May 21, 2003

Rudzinska Double MAC Champ

Beata Rudzinska led a 1-2 Akron sweep of the women's 800m after earlier winning the 1,500m to help the Akron women to a third-place finish at the MAC outdoor track & field championships. The finals of the 1,500m was Rudzinska's second race at that distance (Friday's prelim was her first) but she ran like a veteran, taking the lead with 300m to go and maintaining a comfortable gap to the finish. Her victory, in 4:30.07, is the second consecutive for an Akron runner in that event. Last year Bobbie Hardbarger ran 4:26.96 to take the title. In the 800m Rudzinska and Jennie Castle were the two fastest qualifiers for the finals, each running 2:10.56. In the finals they broke away from the field after 400m to repeat their order of finish from the indoor championships. Rudzinska's final time was 2:10.26 and Castle's was 2:11.31.

Adriana Zalucka placed third in the 5,000m (17:08.62) and was fourth in the 10,000m (36:11.88). In the longer race she was followed by Morgan Sulzener in fifth (36:31.56 PR) and Lisa McCaulley in sixth (36:32.96 PR) . The women's 4x 400m relay, which featured the 800m trio of Rudzinska, Castle, and Emily Freudenrich finished fifth. Other individuals who ran personal best times include David Pykare (1,500m, 4:00.03), Becki Michael (3000m SC, 11:31.94), and Emily Freudenrich (800m, 2:13.45).

MAC Outdoor Championships
Women | Men

Jennie Castle & Beata Rudzinska