New Star Shines for UofL Track and Field -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ashley Callahan Breaks Pole Vault Record

Louisville track and field has had quite a bit of success over the last decade or so, especially in the realm of field events. Even more specifically, the Cards have excelled at jumps of many kinds, adding that to their list of specialties alongside throws. Louisville has three indoor national championships, all in weight throw, with the most recent coming in 2021. Their success in jumps has come primarily outdoors, with the Cards having a stellar season in 2022. That year saw three individual ACC champions in Synclair Savage (long jump), Emily Scott (high jump), and Gabriela Leon (pole vault). Leon would go on to win Louisville's first NCAA individual outdoor championship that season. 

Despite her championship, Gabriela Leon's didn't hold the most recent indoor pole vault record, as Natalie Lark broken the school record last February. Lark's record stood for just 11 months. Yesterday, at the Bellarmine Open hosted in the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center, Ashley Callahan set a new school record of 4.48m (14'-8.25"). The senior transfer from San Diego State broke Lark's record by just one-quarter of an inch, but I would expect her to continue to push that barrier as the season goes on. 

photo by Mallory Peak via gocards.com

Callahan was one of five winners for the Cards yesterday in the one day event. On the women's side, she was joined by Demaria King, who set a personal best in the weight throw. The men also won the pole vault and weight throw, with KJ Byrd and Matt Giuliano. Josiah Horton set a personal best, as well, on his way to victory in the 800m.

Louisville track and field will be back in action next weekend, splitting the team between athletes staying home for the Bellarmine Invitational in the same building and going to Indianapolis for the Crossroads of America Invitational. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case 

Cards Partner for Kids Running Program -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Track and Field Athletes Give Back

Today's column is a little off the beaten path, but it's inspired by a story I heard on Louisville Public Media's daily morning news podcast. If you aren't familiar with Louisville Public Media, it's the organization that operates WFPL, WFPK, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, and more. It's a great source for local news and they have a neat app. Ok, random pitch over. 

Anyway, the point of this is to talk about the new program being brought to Louisville called Run Your City. Run Your City is a national nonprofit that, according to the website (runyourcity.org) is "dedicated to building an inclusive running community, giving every child - regardless of ability, gender, or background - the chance to grow [into] healthy, confident, and inspired individuals." The purpose of the program is to provide free access to youth athletics by way of a child-centered coached running program. The organization was founded in 2018 in Charlottesville by UVA athletes and has grown significantly since then, including a chapter in Rwanda.

image from Julia Schmitt via LPM

Three Cardinals have come together to bring a chapter to Louisville. Run Your City Louisville will be a free running program for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The current plan is to hold weekly sessions on Sundays for six weeks. The Louisville teammates bringing this program together as co-presidents are Riley Griffith, Julia Schmitt, and Layla Roebke. Griffith and Schmitt are redshirt freshman while Roebke recently graduated. All three are cross country and distance track runners. Their goals for the program are to teach about proper running techniques, how to work as a team, and balancing nutrition and exercise. The co-presidents are also joined by UofL students (and teammates) Emma Heckel, Madeleine Seaby, Brooke Lahee, and Lauren Bettencourt. 

Here is a link to the full LPM article, which is absolutely worth reading. One of the main things that stood out from it was the discussion on the inequity of youth sports. Having nieces and nephews currently in the youth sports scene, I definitely understand all that comes with it. Outside of the outright equipment and team costs, there is also time and travel for numerous events and practices. Even having been bombarded with fundraising for various teams, I was struck by the statistic shared from a 2022 Aspen Institute study which says that the average American family spends nearly $900 per year per child for a single season. The wording of that was a little tricky, so I went to the study source and broke it down some. The reported cost in fall 2022 was an average of $883 spent in a year for a single season of a single child's primary sport. That's a lot of money!

Even just looking at that figure, it seems obvious that it would be inequitable across children of different backgrounds, but the study breaks it down further. As the family income rises, so do the costs for travel. Extrapolating, that would imply that affluent families are taking talent even farther away from families with fewer resources, somewhat diluting the talent and experience of others. Families making $150,000 or more spent 65% more on travel than families making between $50,000 and $149,999, while they spent 83% more on travel than families making less than $50,000. The study (linked in the article and here) breaks the numbers down even more across different demographics, but the point is clear: Run Your City can offer an extremely valuable opportunity.

 

stats from Run Your City

Children with access to youth sports don't just experience improved physical health, but improvements to mental health, sociability, and future successful outcomes. Louisville is not alone as a city with an issue in this area, but it is stark. According to Southwest YMCA regional sports director David Oliver, who oversees all YMCA sports programs in west and south Louisville, cost is a significant driver for those programs being much smaller than in other YMCA regions. Even the registration costs can be a deterrent. 

Riley Griffith said it best when quoted by LPM: "We really just want to give  opportunity to get out there and be a part of something and have a fun, low-pressure experience with sports, so that even if they don't stick with running, even if they don't stick with sports, they get to have that opportunity.” 

I can't think of a better statement that I'd rather see from an ambassador for my alma mater. I wish the very best to Griffith, Schmitt, and Roebke as they get the program off the ground and hope for continued success for the program in future years. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Final Batch of All-ACC Academic Teams Announced -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

T&F, Rowing, and Softball Smart Cards

First - I apologize for the late post today. Second - if you thought we were done with All-ACC Academic teams, surprise! But this is the last one for the 2024-25 seasons. The league finished announcing the remaining honorees, so here goes nothing. As I mentioned the other day, the requirements for inclusion are a 3.0 GPA for the previous semester, a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and competition in at least 50 percent of the team's contests.

Rowing topped lacrosse for the most honorees, surpassing lacrosse's 23 with 31 of their own. That's quite the feat, since the roster holds only 43 names overall. That's 72% of their players, which also tops the 64% from lacrosse. All in all, very impressive, and it's a program record. Thirty-one players is quite the handful to name, but you can see the entire list here on gocards.

Track and field had 32 players overall announced, but that is inclusive of the men's and women's side. The women made up 20 of those, which is quite the showing. Those honored, and their T&F specialty, were Olivia Alessandrini (distance), Keira Antoni (sprints/hurdles), Ashley Callahan (pole vault), Sophia Day (jumps), Lucy Fellows (multis), Maya Follmer (multis), Emma Heckel (distance), Soledad Jean (jumps), Olivia Jenkins (sprints), Demaria King (throws), Ellie Maurer (distance), Sharvari Parulekar (jumps), Layla Roebke (distance), Synclair Savage (jumps/sprints), Maddie Seaby (distance), Lydia Stuart (pole vault), Iliana Triantafyllou (pole vault), Jade Whitfield (throws), Chelsea Williams (sprints), and Kiyah Yeast (sprints).

Last, but not least, comes softball. Softball had a strong list as well, and some of the first-time awardees may very well have been multiple if they weren't transfers. Softball has a unique addition to the requirements, based on how the positions work with playing time, so pitchers need only to have appeared in 20% of the team's contests. In all, the softball team had thirteen honorees. Three players made the list for the third time: Ally Alexander (SR), Sam Booe (SR), and Alyssa Zabala (JR). Four more were honored for the second time: Maddi Grant (SR), Easton Lotus (SR), Chelsea Mack (JR), and Katie Thatcher (SO). The first time honorees were Bri Despines (JR-transfer), Riley Janda (FR), Camryn Lookadoo (SO-transfer), Char Lorenz (SO), Taylor Monroe (FR), and Madison Pickens (FR). 

Once again, congratulations to all of these Cardinals on a job well done on the playing surface as well as in the classroom. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Track and Field's Newest National Champion -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Synclair Savage Wins Long Jump

Louisville track and field has a new national champion, as Synclair Savage became the fifth outdoor national champion in program history on Thursday by winning the women's long jump. The redshirt senior has had an incredible season after returning from injury, and she has now capped off her career in the best way possible. Savage has been on a mission late in the season, and her determination and clutch gene were on display Thursday. 

Photo via GoCards

Savage entered the competition seeded in eighth of the 24 participants after she set a program record in the NCAA East Regional two weeks ago. Entering her final attempt at the leap, she stood in fourth. All she did with the last jump was set a new personal best, breaking her own school record, and moved to the top of the list. Her jump of 6.72m (22'-0 3/4") cleared second place by just one inch, though Savage was actually less wind assisted in her jump (+0.7 vs +1.4). The #1 seed had the same advantage as Savage, so her jump was just a heck of an effort. Savage's new PB broke her old program record by three-and-a-quarter inches! A huge congratulations to her for the new hardware. 

Jayden Ulrich had her first attempt at a championship come up a bit short, but she finished fourth in the women's shot put. That result is good for All-American honors, but I'm sure Ulrich will be slightly frustrated to come home one position off the podium for the second year in a row. Ulrich was able to improve on her throws from both the ACC Championships (17.56m) and the East Regional (17.97m), but her 18.26m throw in the NCAA Championship wasn't quite there. She was a quarter of a meter behind third (18.5). In fairness to the competition, Ulrich would have needed an almighty heave to finish better. Ulrich's personal best in the shot put is an 18.66m throw, which would have only been enough to move her up to third, as second was 18.85m and first was a whopping 19.01m. The gold medalist was Mya Lesnar, daughter of the former UFC Champion and WWE wrestler, Brock. 

Louisville currently stands at 4th in the team points, as Savage and Ulrich's results were supported by a 12th-place All-American finish for Ashley Callahan in pole vault and a 24th-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase by Layla Roebke. Roebke had a great season, peaking with a personal best 9:49.08 in the event in the East Regional, but the conditions weren't favorable on Thursday as she came home at 10:14.24. 

Photo via GoCards

The Cards still have Lucy Fellows, who started the heptathlon yesterday, and Jayden Ulrich's second attempt at a championship in discus to go. Ulrich enters the discus throw with the NCAA leading throw this season, so she'll look to stay on top as the competitors work to unseat her. Louisville looks on pace for an incredible team finish, which would be a great way to honor all that everyone on the team has done this season. 

No Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

After Paulie and I returned last week, we hoped to keep the momentum going this week, but unfortunately scheduling hasn't worked in our favor. We'll be off again this week with an eye on returning to the show next week with a larger crew on hand. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Cards Set for NCAA T&F Regionals -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ten Women Headed to Jacksonville

Louisville women's track and field is coming off a team runner-up finish at the ACC championships, which makes it no surprise that they would send a big contingent to the NCAA Regional meet. This year, the East Region will compete in Jacksonville, FL from May 28 to May 31. The group will, of course, include Jayden Ulrich, who maintains her position on the watchlist for The Bowerman award following conference tournaments. The Bowerman is the top prize in track and field, awarded to the most outstanding male and female athletes each season. Ulrich was the first Cardinal to ever be named to a watchlist earlier this year, and she has held that spot on each subsequent release. 

Ulrich will compete in two events in Jacksonville, which is really no surprise, since she took the gold in both Shot Put and Discus for the ACC. She'll be joined in the Discus event by Jade Whitfield. Two other Cardinals qualified for a pair of events themselves: Kiyah Yeast in the 100m and 200m sprints, and Sophia Day in the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Day will be joined by Synclair Savage and Sharvari Parulekar in those events, respectively. 

Two Cards will also take on the Pole Vault, as Ashley Callahan and Iliana Triantafyllou both qualified. Each other competitor from UofL is a sole entrant in their event as the remainder of the representatives are Olivia Alessandrini (5000m), Layla Roebke (3000m Steeplechase), and Soledad Jean (High Jump). In all, ten Cardinals represent 14 entrants across ten events. Best of luck to all of them as the event gets underway following Memorial Day weekend. 

No CCRHP This Week

Speaking of Memorial Day weekend, we'll take this week off again from the podcast with a return on the schedule for next week. If something changes, we'll let you know. 

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

T&F at Outdoor ACC Championships -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ulrich Among ACC Champs Again

It has been a strong weekend for Louisville at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. So far, the Cards have picked up two gold medals, while also bringing in a heap of other podiums entering the final day of the event. Jayden Ulrich defended her shot put title by winning the event with a throw that bested the remainder of the field by almost a meter. She has a chance to take the double again later today in the women's discus event. Ulrich will have her eyes on the pair of ACC golds as well as strong performances in the national meet in a few weeks. 

The men's team holds the other gold medal so far, with Paul Kallenberg taking the men's decathlon gold and Louisville getting a 1-2 finish with KJ Byrd finishing as the runner up. The men also got podiums in shot put and pole vault to sit in 3rd overall in the competition. 

The women's team is currently first overall. In addition to Ulrich's gold, Louisville has earned silver medals from Ashley Callahan (pole vault), Layla Roebke (3000m steeplechase), and Synclair Savage (long jump). Lucy Fellows finished third in the women's heptathlon, earning a personal best in four of the seven events along the way. Kiyah Yeast will contest two finals today, having earned school records in both the 200m and 100m sprints. She had the second-fastest qualifying time in the 200 and the third-fastest in the 100 in the prelim races.

Louisville will look to hold their lead with discus, high jump, and Yeast's sprints among their top point-scoring opportunities. Events begin at 2PM eastern and can be streamed on ACCNX. 

No Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

The CCRHP will take a brief hiatus over the next two weeks. Hosts are scattered to the wind this week and next week is Memorial Day Weekend. We're looking to return to action on May 31st, but we'll be sure to let you know if things change. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Transfer News; Saturday Schedule -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WBB Adds Skylar Jones

In today's college basketball landscape, the transfer portal gives and it takes away. Earlier this week, we learned that Nyla Harris chose to depart Louisville for UNC. That one stings a bit, and it will be hard to replace her veteran leadership and heart on the team. That said, the Cards announced an incoming transfer to help bolster the scoring and experience, although not from the post. 

Louisville is bringing in Skylar Jones from the University of Arizona. Jones is a 6'-0" guard from Chicago who will be a junior in the 2025-26 season. In her freshman season for the Wildcats, she was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team as an honorable mention. As a sophomore, she started 25 games and appeared in 32, averaging 10.7 points, 3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 steals. Her career night came against TCU, when she dropped 30 points on Van Lith and Co. That may have been part of what caught Jeff Walz's eye, since no one other than Jayda Curry could score against the Horned Frogs for Louisville. 

Jones is the first of likely multiple players that will be called on to bolster a depleted guard rotation. Louisville loses Jayda Curry, Ja'Leah Williams, and Merissah Russell to graduation and rising sophomore Izela Arenas has announced her intent to transfer. Jones joins Imari Berry and Taj Roberts as the only returning guards to see significant minutes last season, with Reagan Bender and Rebekah Graves also listed as guards on the roster. 

April Showers in Louisville 

If the Cards aren't on the road, I struggle to see how they'll play in any outdoor events today. As Daryl mentioned yesterday, Louisville softball announced their cancellation of today's double-header as far back as Thursday. The rain isn't set to let up here or anywhere nearby, as Louisville Metro crews were already setting flood gates yesterday afternoon and Louisville MSD announced that the city's combined sanitary/storm system was nearing capacity. 

Plenty of rain, but no rainbows likely today

All that is to say that Louisville Field Hockey is still acting like they will host their spring tournament at Trager Stadium today and tomorrow. It's an astroturf field with good drainage, but this weather seems absolutely abysmal to participate in any outdoor activity in. I'm already dreading walking from my car to the indoor golf facility tomorrow. There is also lightning in the area, threatening any sports with delays. Louisville is scheduled to kick off the event at 10 AM today, so we'll see. 

Lacrosse is on the road this weekend, but they're at Virginia, and I'm pretty sure Charlottesville is on this same path of weather. Their game against the top-ten Cavaliers is set for noon. The Cards are coming off of an exciting win over Liberty and would desperately like to get back into the win column in the ACC. That game will be available on ACC Network Extra. 

Track and field are taking part in split events, but both are west of the Rockies, so hopefully they are spared of the sogginess. The teams are at the Jim Vargo Invitational (Stanford) and the Jim Click Shootout & Multis (Arizona). Yesterday, the Cards picked up three wins, with Ashley Callahan (pole vault) and Jayden Ulrich (discus) taking the top spot in Arizona and Lauren Bettencourt (1500m) taking gold in Stanford. Both events continue today. 

Cardinal Couple NCAA Pick 'Em

Although Karen J has locked up first place, second will come down to the championship game as Thomas and Tim F are both locked at 52 points. There will be no need for a tiebreaker in this one; the two picked opposing champions. Thanks again to everyone for playing! 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We're finally back this week after getting everyone through various obstacles. We'll watch the rain fall out the window as Paulie, Daryl, and I record this week's show, with a potential appearance from Jared dependent on his puppy duties. Check out the show after it posts around 1PM, and be sure to subscribe so that it comes to your feed automatically. 

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Track and Field Strong Again; McDonald's All-American Nominees -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Have Big Day at Bellarmine Invitational

While it is easy to think that the schools that aren't traditional powers in major team sports must not have top athletes in individual Olympic sports, that's often not the case. A great runner or thrower could come from anywhere. Louisville participated in the Bellarmine Invitational yesterday against athletes from EKU, WKU, NKU, Bellarmine, Midway, Spalding, and other small schools. The beauty of the Olympic events is that the mixed divisions don't matter. If you have a great throw, that will reflect whether you're in D1, D3, or NAIA. 

Louisville didn't have some of their biggest names participating this week, but they still had another good showing. The Cards picked up four wins, all on the women's side, and had a total of 10 podiums, with eight of those coming from the women's team. The big event of the day for Louisville was the triple jump. Anna Panenko and Sophia Day took first and second with a tied jump of 12.31m. That mark also put them in a tie for ninth in program history. Autumn Bell made it a podium sweep with a personal best 12.16m. 

Louisville had first and second in the women's weight throw as well, with Demaria King putting up a personal best in back-to-back meets. Carys Gossett took second. Maya Follmer had two wins for Louisville, setting a personal best in the 60m hurdles and tying a personal best in the high jump. Louisville's last women's podium was a second place for Lydia Stuart in the pole vault with, you guessed it, a personal best. Iliana Triantafyllou finished in fourth. 

Louisville will leave the friendly confines of the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center next week when they head to the Crossroads of America Invitational in Indianapolis. 

Mbugua Nominated as McD All-American

Louisville's incoming 2025 power forward, Grace Mbugua, was among the 805 boys and girls nominated for the McDonald's High School All-American Games. Mbugua, a 6'-5" senior from Danville Christian, is one of four girls from the state of Kentucky to be nominated. She is joined by Ciara Byars (George Rogers Clark), ZaKiya Johnson (Sacred Heart), and Leah Macy (Bethlehem). The official rosters of 24 will be announced at the end of the month. 

Mbugua climbed the ladder in the recruiting rankings last season as she posted the fifth best average scoring performance (26 ppg) in the state and led the state in rebounding (15.4). Officially, Mbugua finished second in the category, but the only player ahead of her (Abigail Brothers - 17.4) played only five games. Mbugua would have been chasing the state record for career rebounds (1,978) this season, as she entered with 1,527. However, she only returned from a knee repair surgery last week. In two games so far this season, she has 53 points and 28 rebounds. 

It would be great to see another future Cardinal in the game that has been a coming out party for so many in the past. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have four on board today as we trade Jared for Daryl. Our resident photographer will be out snapping pics of Louisville's fantastic Dirt Bowl-inspired uniforms at the men's game that starts at noon. We'll continue to sing the praises of Louisville's current win streak and look at some of the other news and notes of the week. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Yeast Runs Into Record Books -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Indoor Track and Field Seeing Success

The Cards are once again in the midst of competing in the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center for three straight events hosted by three different schools. This weekend, they're participating in UK's Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational. The event began in the snow yesterday and will wrap up starting today at 11am. 

Yesterday saw Louisville pick up eight individual top-five finishes, with two event wins. Surprisingly, Kiyah Yeast didn't pick up one of those top-five finishes, despite a 38.19 in the 300m that took almost two seconds off her personal best and beat the previous school record of 39.10 (Je'Nyia Burton; 2022) by almost a second. Yeast finished just 0.15s behind UCF's Twaniese Johnson in 5th and just 0.71s behind the winner, UK's Oneika McAnnuff.

The Cards' victories came from familiar names in Soledad Jean and Synclair Savage. Both won in the events you may expect, with Savage taking the win in the long jump with a 6.24m leap which would be top 5 in the country and best in the ACC before the meet. Jean, meanwhile, made her season debut in the high jump and cleared 1.75m in her victory. 

Other jumps saw Natalie Lark finish second in the pole vault with Paris Bond (pb for PB) coming home in fourth. On the track, McKenzie Bell ran a 1:33.24 in the 600m to place third and take the second fastest time in program history. Jalasia Lewis took fourth in the event with a 1:37.80. The last top five finisher in a final was Jade Whitfield, with a fifth place finish in the women's weight throw. Olivia Jenkins won her heat in the women's 60m sprint to advance to today's semifinals. 

Pro VolleyCards

As Jeff mentioned yesterday, a number of Cardinals were making their season or career debuts in professional volleyball last night. It went better for some than it did for others. 

In LOVB, Anna Hall and Claire Chaussee's Madison squad was swept by Austin. Hall had two kills on 11 attempts but led the team with three blocks. Chaussee had a bit more success offensively, though not a ton. She was 8/25 with three errors (two blocked). Austin outhit Madison .247 to .093. 

On the PVF side, Aiko Jones and the Atlanta Vibe fell in five sets to the Omaha Supernovas. Jones was hitting into a brick wall, unfortunately, with three blocked hits on four attack attempts. I promised it went well for someone, though, and that was Charitie Luper in the Vegas Thrill vs Grand Rapids Rise match. The Thrill won in reverse sweep fashion, and it was Luper leading the way. In a manner not unfamiliar to her, Luper led all hitters with 18 kills on 50 attempts. She had just three errors and two were blocked. She also added a block of her own, had 15 digs, and dropped in an ace. If you were curious whether Luper's dominance was limited to a Cardinal uniform... it isn't. 

As Jeff mentioned, the remainder of the pro cards will be in action tonight, with Elena Scott and Anna DeBeer playing for Indy and Tori Stringer and Wilma Rivera playing for Columbus. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

I'm back after a couple of weeks off, and we'll have four on the call today for the first time in a bit. We'll talk basketball, volleyball, and some odds and ends. Spring sports are just around the corner, and schedules are being released. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

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Overcast (free account required): Link

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Ulrich Comes Up Just Short -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jayden Ulrich Finishes 18th in Discus Qualifying

Make no mistake: getting into the Olympics is quite an achievement all on its own. After finishing second at the USATF Trials and advancing to Paris, Jayden Ulrich can add the Rings to her collection of tattoos. Unfortunately, her dream of a medal in 2024 ended yesterday when her throw didn't qualify for the discus final. Ulrich finished 12th in her group, but was 18th of 32 qualifiers overall. Only the top 12 throwers advance. Six of the finalists met the AQ mark of 64 meters, with American Valerie Allman classing the field with a throw of 69.59. The second highest qualifier was a 65.63. 

Ulrich threw a 61.08, and the lowest qualifying throw was a 62.63. The third American in the mix, Veronica Fraley, missed the final by 0.1m, throwing a 62.54. Congratulations again to Jayden and we wish her the best in the coming season!

Another Louisville connection did advance in track and field action, yesterday. DuPont Manual alum Yared Nuguse, who went to Notre Dame, advanced to the semifinal in the Men's 1500m run. In the same conversation as the top rivals for the gold medal, Nuguse had a bit of a scrappy opening heat, having to lean across the line to advance. Good luck to another Kentuckian trying to earn a medal in these Games!

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have four (probably) in action today. We're without Jared, but we await final word from Daryl as to whether a tree will allow her to participate. We'll discuss the week that has been for UofL, with Olympics, interviews, and more news and notes. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

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Overcast (free account required): Link

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Ulrich Still Seeking Championship -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ulrich Places 4th in Shot Put

Jayden Ulrich won't be Louisville's first double national champion, but she'll still have a chance to be the first female Cardinal to place in the top-five in two separate events at the same national championship meet. Ulrich placed fourth in the shot put on Thursday evening with a throw of 17.89m (58'-8 1/2"). Her throw was not a personal best, but even her PB couldn't have touched Jaida Ross from Oregon, who threw 19.57m (64'-2 1/2"). Ross also holds the collegiate record, which she set last month, of 20.01m (65'-7 3/4"). That's a long way to throw a heavy ball. While it wasn't the goal, fourth is still a very impressive finish and earns First-Team All-American honors.

Ulrich will look to defend her spot atop the leaderboard in discus later this evening. That event is scheduled to begin at 5:05pm ET today. 

Natalie Lark also competed Thursday evening, but unfortunately failed to set a height in the women's pole vault. By qualifying for the national meet for the first time in her career, Lark earned an Honorable Mention All-American spot. The junior will look to get back to the event next season. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

It'll be an old school show for you today, as Paulie and Jeff take the (digital) airwaves. With the other three of us out for various reasons (I'd like to be able to talk without pain sometime soon), it will be a return to the basement on the hill and the origins of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. Paulie and Jeff will bring you all the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics that they can find now that we're in the full midst of the summer slump.  You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Ulrich Looking for Double (Again) -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jayden Ulrich Trying to Qualify for Two Championship Events

After winning gold in the ACC Championships in both Shot Put and Discus, Jayden Ulrich is looking to sweep both events in the regional qualifiers to try to win two golds at the NCAA Championships. Ulrich got off to a good start with that effort Thursday afternoon, crushing her own personal record and the facility record in the shot put. Her throw of 18.66m (61'-2 3/4") was the fourth-best in the NCAA this season and is the 15th-best in the world (sixth among Americans). Her previous record of 18.27m and the facility record of 18.04m seem small in comparison. That top mark in the East region qualifies her for the nationals in Oregon. 

Image via GoCards

Ulrich's second event, as mentioned, is the discus. That event will go off this afternoon. Ulrich currently holds the top throw in the country. She'll look for a solid throw to solidify her place in the NCAAs, which would make her Louisville's first double-qualifier since 2019. 

Ulrich isn't the only Cardinal advancing on the women's side. After a rain delay pushed pole vault to yesterday morning, Natalie Lark made it six straight years for Louisville having a representative at the NCAAs in women's pole vault. Lark cleared 4.20m (13'-9 1/4") to finish in a tie for ninth. The Cards have five qualifiers across the men's and women's teams so far. Ulrich, Soledad Jean (women's high jump), and Alba Cuns Iglesias (women's triple jump) will look to expand that list today, starting at 1PM.

No Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

With everyone headed their separate ways for the holiday weekend, we'll take this week off from the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast. I'm also out next week, but I believe Jeff will be back, so we'll keep you up to date on the plans as the week comes closer. Read The Cardinal Couple website, though, daily, to keep yourself up on the best in women's sports at UofL coverage. 

Have a great (and safe) Memorial Day Weekend!

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Ulrich Wins Again - Sunday Cardinal Couple

ACC Championship Number 2

As Case mentioned in yesterday's Cardinal Couple article, Jayden Ulrich would be vying for her 2nd ACC Championship of the weekend yesterday in the discus throw, and sure enough, she prevailed and will return to Louisville one of only two UofL athletes to accomplish the double-thowing victories.  Her throw reached a distance of 61.31 meters, or 201 feet and an inch or so.  The previous meet record for the ACC Championships was 60.80 meters, or 199 feet 6 inches making her the first to break the 200 foot distance in the ACC Championship event.

The previous double ACC Champion was Emmonnie Henderson in 2015.  2015 was Henderson's freshman year, which was the year she played basketball, and was an Engineering student at Speed School, and after losing in the Sweet 16 to Dayton, decided to switch sports and take up throwing in track & field.  Not a bad decision, all things considered.

Next up for Ulrich and other track and field athletes, will be the NCAA East Regional event, taking play May 22-25 in Lexington.  Ulrich will qualify along with a few other UofL athletes.  The criteria for inclusion in the regional is to have a Top 48 finish in their event throughout the season.

If I'm reading the data I've found correctly, Louisville athletes will include Rylee Penn in the 1500, Soledad Jean in the High Jump, Natalie Lark, IlianaTriantafyllou, and Paris Bond in the Pole Vault, Ariel Lawrence in the Long Jump, Alba Cuns Iglesias in the Triple Jump, and Lucy Fellows in the Heptathalon.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

A fearsome foursome for the CCRHP yesterday.  We talk a bit of weather, both in atmosphere and space weather, before turning our attention to the rapidly thinning Cardinal sports calendar.  We took some time to honor some award winners around campus, and picked up a few other bits and bobs of news.  Of course we gave the newest ACC Champion, Jayden Ulrich a bit of coverage, and this was recorded before she won her second event yesterday.

Join us as we continue to bring you all things UofL women's sports, even as we start into the summer slump.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/Another-ACC-Champion-for-TF-e2jhk0p

-- JMcA

Cards Continue ACC T&F Championships -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ulrich Earns Shotput Sweep

Jayden Ulrich's list of accomplishments at UofL continues to grow. After taking gold at the ACC Indoor Championships in shot put earlier this year, Ulrich defended her crown by winning the event in the Outdoor Championships yesterday. Her throw (17.95m; 58'-10 3/4") was half an inch shy of being three feet longer than second place. There is some distance to find to break the ACC record, though, as Laura Gerraughty from UNC holds the overall conference record (18.82m in 2003) and the ACC Outdoor Championships record (18.59 in 2006). Only a junior, Ulrich will be looking to chase those numbers down in her senior season next year. 

Photo per UofL Athletics

For now, though, Ulrich has her eyes set on a Louisville first: winning two events at the same ACC Outdoor Championships. Ulrich will compete in the discus throw, which is set for 2pm. Ulrich currently holds the best throw in the country, a scorching 64.29m (210'-11") set on April 11th. That throw is five-and-a-half feet longer than second place. It is almost six meters longer than the next best ACC competitor, Marie Forbes from Clemson. Forbes' best throw of a 58.31m (191'-4") came on April 12th, and it is the 15th best mark in the country. 

Louisville is sitting at 4th in the overall conference standings. They also got good points from Natalie Lark, Lucy Fellows, and Iliana Triantafyllou. Fellows, fourth in heptathlon, and Triantafyllou, fifth in pole vault, both earned Second Team All-ACC marks as freshmen. Lark set a personal best clear on the pole vault, taking second. Her podium gives Louisville five straight years of a Cardinal medaling in pole vault at the outdoor conference championships. 

Not scoring points, but turning in an impressive performance, was Rylee Penn. Penn ran the women's 800m for the first time this season and set the second-fastest time in school history. Somehow, that time wasn't fast enough to advance to the finals. 

Ulrich will be first up for the Cards, as the discus throw kicks off the events of the last day of competition. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We ought to have four on the floor today as we return from our Derby break. Results may be harder to come by as the calendar isn't quite so packed with events, but we'll still bring you all the news and notes surrounding the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

News on Just About Everyone - Sunday Cardinal Couple

WBB Gameday

Women's Basketball has a noon start today vs Virginia.  An early start with unusual video coverage as The CW has the video for this one.  That's WBKI channel 58 on broadcast here in Louisville.

But of course, we'll all be making the early trek to watch this one in person at the KFC Yum! Center right?  I have to admit that the early start time has put me in a bit of time crunch this morning.  With the huge amount of activity going on this weekend...well, it makes for an interesting morning.

The game against Virginia should give the Cards an opportunity to get a small win streak going, after the win over Georgia Tech on Thursday in Atlanta.  The Cavaliers sport a 13-13 record overall and are 5-10 in conference.  In the non-conference, nothing too remarkable in their record with wins over mid-majors and lower, and losses to teams you would expect.  The only real exception was a loss to Wofford, though it was by only a single point.

In conference things get a bit more chaotic, because, well, ACC.  A pair of losses to NC State, sure, makes sense.  Losses to Georgia Tech, Duke, and North Carolina, and Notre Dame, yeah, sounds like a team that's going to struggle in conference overall.  Then they go and beat Florida State, lose to Pitt, and then beat North Carolina.  They lost to Virginia Tech, which is no shame, then lose to Clemson.  Wins over Boston College and Wake Forest make sense as does a loss to Syracuse.  Finally, they come into the KFC Yum! Center today with a win over Miami in their rear view.

Overall a team that's, not great, but not bottom of the barrel either, but you have to admit there are some surprises in their in conference play.

Kymora Johnson is the scoring threat for UVA, shooting 42% overall, and 30% from beyond the arc.  Camryn Taylor is next, with higher efficiency, but less frequency.  46% shooting overall for her, but a whooping 55+% from beyond the arc.

Let's get to the KFC Yum! Center early and get this one in the books.  We need all the wins we can get in these last few games, and it definitely doesn't get any easier.

Off Court News

I don't tend to follow recruiting news closely, but a big verbal came in last night as Mackenly Randolph, daughter of Zach Mckenley Randolph who had a significant career playing for five different NBA teams.  Definitely a good pickup for coach Walz and the team.

Another piece of big news came in one of the most anti-climactic ways.  In a Facebook comment, Olivia Cochran responded to a WBB fan stating that she wasn't participating in Senior night festivities this year as she will be returning to use her Covid year of eligibility to play next year.  Another year of "Welcome to the Show" sits just fine with me.

Lacrosse Wilts Under the Lights

Lacrosse moved over to the L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium last night, hosting Virginia Tech for their conference opener.

Nicole Perroni continues to consecutive game
scoring streak

Louisville started out well, or well Nicole Perroni did, at least.  Notching her 41st straight game with at least one score, she did so with a hat trick in the first quarter of play leading the Cards out to a 4-2 advantage.

The lead wouldn't last, though, as The Hokies got the next three goals starting out the second quarter before Perroni would again come in with a goal to stop the slide and bring the score to an even 5-5 at halftime.

A bit of a scorefest in the 3rd quarter, but alas, mostly for VT, as they reeled off five straight over the course of the 15 minutes.  Kokoro Nakazawa would stop the run, but would be answered by V Tech.  Rian Adkins put a literal last second shot into the net in the 3rd quarter to claw one back, ending the quarter at 7-11 with the Hokies in the lead.

Sara Addeche guarding the goal well

The 4th quarter ended up being a wash, with each team netting three shots.  UofL scores were a pair by Kokoro Nakazawa, as well as one by Kylea Dobson.  The final score was 10-14 with the victory going to Virginia Tech.

Sara Addeche performed well in goal with eight saves, though credit to VT's goalkeeper for her nine.  VT did take more shots on goal than UofL, but not by a significant margin, 22-19.

UofL will look for their first conference win on Saturday with a trip up to Pittsburgh.

Jared was out there snapping pics and got to talk to coach following the match 

Listen:   Head Coach Scott Teeter post-game vs VA Tech

Softball

Furman

Softball, despite several delays due to weather, did get both of their planned games in yesterday.  The schedule was altered and things got started early.

Furman was the first foe, and it didn't go particularly well for the Cards.  The offense performed up to par, but Furman was just able to outscore the Cards putting up 13 to UofL's 8.

Runs scored for the Cards started in the 3rd inning, where Vanessa Miller singled to right field, scoring Kiley Goff, and Bailee Richardson who were on base thanks to a hit-by-pitch, and a walk.

In the 4th, Gabby Holloway singled, Ally Alexander walked but then was out on Chelsea Mack's fielder's choice, but Goff's walk filled the bases.  Holloway would score on a wild pitch with other runners advancing.  Richardson then grounded out, but Mack would make it home on the play.  Louisville had four runs at this point, but alas, Furman had nine.

Louisville would score a trio in the 6th.  Chelsea Mack reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to 2nd on a Goff groundout.  She promptly stole third...it's not just Daisy Hess out here stealing bases for the Cards.  Richardson doubled, and scored Mack.  Riley Frizell singled, moving Richardson to 3rd.  Both then advanced, with Richardson scoring, on a wild pitch,  Frizell then scored on a Vanessa Miller double.  A nice tally of seven by the Cards, but Furman had made it to 13 by this point.

Finally, the last try, would see Paige Geraghty single, then advance to 3rd on a Holloway single.  Geraghty would then score on an Ally Alexander fielder's choice.  Final score, 13-8.

The Cards would throw half their bullpen into the circle at various times trying to stop Furman, with Holloway, Izzy Harrison, Sam Booe, and Lindsey Mullen all taking their turns.  Only Mullen was able to keep Furman off the scoreboard, but they then the damage had been done.

Coastal Carolina

The second game for the Cards was against Coastal Carolina, after getting the afternoon to recover a bit, this one started at 4:37pm.  Maybe UofL just isn't a morning team as they took the win in this one 6-2.

Freshman Katie Thatcher got on the scoreboard first.  Starting off the 3rd inning with a single up the middle, she decided to make her mark in the steals column as well, taking 2nd.  She advanced to 3rd on Ally Alexander's groundout and scored on Paige Geraghty's single.  Mack sacrificed to move Geraghty to 2nd, and then Geraghty scored on a Frizell single.  Score after three, 2-0.

Nothing else happened until the 7th inning and with two outs already up on the board.  Frizell singled, and scored on a Vanessa Miller "Grass, Track, Fence".  The Cards kept going, however.  Richardson singled, Goff got hit by a pitch, and Holloway, pinch hitting for Madi Grant, filled the bases with a single.  Grant returned for the running.  Another freshman stepped up as Ava Venturelli pinch hit for Thatcher and got a single, scoring Richardson and Goff.  That would get the Cards to their final score of six, though Coastal Carolina, scoreless through this point in the game, would get a pair across in the bottom of the 7th, it wouldn't be enough.

At the time of this writing, the Cards are just underway with their next game, against Bowling Green at the Battle of the Beach.

Swim and Dive

The Cardinal women came in 2nd overall in the ACC Swimming and Diving Championship.  The Cards appeared to accomplish this through mostly scoring well in nearly all events, with the only podium finish for the team being a silver in the final event of the day, the 400 freestyle relay.   Lucy Mehraban, Gabi Albiero, Christiana Regenauer, and Julia Dennis turned in the 3rd fastest time in school history in the event.

Track and Field

The Indoor Track and Field teams were also competing in the ACC Championships.  Overall team finishes were nothing spectacular, but we did want to highlight a couple of competitors.

Following in a long history of good Cardinal throwers, Jayden Ulrich won the shot put event.  Natalie Lark placed second in the pole vault.  and Alba Cuns Iglesias placed third in the triple jump.

The team now waits to see who will be advancing to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston before they turn their attention to the out of doors.

Technical Difficulties for the CCRHP

Technical Difficulties have thus far prevented yesterday's CCRHP from being posted in podcast form.  I'll be taking another stab at it later this afternoon to try to get it posted.  We had a good discussion with Daryl, Jared, Paulie and myself about basketball, lacrosse, and softball.

-- 

JMcA