Jan. 29, 2010
AUBURN - Sophomore Marcus Rowland and junior Sheniqua Ferguson posted the fastest times in the nation this year in the men's and women's 60-meter dashes, respectively, to highlight the opening day of competition for the Auburn men's and women's track and field teams Friday at the Clemson Games.
Ferguson automatically qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships by winning the women's race in 7.22 seconds. She shared the nation's best time entering the meet at 7.28 seconds but improved on that Friday while posting the third-best time in school history.
Rowland just missed the NCAA automatic qualifying time in the men's race, but his time of 6.61 seconds easily met the provisional standard and topped the previous nation-leading mark by .01 seconds. It was a personal best for him and moved him into a tie for second in Auburn indoor history in that event.
Ferguson and Rowland were not the only sprinters to excel, as Auburn took three of the top four spots in both sprints. In the men's race, sophomore Harry Adams was second in the final with a time of 6.72 seconds, after clocking a 6.69 in the prelims that provisionally qualified him for the NCAA meet and ranks fourth in school history. Junior Michael DeHaven was fourth in 6.84 seconds.
Junior Joanna Atkins was second in the women's 60 meters with a provisional qualifying time of 7.32 seconds, while sophomore Nivea Smith was fourth in 7.50 seconds.
"I'm really pleased with our effort today," said head coach Ralph Spry. "We won a lot of events, but more importantly, we had a lot of quality times and marks. It's really phenomenal to record the fastest times in the nation in both the men's and women's 60-meter dashes, and it's just the tip of the iceberg for that group. We looked really focused, and for it being just our second meet, I'm really happy with the performance."
Also on Friday in the women's 60-meter hurdles, junior Krystal Bodie took second place with a time of 8.35 seconds that ranks fourth best in school history and improved on her previous provisional qualifying time. Senior Danielle Gilchrist was third in 8.43 seconds, and senior Amelia Anderson was fourth in 8.50.
Auburn also had the top two finishers in both the men's and women's miles. In the men's race, sophomore Jeff Sanders won in 4:17.08, while senior Scott Novack was second in 4:21.90. Junior Amber Riley won the women's race in 5:03.97, just ahead of senior Laurel Pritchard who finished in 5:08.64.
Auburn's victories also came in the field events, as the Tigers won both the men's and women's high jumps. In the men's event, sophomore Ryan Fleck won with a leap of 2.11 meters (6-11), improving on his season best but falling just short of his personal indoor best. In the women's competition, freshman Maya Pressley was the winner with a jump of 1.76 meters (5-9.25) that ties her for seventh in school history, while sophomore Monica Carney tied for third with a mark of 1.70 meters (5-7).
In the women's long jump, Anderson was second with a mark of 5.74 meters (18-10), while junior Erika Akins was fourth with a leap of 5.50 meters (18-0.5). Junior Gerard Brown was fourth in the men's long jump with a mark of 6.85 meters (22-5.75).
Also for Auburn, senior Valentina Srsa was third in the weight throw (14.88 meters, 48-10) and junior Brittany Mattrella was fifth in the pole vault (3.36 meters, 11-0.25).
Friday's competition also included the opening day of the multi-events, and after one day of competition in the heptathlon, senior Jager Livingston is in third place with 2,564 points, while freshman Christian Heiden is fifth with 2,303.
Competition at the Clemson Games will conclude on Saturday.