TRACK & FIELD

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AUSTIN, TX - A fantastic senior season came to end Thursday night for track and field athlete Allison Laske (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua).

Laske finished 13th in the qualifying heats of the 800 meters at the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of

Allison Laske

Texas. The senior was fifth in her heat (three of the nine finalists were in Laske's first heat) and 13th overall among 28 competitors. The final qualifying time was 2:06.51, narrowly ahead of Laske's time (2:06.73), but well off her best timing of the season (2:04.81), which she ran at the Cardinal Invite at Stanford University on May 1, a time that has provisionally qualified her for the United States Olympic Trials in July.

"Allison is really disappointed right now, but she ran such an unbelievable race," said head coach Vicki Mitchell. "She started moving up in the final 200 meters and she was in position with the top four going into the final lap. She was at one point in second place with the four that finished side by side but just couldn't hold on. She's disappointed but she can't have any regrets, she ran faster than the winner of the NCAA indoor championships this spring.

"Now she has a week and a half of recovery and than we hope she makes the (Olympic) trials," said Mitchell. "She has to realize the talent level of the field she was in, it was one of the strongest 800 meter fields in the NCAA's in recent years. I had several coaches come up to me after the race and comment on what a terrific job Allison did. It's awesome to see a senior blossom the way Allison has this year."

The other two Bulls' participants in the meet did not compete on Thursday. Senior pole vaulter Laura Olson (Lyons, NY/Lyons) and senior decathlete Steve Esler (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) will both be in action on Friday. Weather forced the cancellation of Wednesday's preliminaries in the pole vault so the entire event will be contested on Friday. Olson is hoping to become the second UB female to earn All-American status (top eight) after finishing 13th at the NCAA Indoor Championships this past March and 14th in last year's outdoor championships. Olson cleared the opening height on Wednesday before the rains came. She set an NCAA regional record and school record by clearing 13-5³/₄" two weeks ago at the University of Florida.

Esler, meanwhile, who came into the event with the 24th best decathlon total of the year, is hoping to surprise the field in Friday's opening events. The 100- and 400-meter sprints, the long jump, high jump and shot put will be contested on Friday on the first day of the decathlon. The high jump is typically Esler's best event. On Saturday, the entrants will complete the grueling event with the 110-meter hurdles, the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters.