DePaul Track and Field Newsletter

2012-2013 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULEDate Opponent / Event Location Time / ResultMar. 22 - Mar. 23 Vanderbilt Black & Gold Nashville, Tenn. All DayMar. 30 SIU Spring Classic Carbondale, Ill. All DayApr. 5 - Apr. 6 Chicagoland Championships Romeoville, Ill. All DayApr. 12 - Apr. 13 Lee Calhoun Classic Macomb, Ill. All DayApr. 18 - Apr. 20 Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, Calif. All DayApr. 20 NIU Huskie Open DeKalb, Ill. All DayApr. 25 - Apr. 27 Drake Relays Des Moines, Iowa All DayApr. 27 Stan Lyons Invitational Indianapolis, Ind. All DayMay 3 - May 5 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships * Piscataway, N.J. All DayMay 10 Cardinal Twilight Louisville, Ky. All DayMay 23 - May 25 NCAA West Preliminary Austin, Texas All DayJun. 5 - Jun. 8 NCAA Outdoor Championships Eugene, Ore. All Day*Conference Event

2012-2013 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULEDate Oponent/Event Location Time / ResultDec. 7 Blue and Gold Invitational Notre Dame, Ind. 4:00 p.m. CT Jan. 12 Badger Classic Madison, Wis. All DayJan. 19 Notre Dame Opener Notre Dame, Ind. All DayJan. 25 Spire Institute Midwest Open Geneva, Ohio All DayJan. 26 Spire Institute Midwest Open Geneva, hio All DayFeb. 1 Meyo Invitational Notre Dame, Ind. 3:00 p.m. CTFeb. 2 Meyo Invitational Notre Dame, Ind. All DayFeb. 16 BIG EAST Indoor Championships * Geneva, Ohio All DayFeb. 17 BIG EAST Indoor Championships * Geneva, Ohio All DayMar. 1 Alex Wilson Invitational Notre Dame, Ind. 4:00 p.m. CTMar. 2 Alex Wilson Invitational Notre Dame, Ind. All DayMar. 8 NCAA Indoor Championships Fayetteville, Ark. All DayMar. 9 NCAA Indoor Championships Fayetteville, Ark. All Day*Conference Event

MENName Year Hometown/High School/Last CollegeHerald Alvarez JR Franklin Park, Ill./West LeydenAlex Amaya SO North Riverside, Ill./Riverside-BrookfieldAnthony Babicz SO Mt. Prospect, Ill./ProspectMatt Babicz JR Mt. Prospect, Ill./ProspectMax Clink SR St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles NorthRobert Davis, Jr. JR Chicago, Ill./Von SteubenAndrew Diehn FR Columbus, Ind./Columbus NorthDrew Edwards SR Rochester, Mich./Stoney CreekAlex Fisher GS Roanoke, Va./Byrd/High Point UniversityZack Gaskell JR Canton, Mich./SalemBen Hiromura SO Ipswich, Mass./Masconomet RegionalLucas Junk JR Galesburg, Ill./GalesburgZak Koronkiewicz SR Evergreen Park, Ill./Evergreen Park CommunityAdam Kovacs SO Barrie, Ontario/St. Joseph’sJoe Mason JR Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional SouthEddie McDaniel JR Oak Forest, Ill./Oak ForestMac Melto FR Chicago, Ill./Northside College PrepChris Miedema JR Port Colborne, Ontario/Lakeshore CatholicMatthew Pietrus SR Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard WestMax Rodrigues SR Darien, Ill./Hinsdale SouthIan Sanchez JR Richmond, Ill./Richmond-BurtonTyler Schmitt SR Lakewood, Ill./Crystal Lake CentralEric Shan FR Chicago, Ill./Whitney YoungBlake Thompson FR Shanty Bay, Ontario/St. Joseph’s CatholicBrandon Threats FR Brown Deer, Wis./Whitefish BayTonderai Tomu SR Bulawayo, Zimbabwe/Dadaya Oaklands College (UK)Joe Turner JR Kansas City/Shawnee Mission East Johnson County CCRyan Van Fossen JR Metamora, Ill./Metamora/Illinois CentralJordon Vaughn SO Atlanta, Ga./Union Grove High SchoolCoaches: Dave Dopek - Head CoachBrandon Murer - Assistant Coach - Throws Leah Bohr - Assistant Coach - DistanceAndrew Craycraft - Assistant Coach - Distance Stephanie Williams - Assistant Coach - Sprints/JumpsEdin Pasalic - Assistant Coach - Sprints

WOMENName Year Hometown/High School/Last CollegeRebecca Adamcheck JR Livonia, Mich./StevensonBlair Bartosiewicz FR Rochester, N.Y./PenfieldLoreal Curtis SO Houston, Texas/Lutheran South AcademyJulie Dambra FR LaGrange Park, Ill./Lyons TownshipJazmyne Durrah SO Chicago, Ill./Lane TechColleen Earl SO St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles EastAyesha Ewing SO St. Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter College PrepTaylor Farley FR Lynwood, Ill./Seton AcademySarah Gorden SO Elk Grove, Ill./ConantDanielle Hernando SO Saugus, Calif./SaugusAshley Holden SO Greenville, Ill./GreenvilleLindsey Holden SR Greenville, Ill./GreenvilleTaylor Hynes SO Lee’s Summit, Mo./Lee’s SummitElizabeth Jefferson JR Littleton, Colo./Valor ChristianJackie Kasal SO Warwick, N.Y./Warwick ValleySarah Moss FR Welland, Ontario/Notre Dame College SchoolAlexandra Muller JR Brunswick, Ohio/BrunswickAforo Okraku SR Chicago, Ill./Morgan ParkAmanda Piche SO Marion, Iowa/Lin-Mar High SchoolHannah Pulliam JR Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville Broadview HeightsKayla Schwarz SO Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hinsdale CentralMolly Shiroishi FR Renton, Wash./KentridgeNora Smith FR Westwood, Mass./WestwoodAlexandra Vekich SO St. Paul, Minn./Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)Tayler Whittler FR University Park, Ill./Crete-Monee

DePaul distance runner risks own safety to aid victims of a car crashHerald Alvarez was coming around the turn of his cross country training run on a rain-soaked late October after-noon in Jackson Park when he came to a sudden halt.A car had hydroplaned out of control near the intersection of 60th Street and South Cornell Avenue and crashed into a light pole. A moment like this reveals the true nature and character of a person and defines in no uncertain terms what it means to be heroic.Without thinking, Alvarez raced across four lanes of traffic on Cornell, holding up his hand to slow cars or dodge between them. He kept repeating “I’m sorry” to the drivers.You’ve watched this scene play out countless times at the movie theatre, only this time the guy making the reckless dash was no Hollywood stuntman.“I went straight to the driver’s side,” said Alvarez, a junior from suburban Franklin Park. “The car door was squished all the way in against the pole. I tried pulling it open but it wouldn’t budge. I heard screaming inside.”As someone whose life has mostly been defined by how well he can use his legs, Alvarez’s heart went out to the accident victim.“Seeing the driver with his legs all jammed up where he couldn’t move them---I use my legs for everything and couldn’t imagine being like that,” Alvarez said. “I felt so bad for that man. “I ran over to the passenger side and saw a lady inside lying across the front seat. She couldn’t open the door. It took me a couple of minutes to force the door open. I grabbed her leg and arm and helped her out of the car.“She was screaming and crying. The driver was smashed into the door. There was blood every-where on their heads, fingers, and arms. It was very intense.”In the midst of the madness, this former lifeguard who has saved a number of children from pos-sible drowning kept his cool.“There was a cell phone on the floor of the car and I asked her if I could use it,” Alvarez said. “I wiped the blood off on the grass, called 911 and explained what happened. The fire department was the first one to arrive.“There were two fire department ambulances, three fire trucks and two police cars. I walked away and headed back to the training course.”DePaul assistant cross country coach Andrew Craycraft had been monitoring the workout and wondered why one of his top runners wasn’t with the pack.“We were in the middle of our training interval when I heard a huge bang,” Craycraft said. “I didn’t see Herald as the guys ran past me, and he is usually near the front. I started running towards that loud noise and I saw him coming towards me.”“‘Sorry coach, I had to stop and help them,” Alvarez said. “I couldn’t help myself.”“Herald is such a good guy---it’s not surprising he would do something like this,” Craycraft said. “You won’t find a lot of people his age living their lives with such a moral conscience-ness.To read the entire story, visit http://www.depaulbluedemons.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/112812aaa.html

DePaul track team captain dedicates his life to restoring human dignity in war-torn UgandaDrew Edwards’ life was never the same after a barefoot 13-year-old boy challenged him to a race.This was no ordinary “on-your-marks, get-set, go.” No, this outdoor sprint took place at a war-torn refugee camp in Uganda where Edwards, who would become a 400-meter track athlete at DePaul, was on a relief mission in January of 2009.Edwards nosed out Abraham in a race that marked the beginning of a fast friendship. One day, Abraham invited Edwards to his hut.“It was strange because no one else was there,” Edwards said. “Every other hut had a bunch of people sharing it. I asked about his family. He said soldiers had come, taken all the men in the camp including his father, and killed them. They took his mother and sister outside and asked them to wear either a short sleeve or mid-sleeve top. Where ever the sleeve ended, that’s where they’d cut off your arm. His mom was raped and killed.“Abraham was abducted and forced to become a child soldier. The soldiers would take these chil-dren through the bushes, and if they didn’t run fast enough, they’d be killed. They were taught how to kill, and it was a matter of kill or be killed.“At some point, Abraham managed to escape and ran for his life at night through the jungle. He ran for hours and hours barefoot through the bush country. And there were all these natural dangers like lions and other predators. No wonder the kids who survived became such fast runners. It’s amazing he found his way back to the camp.“After I heard his story, I asked Abraham: `What can I do for you?’ He said: `Can you help me pay for my school fees?’ I gathered up as much money as I had and paid his fees for one year. And then, he just wanted to pray with me.“I began to realize the impact of just being there for somebody. If you told Abraham he could have anything in the world---he would say education.” As team captain, Edwards is looking forward to a memorable senior season competing alongside such talented teammates as Ashley Holden, Loreal Curtis and Ayesha Ewing on the women’s team and Tonderai Tomu, Matt Babicz and Adam Kovacs on the men’s team.Somehow, Edwards will find the time to run track, hit the books and run a nonprofit organization that empowers students and unifies communities through education.This is a story about a 21-year-old visionary who went on volunteer trips three times to help clean up after Hurricane Katrina and will make his fourth trip to Uganda next summer heading up Pangea Educational Development’s (PED) valiant effort to rebuild a culture after a brutal 20-year civil war.“Drew is just cut from a different cloth,” said DePaul Associate Athletic Director Kathryn Statz. “He is such a collaborator, a big-picture guy who sees things in a different way.“He is like St. Vincent de Paul in that way. He sees things on a large scale and works with a lot of people to go a long way, much as St. Vincent did.

To read the entire story, visit http://www.depaulbluedemons.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/120312aab.html

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OTIS DUNSONTRACK AND FIELD

1993-1997