Colorado University Athletics
CU Sprinters Have Strong Showing At Sun Angel Classic
Gehring won the collegiate section on the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 24.24 seconds, placing her fifth overall in the meet including the Premier section of the 200-meter. Her time makes her the sixth all-time performer here at CU. She also placed second in the Premier heat of the women's 400-meter dash, and second overall in the meet with a time of 54.41. Her run marks the second fastest run in school history. Both times were new personal bests for the freshman from Madison, Wis.
"Eileen has been consistently getting better all season long, but this jump in the 400 was great to see," CU sprints coach Drew Morano said of her performance. "We knew she was capable of running times like this, so I was very happy to see her get herself down there. She executed the race very well and showed a lot of toughness down the homestretch and finished well. I know that she can still run even faster so it will be interesting to see where she ends up at when the season is finished."
Joe Morris, junior, placed eighth in the 100-meter dash Premier section, with a time of 10.42. He also placed seventh in the 200-meter dash Premier section with a time of 21.26. Though neither time set a new personal record, both were solid for his opening race of the outdoor season.
"This was Joe's season opening race this weekend, so as expected there were some bumps along the way," Morano said. "This is the best that he has ever opened the season so we are in no way disappointed, but he and I both know that he is capable of running better than this and I believe he will show it in the next meet or two. Joe sets high standards on himself, which is great, and I know he will work hard in the next couple of weeks to get himself near the top of the national rankings."
"Eileen's time in the 400, Joe's times in the 100 and 200 should qualify them both for the Pre-National Meet in Austin, Texas, so overall the meet was a definite success. I believe that both of them will better their times in the next couple of weeks but it is nice to get that first qualifier out of the way."
Former Buff Jeremy Dodson placed ninth in the Premier 100-meter dash and then placed second in the Premier 200-meter dash with a time of 20.68, his best opening time ever. He already has the "A" standard for the Olympic Trials in the 200.