rogers (14th in 41:12.55) ran in the 10,000 meters and Katherine Soule (15th in 18:04.82) raced in the 5,000. Additionally, Manchester (13th in 2:14.53), Huddin (15th in 2:15.58) and Roche (19th in 2:18.54) competed in the 800-meter prelims. Sophomore Sophia Valentine also threw the javelin 31.55 meters (103'6"), five meters longer than her previous best, which was good for 11th.
"As I've said before, we have accomplished a lot, but there is so much more for us to achieve," Gannon reflected. "The future is bright."
Like their male counterparts, Connecticut also collected the title on the women's side. The Huskies scored 206.5 points to finish ahead of DePaul (168) and St. John's (143).
The Bluejays will wait to learn who will move on to NCAA Regional competition, which will determined on Friday.
Most Outstanding Track Performers
Men: Demetrius Rolle, DePaul
Women: Rebecca Ochan, Georgetown
Most Outstanding Field Performers
Men: Joshua Mooney, UConn
Women: Jamora Alves, St. John's
High Point Performers
Men: Kasey Savage, UConn – 24 points
Women: Sade Miller, DePaul – 20.5 points
Coaching Staff of the Year
Men's: Connecticut
Women's: Connecticut
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Women's Cross Country / Track
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
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