May 24, 2012
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Sophomore thrower Stephen Saenz wasted no time qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on June 6-9 with a solid showing in the discus, while Auburn's sprinters lit up the track in the 100 meters on the first day of action at the 2012 NCAA East Preliminary at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.
"I'm really pleased," Auburn coach Ralph Spry said. "You've got the top 48 kids in the east in each event and you know going in that it is definitely going to be a war. For the most part, the key kids that we needed to get through took care of business. We've got three guys and three girls in the 100 meters. Stephen Saenz got through to Drake in the discus and CeCe Williams is through to the quarters in the 400 meters. Everybody is healthy and that is the most important thing. We've just got to maintain our composure, take it day-by-day and keep advancing. We're going to try and leave this weekend on a good note, and we are off to a good start."
With a full complement of men's sprinters for the first time in more than a month, Auburn sent five men into the 100 meters - one of just four programs to have five entrants in any event. When the dust settled, the Tigers had posted three of the top six times in the event and narrowly missed a fourth advancing.
Keenan Brock (10.29) and Harry Adams (10.36) both won their respective heats, while Marcus Rowland (10.26) was second to earn automatic berths into the quarters. Michael DeHaven (10.580) missed a spot in the next round by the slimmest of margins, giving way to LSU's Rynell Parson (10.579) for the final berth.
"I'm really excited about the men's sprinters," Spry said. "I had to pull Harry and Marcus out at SECs because of some slight irritation. Because of that, those two haven't been able to do much speed work recently. All three running as fast as they did is a really good sign, because they will get sharper each round. They are healthy and feeling good. They will run faster in the 200 meters and in the next round."
The trio along with DeHaven is scheduled to compete in the 200 meters on Friday. Rowland's 100m race was his first since April 21. The junior's mark was the top second-place time and behind only FSU's Maurice Mitchell (10.17) and Florida's Jeff Demps (10.21) overall.
On his second throw of the day, Saenz posted his best throw of the 2012 season with a mark of 181-8 (55.39m). The mark placed him fourth after the first three flights and sent him into the finals of the NCAA East Preliminary round.
Saenz fouled on all three attempts in the finals, but finished in ninth place to advance on to Drake University in two weeks. His mark of 181-8 was an improvement of more than six feet from the SEC Outdoor Championships two weeks ago.
"Stephen has a lot of momentum right now," Spry said. "On the national level, Stephen is a much better shot putter than discus thrower. Knowing that he is already through to Iowa in the discus gives him a ton of momentum in the shot. I expect him to come out on Saturday and perform really well."
Marcus Popenfoose fouled on his first and third attempts in the discus, but did post a mark of 168-3 (51.28m) on his second throw. He finished in 27th place in the event. Popenfoose's mark was well short of his previous season high of 177-8 from the UCSD Triton Invitational.
Three Auburn women finished in the top 15 in the 100 meters. Leading the way was Kai Selvon, who posted the fourth-fastest time on the day with her mark of 11.41 seconds. Sophomores Alycia Prior (new PR, 11.64) and V'alonee Robinson (new PR, 11.57) also made it through to Friday's quarterfinal round.
"Not only are [Robinson and Prior] going to help us in the 100 meters, but they have a chance to help us score some points in the women's 4x1 at the national level," Spry said. "The better they run here, the more confidence it gives them in that race. I'm excited about it. We lost Nivea Smith to injury at SECs and one of those two needs to step up to give us a chance to do well this week and in Iowa."
Robinson also competed in the long jump, where she placed 31st thanks to a top jump of 19-4 (5.89m).
CeCe Williams closed out Auburn's competitors on Thursday evening with a second-place finish in the third heat of the women's 400 meters by crossing the finish line in 52.96 seconds. She finished ninth overall and advanced to Friday night's preliminary final.
Competing at the NCAA Championships for the first time, freshman Kane Grimster finished 11th in his heat and 31st overall in the men's 1500 meters.
Action for Auburn in Jacksonville continues on Friday afternoon with the women's high jump at 4 p.m. CT. Competition on the track for the Tigers gets started with the women's 100m hurdles at 4:30 p.m. CT. For the latest on Auburn track and field, follow @AUTrack on Twitter.