June 8, 2012
DES MOINES, Iowa - Junior sprinter Harry Adams finished second in the men's 100 meters, while junior Kai Selvon finished fourth in the women's 100 meters on Friday at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships hosted at Drake University.
Marcus Rowland also placed fifth in the men's 100 meters to pick up four points and combine with Adams' eight points for 12 total points, a total that is tied for 15th overall.
"Coming into the 100 meters our goal was to get 15 points, but Keenan Brock didn't make the finals," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry. "Twelve points is pretty close. I couldn't be happier. Three guys ran 10.28. We lost the race by one-thousandth of a second. Marcus Rowland was one-thousandth from being in fourth. You can't even blink an eye at that. It could have been anyone's race.
"Kai [Selvon] looked really good warming up. Coach [Henry] Rolle had her looking really good, so I felt good about her chances going in. She finished strong and when she runs the 100 meters strong, then you know she is setup to run well in the 200 meters."
Adams (10.274) finished as the runner-up to Illinois' Andrew Irwin (10.272). Florida State's Maurice Mitchell was third in 10.277. Rowland also had a strong race as he placed fifth in 10.30. In the women's race, Selvon finished fourth with a mark of 11.41 seconds.
"I feel good about the race," Adams said. "I'm happy to run a good race and be healthy. Now it's time to get ready to run again tomorrow."
The second-place finish by Adams' was the best by an Auburn sprinter in the 100m since Coby Miller placed second in 2000. Rowland improved upon his previous best finish of 8th in 2010. Selvon's performance is tops for the Tigers since Tracy Ann Rowe was 3rd in 2007.
The solid performance by Adams and Rowland in the 100 meters resulted in 12 points for the Auburn men, a total that ranks 15th with one day of competition remaining. The Auburn women stand in a tie for 40th place with five points.
After clearing the first two bars with ease on one attempt each, junior Maya Pressley saw her season come to a close at the height of 6-0 (1.83m). On her third and final attempt, Pressley clipped the bar on her descent and it stayed up for a split second, but it fell a split second later and she was eliminated.
Pressley finished in 11th place overall.
Saturday's action includes prime scoring opportunities with Adams and Keenan Brock in the finals of the men's 200 meters as well as Auburn's top-ranked 4x100m relay team going for gold.
Additionally, two time SEC-champion thrower Stephen Saenz competes in the shot put and Kai Selvon runs for the championship in the 200 meters. ESPNU will air all the action live beginning at 11 a.m. CT.
"Stephen [Saenz] has been chomping at the bit to compete," Spry said. "He's a gamer. You don't have to motivate him. I think he will put out a great effort and score some big points. Harry [Adams] is a competitor, so I expect him to come out hungry in the 200 meters and we know Keenan Brock is ready to run again. I'm also looking forward to seeing what our 4x1 relay can do."
For the latest on Auburn track and field, follow @AUTrack on Twitter.