The following post was written by staff writer Anthony Zilis.

With only two meets left before the Big Ten Championship, you’ve really got to feel for 400-meter runner Omoye Ugiagbe, who can’t seem to buy a break. In her first outdoor meet, Ugiagbe finished less than half a second from the regional qualifying mark, which she would need in order to run the race at the regional championships. At the next meet, the Sun Angel Track Classic, after regionally qualifying in the 200, she missed the 400 qualifying time by only one hundredth of a second. When I asked her if she was frustrated, she stayed extremely positive, saying she was sure she would get it at the next meet, the Kansas Relays.

The Kansas Relays came around and Ugiagbe was poised to run the regional qualifying time. She said that she would be ready, given the fact that she would only be running the 4×200 and the 400. As her luck has been going this season, Ugiagbe injured herself during the relay and was unable to participate in the 400. She will be out again this weekend when her team goes to California for the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.

Her only race before Big Tens will be the uncompetitive Illinois Twilight next Wednesday, and that’s only if she’s completely healed. When I talked to associate head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey, she said she wasn’t sure if Ugiagbe would be ready by next Wednesday. In other words, cross your fingers for good weather at Big Tens — her last chance to qualify.

Also, due to word constraints, I had to cut out of my last article the fact that Rachel Hernandez finished sixth in the Invitational Division of the 800 with a regional qualifying time of 2:09.93. She’s been consistently putting up solid times this year.

That’s all from me, Champaign’s finest women’s track reporter.

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