Mountain Lions up to speed in warm-up meet
At the Air Force Academy's All Comers Track meet on Saturday, only a few of the CU Colorado Springs women's track team competed in the first unofficial meet of the season.
"Its good to get our feet wet early and see what kind of shape we're in," said sophomore Ashley Birger, who ran the mile in 5:48, two seconds below her goal. "The first race isn't where I look to break records, but to set the pace for training and goals for where I plan to be."
In the 3000 meter race, junior Tina Gray took fourth overall with a time of 11:02 followed by teammates Chelsey Cerrillo, a junior, and senior Christi-Marie Butler.
"I didn't expect to run that fast right off," said Gray, who had aimed to break 11:30.
Birger, Gray and Cerrillo all qualified for nationals in 2003 in the steeplechase in outdoor track (3000 meters with obstacles).
"We've got big plans for this season and are just generally excited to be back," summed up Birger.
Jan. 20 is the official start of the season and Saturday the 24th the entire team will compete at the Air Force Academy next Saturday for the first official meet of the season.
UCCS Players/Staff Featured | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ashley Birger | Steeplechase | So. | |
 | Ashley Birger | Steeplechase | So. | |
 | Ashley Birger | Steeplechase | So. | |
 | Ashley Birger | So. | ||
| Ashley Birger | So. | ||
| Ashley Birger | So. | ||
| Ashley Birger | So. | ||
 | Chelsey Cerrillo | |||
| Chelsey Cerrillo | Jr. | ||
| Chelsey Cerrillo | |||
 | Tina Gray | Jr. | ||
| Tina Gray | Jr. | ||
| Tina Gray | Steeplechase | ||
| Tina Gray | Steeplechase | ||
| Additional News Stories | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| June 4, 2004 |  | Birger named Academic All-American | Cross country/track athlete Ashley Birger was named second team academic All-American, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs announced Friday. |
| June 2, 2004 |  | Gray named All-American for second straight year | Tina Gray was named All-American for the second consecutive year, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs announced Wednesday. |
| May 27, 2004 |  | Gray advances to finals at national championships | Tina Gray qualified for the finals in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday by finishing ninth in the preliminaries. |
| May 9, 2004 |  | Women's track beats the heat | The CU-Colorado Springs Men's and Women's Track teams are accustomed to racing in tough conditions, but the RMAC Championships took it to a new level. |
| April 24, 2004 | Final tuneup successful for women's track | Saturday, April 24, Colorado State University hosted the Jack Christiansen Invitational where the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs women's track team competed in their last outdoor meet of the regular season. | |
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