April 6, 2012
AUBURN - Sophomore throwers Stephen Saenz and Marcus Popenfoose each posted a new personal-best throw on Friday night as competition began in the 2012 Tiger Track Classic at Hutsell-Rosen Track.
"We never take PRs lightly, because that means it's the best you've ever thrown," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said. "It is really big for Steven, because he's a guy we are going to count on to score for us in three events at SECs. Anytime you start off with a PR is great. Being at home around your friends, teammates and Auburn fans makes it easier to get motivated. We are really excited about their good starts and hopefully they can both carry it over to tomorrow with the discus.
Saenz eclipsed his previous career-best mark by more than six feet with a long throw of 191-02 (58.27m) on Friday night as he finished fourth in the hammer throw. Teammate Popenfoose also set a new PR with a throw of 166-11 (50.89m) on his final attempt. Popenfoose placed 14th.
Auburn men's javelin competitors Tyler Kennedy and Michael Dekich placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Kennedy registered a long throw of 192-02 (60.40m), while Dekich was close behind him with a toss of 191-04 (58.32m).
Sophomore Tori Nwadiogbu (151-02, 46.07m) and freshman Anna McCloskey (147-07, 44.98m) each set a new personal record with their hammer performances on Friday night.
"It's always a lot of fun to host a home meet, especially when you are coming off a tough indoor season," Spry said. "It's nice to be back home and sleep in your own bed. You get to compete where you train every day. Plus, the fans are here and they don't get a chance to see us compete very much. I look forward to good weather and we've got a lot of kids running a lot of races tomorrow. We aren't worried about how fast as much as we want to get off to a good start. Hopefully, we will get some good results and have a good measuring stick as we head to Miami next week."
Action gets underway on Saturday several field events scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Running events being at 11:30 a.m. with the women's 4x100m relay.