Saturday, February 14, 201
Brown Breaks Two Records
HOUSTON – Senior thrower Darian Brown broke both of his own Texas State school records in the shot put and weight throw with outstanding performances Friday at the Houston Invitational while a number of other Bobcats bettered their own standing as they prepare for the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 23-24.
"We had some good things happen for us in our final meet before conference. It was really nice to see," said Head Coach Dana Boone. "We are super proud of Darian Brown. He had an outstanding meet."
Brown threw for 19.53 meters (64-1) in shot put to vault into the top 10 in the nation. Currently sitting ninth nationally and almost assured a spot in the NCAA Championships, Brown's throw sets a new personal record for him in both outdoor and indoor and is a new Texas State record, beating his previous by 2-feet-6-inches. He also set the meet record.
The senior from Killeen didn't stop with shot put. He broke his own school record and the meet record with a weight throw of 20.85 meters (68-5) to beat his previous best by 5.5 inches. He is now 24th nationally in weight throw.
In women's throws, Julie Lange also had a good day. She set a new personal record in the weight throw with a toss of 17.43 meters (57-2.25) to finish third at the meet and won the shot put with a meet record throw of 14.97 meters (49-1.5).
Elsewhere, the women dominated the 60-meter dash. Marika Brown, Macahla Wesley and Alexus Hebert swept the 60-meter dash finals, all tying their season best times in the event. Also on the track, Sydni Willis took first at the meet with a 56.62 performance in the 400-meter dash. When converted for track size, her 56.62 improves to 55.88 which bumps her atop the SBC standings.
In the 60-meter hurdles, Victoria Johnson set a personal record in her young career with an 8.92, advancing to the finals. Her time moves her into the top 10 in the Sun Belt Conference, but the fastest time in the event by a Bobcat Friday was run by Antonisha Stewart. She ran an 8.87 to break a three-way tie for sixth in the Sun Belt, beating her season best 8.91.
De'Marcus Porter stepped up on the track for the men, advancing to the finals in the 60-meter dash. All three times he ran, he finished faster than the previous race until he set a new personal record with a time of 6.84 to take first at the meet. With the time, he is currently sixth in the Sun Belt Conference.
Also on the track, Joseph Pena set a new personal record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:38.86. That time beats his previous best by six seconds and moves him up six spots in the SBC standings to 12th.
Both Anicka Newell and Danyelle Glass tied their personal records in pole vault at 4.00 meters (13-1.5) and 3.40 meters (11-0.75) respectively. Newell stays atop the SBC with that height.
Texas State's next action will be at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 23-24.
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Davis Claims Long Jump Title As Cajuns Compete At Samford Invitational
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Devin Davis recorded a mark of 24 feet, 4 ½ inches to claim the men’s long jump title and help lead the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns indoor track and field team at the Samford Invitational on Friday at Birmingham Crossplex.
Davis, ranked third overall in the Sun Belt Conference and 15th nationally in the event, recorded the Ragin’ Cajuns lone first-place performance in the meet. Hanoj Carter earned a pair of top-three finishes for the Ragin’ Cajuns after finishing second overall in the 200-meter dash (21.58) and third in the 60-meter dash (6.84) while Matthew Rice posted the third-fastest time by a Sun Belt Conference runner in the 1-mile run (4:10.45).
In field events, William LeBlanc posted the second-best jump in the Sun Belt Conference in the high jump after clearing the bar at 6-10 ¾. Teammate Dionte Heath, ranked third overall among Sun Belt Conference athletes, finished sixth in the event at 6-4 ¾. Kenneth Nassar placed second overall in the shot put (52-6), Nicolas Laurent was fifth in the pole vault (15-5) and Richard Delphin was fifth in the weight throw (54-5 ½).
On the women’s side, Kelci Lyons posted the fastest time by a Sun Belt Conference athlete in the 800-meters (2:12.27) after finishing second overall. Ashley Irwin earned a fifth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run (10:05.45).
In the women’s shot put, Tamela Young (46-10 ¼) and Jana Jones (46-2) posted two of the top-10 marks in the Sun Belt Conference this season with Meredith Driskell finishing fourth overall in the pole vault (11-11 ¾). Madalyn Trisler, Jasmin Fusilier and Lindsey Harmon each finished third overall in the high jump after clearing the bar at 5-3.
Louisiana will return to action on Feb. 23-24 when it competes in the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Birmingham Crossplex.
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UALR Track and Field Gets Four Top-10 Finishes at Samford
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UALR track and field teams got in solid preparation for their conference championship meet next week with four top-10 finishes and three alterations to the school record book at the Samford Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
UALR's distance troops provided the highlights, with Emma Dahl earning the best finish for the Trojans over the two-day meet.
The mile was UALR's best event of the day, as it had three runners in the top six between the men and the women. Dahl was the top individual finisher, placing second in 4:55.35. That time was a new personal best indoors for Dahl, and her time is now the third-best in school history.
For the men, Jack Bruce came in fourth place, finishing in 4:16.71. That time is now the fifth-best all-time at UALR. Just behind him was junior John Vodacek, who finished in 4:16.92 to also move up to sixth all-time at UALR. Shaun Koehn took 21st in the mile as well, coming across the line in 4:25.86.
UALR's other top-10 finish came in the field. Desmond Gulley competed in the long jump, remaining the Trojans' lone competitor in the field events. He finished with a leap of 22' 7 3/4”, good for fifth place. Gulley reached his best distance on his first and third jumps of the day, going for 6.90 meters on both attempts.
The 400-meter dash for UALR was highlighted by Casey Lane's 26th-place effort in 50.49 seconds. Freshman Anthony Louden took 49th place in 52.29. For the women, Jasmine Blunt was the top finisher with a 39th-place effort in 59.15 seconds. Brittany Brasuell was 43rd in 1:00.68 while Shanavia Cole took 53rd in 1:01.74.
Earlier in the day, the UALR sprinters had their go at the 60-meter dash prelims. No Trojans advanced to the finals, but Tre' James came the closest. He took 21st place, crossing the finish line in 7.11 seconds. Cory Martin was close behind him in 27th with a time of 7.16 seconds.
For the women, Rickitha Hicks was the top finisher, making it to the finish line in 7.91 seconds. Natallia Johnson placed 48th in 8.15 seconds, and Tristen Babineaux was 49th in 8.15 seconds.
The Trojans were also active in Friday night's first day of competition, taking part in the 200-meter dash. On the men's side, Tre' James had UALR's top finish with a 17th-place showing in 22.47 seconds. Anthony Louden also competed, taking 26th in 22.71 seconds.
For the women, Rickitha Hicks was the highest-placing Trojan with a 25.85-second race for 27th place. Brittany Pinder-Jones was 46th in 26.71 seconds while Eboni Smith was 62nd in 28.03 seconds.
In the men's 3K race, Joseph Aguilar was the Trojans' lone competitor. He took 25th place, running in 8:51.92.
Kami Codner was UALR's top performer in the 800-meter race, taking 33rd place in 2:23.23. The freshman was followed by classmate Rebeca Solis in 62nd place with a time of 2:34.44. And another freshman, Jasmine Ingram, ran 67th place in 2:38.00.
In the men's 800, Casey lane topped UALR with a 42nd-place finish in 2:03.68. Howard Aldridge O'Neal was just behind him, taking 45th place in 2:05.29.
The Trojans now have a nine-day break before their next meet, the Sun Belt Indoor Championship. That meet will also be held in Birmingham on Feb. 23-24.
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Wells Sets School Record as GSU Dominates Throws
What you need to know:
-LaPorscha Wells rewrote the Panther record for the weight throw for the second straight week, winning the event at the Samford Open.
-GSU had four top-five finishes and eight top-10 marks overall on Saturday.
-Georgia State will have its last competition in two weeks at the Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championship Feb. 23-24.
In a two-day event at the Samford Open in Birmingham, Ala., four Panthers placed in the top five and eight placed in the top 10 on Saturday as the Panthers continued preparations for the Sun Belt Championships later this month.
LaPorscha Wells had Georgia State’s only first-place finish with the top mark in the weight throw, and added a second-place mark in the shot put. Her weight throw of 19.32m (63-4 3/4) broke the school record, which she held at 18.75m. Tracy Dorcemont and Carressa Reeves came in seventh and eighth, respectively, in the weight throw out of 39 competitors.
Behind Wells, who tossed the shot put 49-7 3/4, Alysiah Whittaker placed fifth with a 14.63m (48-0) toss. Sharonda Bryant was also 11th for the Panthers.
Ravin Gilbert placed third in the 60m dash with a 7.62 second time, with Wande Brewer coming in seventh. Stella Christoforou recorded a 2:14.60 800m dash to place sixth overall.
In addition to the competition in Alabama, a pair of Panthers raced in Ohio on Saturday. Hannah Stefanoff led the way for GSU's top distance runners at the SPIRE Indoor Track & Field Invitational in Ohio, as she ran a 9:50.61 to place 22nd out of 54 runners in the 3,000m. The time was the Panthers' fastest this year by nine seconds, but fell 10 seconds short of a school record. It was the second-fastest time Stefanoff has run in the event in college.
Against some of the top competition in the country, Naimh Kearney finished a respectable 29th out of 50 in the mile run in 5:01.31 in Ohio, the second-fastest time by a Panther this year.
The next meet for the Panthers indoor track and field team for will be Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 23-24.
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Records Fall as UTA Track Peak
WICHITA, Kan. – The UT Arlington men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams appeared to be peaking at the right time Saturday, as the Mavericks had a number of performances worthy of inclusion in the school’s record books.
Quentin Butler highlighted the day by winning the 60 meters at Wichita State’s Herm Wilson Invitational with a clocking of 6.64, which ties for the 14th-fastest time in the NCAA this year.
In addition, it is the second-best clocking in school history, behind only a national-best 6.55 by teammate Clayton Vaughn in 2014. Butler won the race by .17 and now has a chance to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships for the first time in his career.
Meanwhile, Emil Blomberg, who was invited to compete individually at the prestigious Iowa State Classic, broke a 29-year-old school record in the mile with a time of 4:05.82. Joel Chemwetich, a college teammate of UTA coach John Sauerhage, had owned the record (4:07.02) since 1986.
For the women, Noemie Forget cleared 12' 11 3/4" in the pole vault, trumping the old UTA record by more than two inches. Forget earned a second-place finish by bettering her personal best by half a foot.
In addition, Ambria Tisdell topped her own school record in the weight throw with a mark of 56 feet. Tisdell, in her first season at UTA, placed second in the event.
Also in the women’s field events, freshman Chineme Obikudu was victorious in the triple jump with a mark of 39' 9 1/2", the fifth-longest jump in school history. Meanwhile, Tricia Williams finished second in the shot put thanks to the fourth-best mark in school history (45' 9 ¾).
“We looked good today. We showed a lot of improvement in all areas on both teams,” Sauerhage said. “Obviously, the conference meet is what we prepare all year for, and we hope to be peaking at the right time. We know we will have our hands full, and we are looking forward to a highly competitive meet coming up.”
In addition to the record-setting performances, four other Mavericks won their respective events on Saturday. For the men, Craig Lautenslager won the mile (4:19.96), Omar Barnes claimed the triple jump (43’ 7”) and Heath Skelton was the top collegian in the shot put (54' 1/2"). On the women’s side, Tamerah Gorham won the women’s 800 meters with a clocking of 2:13.43.
The Mavs also posted several other top-3 finishes. On the track, Cameron Newson (21.91) and Tarik Crear (22.07) finished second and third, respectively, in the 200m, while Michael Guerrero was the runner up in the 3000m (8:37.39). In the field, Roland Sales cleared 6’ 10 ¾” in the high jump to finish second among college participants.
For the women’s team, Victoria Rimpsey was second in the 60 meters (7.69), while Taylor Davis was the runner up in the 400m (57.50).
Both teams placed second at the meet behind host school Wichita State. The Mavericks will next compete in the Sun Belt Conference Championships Feb. 23-24 in Birmingham, Ala.
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Huge Showing Rounds Out ULM’s Indoor Regular Season
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In its final meet before the Sun Belt Conference Championships, 19 different ULM student-athletes set either a personal-record or season-best on Saturday to end the regular season on a high-note at the Samford Invitational at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
It was business as-usual for sophomore Jamel Parharm Jr. and junior Corey Wesley in the long jump as the duo tied for third with a mark of 7.17m. Parharm Jr. also posted a top-10 finish in the triple jump with a score of 14.30m while Wesley was top-15 at 13.78m.
ULM saw three sprinters finish top-10 and two top-5 in the men’s 400m. Junior Andrew Tate crossed the line at 48.62 to finish third as he edged junior Mark Demus at 48.71 who took fourth. Senior Jamel Sams placed ninth at 49.48. All three times were season-bests.
Women’s jumpers also had a big day as personal-records and season-bests were set. Sophomore Adriunna Brown took third in the triple jump with a personal-record of 11.16m. She also placed top-10 with a season-best of 5.61m in the long jump.
Junior Asantra Green set two season-bests. She grabbed sixth-place in the triple jump, landing at 10.28m, and also registered a 5.31m leap in the long jump. Sophomore Kristin Baudoin tallied another season-best for ULM in the pole vault after she cleared the bar at 3.05m.
Sophomore thrower Alexis Gordon shattered her personal-best in the women’s weight throw. Her sixth-place toss of 17.27m crushed her previous best of 16.11m. Gordon also tossed a season-best of 12.66m in the women’s shot put to take 12th.
In the men’s weight throw, sophomore Alton Clay Jr. reached the finals and finished sixth after a toss of 16.10m. In the shot put, freshman Kyle Weiss hurled a personal-record 14.93m to place top-10.
In men’s distance running, senior Hillary Kirwa took third in the mile with a season-best time of 4:16.55. Sophomore Vinnie Van Puyvelde also came through with a season-best and finished seventh at 4:17.70. Kirwa also turned in a seventh-place time of 8:35.20 in the 3000m, a season-best.
ULM garnered a pair of season-bests in the women’s 200m. Junior Ke’Andrea Wilson stopped the clock at 25.11 to finish 12th overall, while freshman Devyn Hosby followed it up with a 25.61 to take second in her heat.
The women capped it off strong as the 4x400m relay team posted a season-best time of 4:00.47 to win its heat. It was ran by junior Brittany Miller, junior Brianna Reid, Hosby and sophomore Alexis Hewitt.
The Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships are slated for Feb. 23-24 in Birmingham, Ala., at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
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Arkansas State Track Wraps Up Pre-Championship Competition
JONESBORO, Ark. (2/14/15) – The Arkansas State University track and field programs wrapped up the pre-Sun Belt Conference Championship indoor schedule with competition at the Don Kirby Elite, Samford Invitational and Husky Invitational.
“Most of our team was off this weekend, but for those that competed we had a lot of positives,” A-State head coach Jim Patchell said. “Now we have to rest and get mentally prepared for the championship meet. We have a good group and I feel good about where we are at right now as a team.”
A day after Roelf Pienaar tied his long jump record at the Don Kirby Elite, Richard Chavez took first place in the men’s shot put competition. Chavez posted a mark of 19.43m to take first place honors.
At the Samford Invitational, the Red Wolves had 20 student-athletes compete bringing home seven top-10 finishes and four new personal-bests. William Oliver had the top finish, finishing fourth in the pole vault as he cleared 4.55m (14-11.00). Thomas Walton was eighth in the pole vault with a personal-best mark of 4.40m (14-05.25).
The Red Wolves had success in the women’s distance events with two top-10 performances all-time. Bailey Eller finished ninth in the 3000-meter run, finishing sixth with a time of 10:16.80. Tilde Helgesson crossed the finish line in 5:05.95 to finish 10th in the mile run, a time that ranks fourth all-time at A-State. Arnica Ziting just missed out on a top-10 finish in the 3000-meter run, but she set a personal-best by clocking a 10:23.54 11th place finish.
Jay-be van Royen posted the Red Wolves top time, 1:55.00, in the 800-meter run, good enough for a sixth place finish. Drew Mueller finished ninth in the mile run (4:19.20) and Alexandra Pevtsova rounds out the top-10 performances with a fifth-place pole vault of 3.65m (11-11.75).
Two student-athletes competed at the Husky Invitational at the University of Washington. After posting the program record in the mile run last week, Rexi Parcells clocked the second-best 5000-meter run time in A-State history, crossing the finish line in 17:09.69 to finish 51st. Abbey Dixon improved upon her personal-best and fifth all-time record with a time of 17:55.23 in the same event.
A-State returns to the Birmingham CrossPlex for the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships that begins Monday, Feb. 23.
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App State Men's Track and Field Finishes Samford Invite
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Appalachian State University men's track and field concluded the Samford Invitational on Saturday.
The Mountaineers had many standout performances over the weekend – highlighted by Patrick Quinn finishing in second place in the pole vault. Quinn cleared 15-5.00 feet.
In the throwing events, Nathan Milch took third in the shot put with a throw of 52-10.75 feet, while John Leonard claimed ninth in the weight throw with a throw of 51-5.50 feet.
Henry Bustle took eighth in the long jump with a jump of 22-3.75 feet. Ryan Hastings finished in fifth in the 800 meter run with a personal-best time of 1:54.19 and Raphael Rojas took seventh in the 400 meter dash with a time of 49.24.
In the 3,000 meter run, Kyle McFoy finished in sixth with a season-best time of 8:29.64, while Evan Laratta ran a time of 4:21.30 in the mile and took 14th. William Buckley finished in 14th in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.41.
In his first performance during the indoor track and field season, Michael Ellis finished in 13th in the 3,000 meter run with a time of 8:37.59. Ellis had a standout season on the Mountaineer cross country team and was an all-conference performer.
The 4x400 meter relay team of Joshua Hanna, Kimani Hoffman, Hastings and Rojas bettered their time from earlier this season at the Penn State Invitational. They ran it nearly three seconds faster this weekend with a time of 3:19.94 and took fourth.
The Mountaineers will return to action next weekend when they host the App State Open.
Women's Track and Field Completes Samford Invite
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Appalachian State University women's track and field finished up the Samford Invitational on Saturday.
The Mountaineers were led over the weeked by Brianna Tate. The senior thrower took fourth in the shot put with a throw of 48-4.75, while placing ninth in the weight throw with a distance of 54-8.25 feet.
In the high jump, Hunter Welborn and Janet Watson both cleared 5-3.00 feet and took eighth and ninth place, respectively. In the pole vault, Debra Dombermuth placed ninth and cleared 11-5.75 feet.
Hana Ratcliffe ran a personal-best time in the mile, crossing the finish line in a time of 5:02.87. For her efforts, Ratcliffe placed seventh.
In the 4x400 meter relay, the team of Taryn Stern, Catherine Crawford, Brooke Brekke and Marie Atwater finished in seventh with a time of 3:56.03. Of the three formed teams to run the 4x400 this season, the time this weekend was the fastest.
The Mountaineers will return to action next weekend when they host the App State Open.
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Troy Track and Field Wraps Up Indoor Season at Samford Invitational
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Saturday may have been the end of the regular indoor season for Troy track and field, but the team is anything but slowing down. With the outdoor season swiftly approaching and the Sun Belt Indoor Championship around the corner the Trojans set out to get final preparations in at the Samford Invitational this weekend.
The Trojans started the day on a hot streak, with Ben Martin qualifying for the men's 60-meter dash finals with a time of 6.88 seconds. He would later place third lowering his time to 6.85 seconds, a new personal record.
Sydney Wright competed in the 60-meter dash for the Trojan women along with Paige McMillian and Aubrey West. Wright finished just one place shy of the finals in ninth place with a time of 7.78 seconds. Wright also placed 9th in the women's 200-meter dash on Friday night. McMillian and West both set new personal records, finishing with times of 7.79 seconds and 7.99 seconds, respectively.
In the women's 400-meter dash freshman Niata Alexander set a new personal record of 55.94 seconds, coming in 4th place. Alexander is currently second in the Sun Belt standings in the event.
The Trojans also saw several standout performances in Saturday's field events.
Myles Charley competed in the men's triple jump for the Trojans, finishing in third place with a 14.80-meter jump. Charley was ranked seventh in the Sun Belt standings prior to today's event.
Thrower Zach Douglas had an outstanding day as well, placing eighth in men's shot put with a 15.39-meter toss. Menawhile, freshman C.J. Phillips placed seventh in men's pole vault at his first collegiate meet.
For the Trojan women, Alexus Cobbs finished tenth in the women's triple jump with an 11.56-meter performance and 14th in the long jump competition.
Troy's men 4x400-meter relay team picked up a third place finish on Saturday. The team of Chaun Lynn, Martin, Tyrell Moore, and Cameron Rice finished in 3:19.56. The women's group of Alexander, McMillian, Wright, and Sierra King placed eighth with a 3:56.16 finish.
The Trojans will spend the next week prepping for the Sun Belt Indoor Championship on February 23rd and 24th at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
In the meantime, fans can keep up with all the action by visiting TroyTrojans.com or by following the Troy track and field/cross country team on Twitter at @TroyTrojanXC_TF.
For more information on all of Troy Athletics, fans can find the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyAthletics, or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.