March 12, 2003

Rudzinska Runs 2:05.97. Automatically Qualifies for NCAA Championships.

This Friday, Beata Rudzinska will become the first Akron woman to compete in the open 800m at the NCAA Championships. She automatically qualified for the meet by running a new school record, 2:05.97, at Notre Dame's Alex Wilson Invitational. Rudzinska and 15 others will run their preliminary races Friday afternoon at 5:00 pm EST. Saturday's final will take place at 7:25 pm EST. "Although she goes into the meet with the 12th-fastest time, I'm confident she will do well," said coach Scott Jones. "She has gotten faster each time she has run the 800m this season. If she races as well as she did at the MAC Championships and at Notre Dame she should qualify for the finals. Among last year's eight finalists were the women ranked 12, 14, 15, and 17 going into the meet."

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Zips Prepare for Outdoor Season

While Beata Rudzinska competes indoors this weekend, the rest of the Akron middle distance and distance runners are in the midst of training for the outdoor season. According to Scott Jones, "This is really the only time of the year in which we can focus excusively on training in a structured team setting. We talk about this being our "Blood & Guts" training phase and the group is really excited about the opportunity to work hard. The team's spirit is encouraging and bodes well for the outdoor season."