Feb. 5, 2011
AUBURN - The Auburn men's and women's track and field teams added another automatic qualifier for the NCAA Indoor Championships and broke a 20-year-old school record while winning seven events Saturday at the GaREAT Collegiate Invitational in Geneva, Ohio. The meet included six nationally-ranked women's teams and five ranked men's squads.
The Tigers' women's sprinters accounted for four of Auburn's seven victories, including a pair of 1-2 finishes and nine total top-four finishes in the three individual sprint races, and also won the 4x400-meter relay.
"I'm pleased overall with our performance," said head coach Ralph Spry. "It was a great opportunity to run at a fast facility against good competition. The shot put was a big event for us and our women's sprinters ran very well, as did Holly Knight. Our key people mostly performed at the level we need them to this time of year.
"We're pretty much where we need to be as a team. We've gotten better each weekend."
Auburn continued its impressive 1-2 punch in the men's shot put, with senior Eric Werskey earning a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships by exceeding the automatic qualifying mark while winning the event. Werskey posted a throw of 19.41 meters (63-8.25) on his sixth and final attempt, eclipsing the mark of 19.40 meters that earned redshirt freshman Stephen Saenz an automatic bid last weekend. Saenz nearly matched that mark Saturday, finishing second with a throw of 19.35 meters (63-6). Werskey and Saenz now rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA this year.
Junior Holly Knight wasn't a winner on Saturday, but her runner-up time of 9:20.56 in the women's 3000 meters broke a 20-year-old school record. Knight, who finished a close second to Rachel Cliff of Guelf (9:20.01), broke the old record of 9:27.51 set by Kelly McDonnell in 1991. Knight's time ranks 12th in the NCAA this year.
Senior Sheniqua Ferguson and junior Nivea Smith were both part of 1-2 Auburn finishes in the two shortest women's sprints, with Ferguson winning the 60 meters and Smith the 200 meters. In the 200, Smith's time of 23.30 ranks eighth in the NCAA this year, while Ferguson's runner-up time of 23.40 ranks 11th.
In the 60, Ferguson clocked a time of 7.34 seconds that is 12th-best in the NCAA with Smith finishing in 7.53. The Tigers also had the third- and fourth-place finishers in sophomore Kai Selvon (7.57) and junior Ashley Cruder (7.66), respectively.
Senior Joanna Atkins was victorious in her first 400-meter race of the season, clocking a time of 53.06 seconds that ranks fourth in the country this season. Junior CeCe Williams was third (55.18) and senior Cache Armbrister placed fourth (55.50).
Atkins, Williams, and Armbrister also ran the first three legs for Auburn's winning 4x400-meter relay team, and were joined by senior Latoya Parkinson to finish in 3:38.56.
Sophomore Harry Adams won the 60 meters for Auburn's men with a personal-best time of 6.64 seconds that ranks fourth in school history and tied for seventh in the NCAA this year. Junior Marcus Rowland, in his first race of the year, was fourth in 6.78 seconds after clocking a 6.74 in the prelims. Freshman Keenan Brock was fifth in 6.80 after running a 6.71 in the prelims that moves him up to fifth in Auburn indoor history.
Auburn's other champion on the women's side was sophomore Maya Pressley, who won her second straight high jump title by clearing 1.79 meters (5-10.5).
Senior Stephanie Barnes was fifth in the women's mile, but her personal-best time of 4:50.98 ranks eighth in Auburn indoor history.
Senior Michael DeHaven was second in the men's 200 meters with a time of 21.20 seconds, while freshman DJ Smith placed third in the high jump with a mark of 2.08 meters (6-9.75).
Auburn, ranked 12th in both the men's and women's national rankings, will return to action next Friday and Saturday splitting its squads between the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., and the Iowa State Classic.