Jan. 21, 2003

Charleston, Ill. - Senior Monieka Thompson turned in a pair of top-two finishes at the EIU Mega Meet on Saturday afternoon to help lead the University of Illinois at Chicago women's track and field team.

Thompson was barely edged in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.75, while the Steinmetz graduate bounced back and came from behind for a narrow victory in the 800-meter run with a mark of 2:18.49.

"Monieka ran a pair of good races on Saturday," UIC head coach Jim Knoedel said. "She did a real nice job."

The Flames also received a pair of second place finishes from sophomores Crystal Sanders (60-meter hurdles, 9.51) and Sara Jeffers (3,000-meter run, 10:44.02).

Sophomores Sara O'Mara notched a third-place finish in the shot put with a heave of 37'6", while classmate Tamika Johnson placed third in the triple jump with a leap of 33'1¾". UIC recorded a bronze medal finish from the 1,600-meter relay squad with a mark of 4:08.31.

"We're continuing to improve and getting more and more people turning in marks that could place at the Horizon League championships," Knoedel said. "Before long, hopefully everyone can feel like that they can contribute to the conference meet."

UIC will be back in action this Saturday, as they will travel to Ohio to participate in the Kent State Invitational at 9:00 a.m.