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Sports Recap
Track and Field
Roelofsen fails to advance at NCAAs
Senior javelin thrower Vanessa Roelofsen competed at the NCAA Track and Field Championships last week at the University of Iowa, but failed to advance past the preliminary round.
Roelofsen was making her second appearance in three years at the NCAA Championships. She finished 16th in 2006.
Her best throw last week—38.57 meters—was not good enough to place her in the top 12 and advance to the 2008 finals.
Katie Coronado of New Mexico placed first in the preliminary round with a throw of 54.53 meters.
Roelofsen, a two-time MAC champion in the javelin, earned her trip to the NCAA Championships by finishing fourth overall with a top throw of 49.72 meters at the NCAA East Regionals, held at Florida State University May 30.
Roelofsen’s best throw of the 2008 season, 49.88 meters, was set May 10 at Akron’s Campbell/Wright Open.
Football
Willy named a Johnny Unitas candidate
Quarterback Drew Willy has been named a candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the nation’s top senior collegiate quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation Inc.
Willy, who is entering his senior season and his fourth year as the Bulls’ starting signal caller, is coming off his best season. In 2007, he set a new mark for completions in a season (258), had the highest pass-efficiency rating in school history (135.7), the highest completion percentage (68.4 percent) in a single season and had 15 touchdowns with only six interceptions.
Willy also set the school record for completions in a game (34) at Kent State, while passing for a career-high 334 yards. He was twice named MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week. Going into his senior season, Willy is tied for the career mark in completions (545) and needs 2,035 yards to set the career passing mark next season.
The Randolph, N.J. native is one of 26 senior quarterbacks to be named to the list and the only one from the Mid-American Conference. Other notable names on the list are Missouri’s Chase Daniel, Mike Teel of Rutgers, West Virginia’s Pat White and Todd Boeckman of Ohio State. The 2007 winner of the award was Matt Ryan of Boston College.
The 2008 award will be presented Dec. 5 in Baltimore.
Fans will get their first chance to see Willy in action when the Bulls take the field against University of Texas-El Paso in their home opener Aug. 28 in UB Stadium.