May 14, 2011
Athens, Ga. - Sophomore Maya Pressley defended her title in the women's high jump which marked a successful day for the Auburn track and field teams at SEC Outdoor Championships at Spec Towns Track in Athens, Ga. The Tigers also added six more qualifiers to the finals on Sunday, including two in the men's 100m, one in the women's 100m, two in the women's 400m and one in the men's 1500m.
"We had a really big day," head coach Ralph Spry said. "We had a couple setbacks yesterday with some injuries, but everyone stepped it up today. I am really, really pleased with how we did. We had some big areas where we scored, but the biggest thing is we have a lot of people coming back in the finals tomorrow. That is going to separate how you do in this meet. Right now we are putting ourselves in a position to be a factor this weekend so we have to come back tomorrow and do like we did today. If you do that, everything will take care of itself."
After the third day of competition, the Auburn men are in fifth place with 27 points after seven of 21 events having been completed, trailing Georgia (68), Florida (51), Arkansas (46) and LSU (31). The men's side advanced three to the finals on Sunday. The Auburn women are in seventh with 22 points after eight of 21 events and advanced three qualifiers into the finals for a total of five from the women's side.
Pressley won the women's high jump title for the second-consecutive time by clearing a career-best 1.85 meters (6-0.75), which ranks third for the women in Auburn outdoor history and is tied for fourth in the NCAA.
"The sun was shining, and I knew inside that this felt good going into it," Pressley said. "I was excited about defending my title. There was a lot of great competition, and I knew I had to have a personal best to win it. I really wanted to defend my title as well so I'm glad I had the chance to do that."
Pressley's victory marked the fourth straight season that an Auburn woman has won the high jump. Raevan Harris won the title in both 2008 and 2009, and Pressley earned the title in 2010.
"Maya won it pretty convincingly and it's no surprise she did," Spry said. "I watch her work every day. What she does during the week is what she does on the weekend. That was a big win there because our women's team is going to be in a battle since we lost Sheniqua Ferguson who is one of our best sprinters. We've just got to keep grinding to really have a chance to be in it."
Junior Monica Carney also competed in the women's high jump and placed fifth with a personal-best jump of 1.75m (5-8.75).
The Tiger women scored points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, as senior Stephanie Barnes finished sixth in 10:41.48, which is the second-best time in school history.
Redshirt freshman Stephen Saenz collected ten points for the Tiger men with a first-place finish in the shot put. Saenz managed a personal-best mark of 19.58 meters (63-3) on his fourth attempt to place first. Freshman Marcus Popenfoose also added five points with a fourth-place finish and a mark of 17.48m (57-4.25).
"Any time you come into a meet like this and set a new personal record, it's always a good thing," Saenz said. "It was just a confidence booster for regionals and kind of prepares me mentally."
Sophomore Tyler Kennedy placed 13th in the men's javelin throw with a mark of 59.38m (194-9).
Other than the steeplechase races, the rest of the running events consisted of preliminary heats, with the Auburn women's sprinters excelling throughout the night.
In the 400 meters, senior Joanna Atkins posted the top time in the field with a season-best time of 51.99 seconds, which ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this year. Junior CeCe Williams will join her in the finals after clocking a time of 53.39 seconds that was sixth best in the prelims. Senior Cache Armbrister missed a spot in the finals placing 15th with a time of 54.72 seconds.
Sophomore Nivea Smith, who qualified for the final of the 200 meters on Friday, replicated that feat in the women's 100 meters on Saturday. Smith had the No. 5 time in the field with a mark of 11.51 seconds.
Freshman Niklas Buhner qualified for the finals in the men's 1500 meters placing 10th with a time of 3:54.33.
In the prelims of the men's 100 meters, sophomore Harry Adams clocked the best time of the day with a mark of 10.19 seconds. Freshman Keenan Brock qualified with the second-best time of 10.24 seconds. Both will compete in the finals on Sunday. Freshman Clay Porter missed a spot in the finals placing 19th with a time of 10.78 seconds, while senior Stephen Fly came in 22nd and recorded a time of 10.97 seconds.
Sunday's final day of competition begins with field events starting at 12 p.m. ET, while the running events start at 2 p.m. ET.