April 16, 2010
AUBURN - The Auburn men's and women's track and field teams opened action at the War Eagle Invitational Friday evening with a light night of competition that included just two races and two field events.
The premier events of the night were the two distance races that were contested, and Auburn runners did not disappoint.
In the men's invitational 5,000 meters that included professional runners, sophomore Ben Cheruiyot and senior Elkanah Kibet posted the second- and third-fastest times in the NCAA this year. Cheruiyot was second overall but first among collegiate runners in 13:42.59, while Kibet was fourth overall and second among collegians in 13:44.59. Their times rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in Auburn outdoor history.
In the women's 10,000 meters, junior Holly Knight won the race with a time of 34:56.75, just missing her personal best of 34:42.48 that ranks fourth in school history by 14 seconds. Senior Stephanie Barnes was third in 35:27.34, which puts her seventh in Auburn history. Both times also put them in position to qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
"It was a big night for us," said head coach Ralph Spry. "The weather was perfect, and coach (Mark) Carroll did a great job of getting his distance runners ready. Our goal was to give them a shot at getting to nationals, and they accomplished that. It was an impressive performance. They're right where they need to be in their training and this should be a confidence booster as we head into SECs and NCAAs."
In the field events Friday, senior Luke Gaines won the men's javelin with a throw of 62.78 meters (206-0). Redshirt freshman Tyler Kennedy was fifth (54.98m, 180-4) and sophomore Michael Dekich was sixth (53.33m, 175-0).
Senior Valentina Srsa finished eighth in the women's hammer throw, while sophomore Lakin Spear was 10th in the women's javelin.
Most of the competition will take place on Saturday. Field events begin at 11:30 a.m., with running events slated to start at 1:30 p.m. The meet, which is free and open to the public, will conclude at approximately 8 p.m.