Feb. 9, 2004

Romeoville, Ill. - University of Illinois at Chicago sprinter Jessica Fouche raced to a first-place finish of 7.36 in the 55-meter dash to help lead the Flames Indoor Track and Field squad at the Lewis Qualifier on Saturday afternoon.

Fouche was a member of the 1st-place 4x400 relay (4:12.40) and picked up a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash (1:03.03), behind teammates Rowsha LaBranche (1st, 1:00.91) and Tamika Johnson (2nd, 1:01.24).

Junior weight specialist Sara O'Mara earned a runner-up and season-best mark of 48'0" in the weight throw, as well as a third-place finish in the shot put (34'0").

Freshman Laura Otepka finished second in the high jump with a season-best leap of 4'10", while teammate Candace Jackson earned a school-record in the pole vault (9'2").

The previous record of 9'0" was set by Lauren Quinn just last season.

"Overall it was a pretty good meet and I was excited by the performances," UIC Head Coach Jim Knoedel said. "I'm glad to see that we're getting better and ready for the Horizon League meet."

UIC will be back in action next weekend, as they will travel to Ames, Iowa to participate in the Iowa State Classic on Friday and Saturday, as well as participating in the Lewis Invitational on Friday night.