April 16, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Auburn men's and women's track and field teams had a successful showing at the Sun Angel Classic Saturday night at Arizona State, posting three first-place performances and meeting or exceeding nine new regional qualifying marks.
Kerron Stewart won the women's 200m, cruising to a time of :23.18, which is a regional qualifying mark and ranks her third in Auburn outdoor history. Stewart, in her first 200m race of the season, became the third Auburn runner to regionally qualify in the 200m, joining Tamara Thomas and Josanne Lucas.
The women's 4x100m relay team of Thomas, Jovanee Jarrett, Markita James and Stewart also finished first with a time of :44.60, although the time did not improve the Tigers' season-best mark of :43.77 due to a shaky first handoff.
Reuben McCoy gave Auburn it's third title, winning the men's 400m hurdles with a time of :50.81, which improved his season best and his regional qualifying mark by three one-hundredths of a second.
"We come out to this meet every year and it's always been a good meet for us," said head coach Ralph Spry. "The competition wasn't as tough as it has been in the past, but for the most part, we had some pretty solid performances. This time of year we're just trying to make sure we have solid regional qualifying marks which we've been able to do. All in all, I'm not disappointed in our performance. We had some things go well and some things go not so well, but we're pretty much right where we should be now."
Markita James was a runner-up but finished first among collegians with a time of 53.27 seconds in the 400m, which ranks No. 2 in Auburn outdoor history. James, in her first 400m run of the season, qualified for the NCAA regionals with her mark, as did Tamara Thomas, who placed sixth with a time of :53.97.
Michelle Williamson placed second in the high jump with a personal-best mark of 1.80m (5-10.75), which improves her regional qualifying mark and moves her up to sixth all-time in Auburn outdoor history. Danielle Threatt was fifth, clearing 1.65m (5-5).
Jovanee Jarrett met the regional qualifying standard for the first time this season in the women's long jump, leaping 6.07m (19-11) to finish third. Michelle Vaughn was third in the triple jump, although her best mark of 12.11m (39-8.75) did not improve her regional qualifying mark.
Ty Akins was third in the 110m hurdles in 14.02 seconds, while Tavaris Washington placed fifth, improving his regional qualifying time by clocking a :14.13.
In the men's mile, Jordan Davis, a specialist in the 5000m, met the NCAA regional qualifying standard by finishing third with a time of 4:05.13.
Josanne Lucas placed fourth in the women's 400m hurdles in 58.42 seconds, marking the third individual event she has regionally qualified for this season. Lucas had already regional qualified in the 100m hurdles and the 200m.
"We had a couple of kids that looked a little flat this weekend," added Spry. "That's why I'm looking forward to having a home meet next Saturday and having a chance to recover and rest."
Auburn will host the Auburn Invitational next Saturday, April 22. In addition to the meet, a dedication ceremony officially naming the new track facility Hutsell-Rosen Track will take place at 2 p.m.