MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama track & field teams competed in three meets across three states this weekend. The 2018 Florida Relays were held in Gainesville, Fla., and the University of Mobile Invitational was held at the Jaguar Track in Mobile, Ala. The 91st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays took place in Austin, Texas.
 
Michaela Preachuk broke the all-time school record with a 61.50m (201-09.25) hammer throw at the Florida Relays. This is the fifth consecutive meet in which the junior has improved her mark in the event. She ranks first in the Sun Belt Conference and moves up one spot to 15th in the NCAA Division I standings.     
 
MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2018 Florida Relays
Date: March 29-31
Host: University of Florida
Site: Percy Beard Track
Results
 
NOTES
-Olivia Swan finished the women's 400m hurdles event 15th in a field of 51 competitors. A career-best time of 1:00.99 moved her from fifth to third in the USA record books, and she remains second in the Sun Belt season standings.
-Jacob Johnson completed the men's 400m hurdles event with a time of 54.08 seconds.
-Rafael Scott ran the men's 100m dash in 10.58 seconds to finish 20th out of 58 runners.
-Migael Strydom and Warno Potgieter entered the men's 1,500m for the first time this season and recorded personal-best times to finish 22nd and 29th, respectively. Strydom's 3:49.52 time is the fastest in the Sun Belt this season, while Potgieter's 3:52.96 mark is the third-highest in the conference. 
-Ben Rolader competed in the men's 3,000m steeplechase for the first time in his career. He ranks second in the league after a 10th-place, 9:16.64 finish.
-The men's 4 x 100m relay team ran the event in 40.99 seconds to place 21st out of 38 teams.  
-Autavia Fluker moved from fourth to third in the Sun Belt with a personal-best 56.93m (186-09.25) hammer throw. She retains her spot at fifth in the all-time Jaguar rankings.
-Andrew Allen finished eighth in the men's hammer throw Thursday with a 58.32m (191-04.00) mark. Ethan Boyd (57.06m, 187-02.25) and Thomas Boyd (54.11m, 177-06.25) finished ninth and 12th, respectively.
-Emilie Berge tied for 13th in the women's long jump with a career-high 5.72m (18-09.25) mark, the eighth-ranking measurement in the Sun Belt Conference this season.
-Hanna-Mai Vaikla had a 10th-place, 41.61m (136-06.00) javelin throw. Jessica Matthews finished 12th with a 40.71m (133-06.75) mark.
-Swan and Taylor Dames earned top-five finishes in the women's high jump with marks of 1.70m (5-07.00). Dames tied for second and Swan tied for fifth.
-Fluker finished ninth in the women's shot put with a 14.32m (46-11.75) throw. Angeline Smit placed 12th in the event and moved to fifth in the Sun Belt standings with a season-best 13.88m (45-06.50) throw. Michella Obijiaku posted a season-high 13.84m (45-05.00) mark to finish 13th in the event.

MEET INFORMATION
Event: University of Mobile Invitational
Date: March 30
Host: University of Mobile
Site: Jaguar Track at the University of South Alabama
Results

NOTES
-Cierra Hedrick picked up wins in both events she entered. She ran the women's 100m dash in 12.38 seconds and the 200m dash in 25.56 seconds.
-Javen Jackson earned fourth place in the men's 100m dash with a time of 11.27 seconds. Hunter Peters completed the event in a season-best 11.62 seconds.
-Darnesha Harris won the women's 100m hurdles event with a personal-best time of 15.16 seconds. Jazmyne Tabb finished second, completing the event in 15.40 seconds.  
-Hunter Peters ran the men's 110m hurdles event in 15.93 seconds, the fastest time of his career.
-Jackson Pocreva ran the men's 400m in a season-low 53.89 seconds.
-Jackson's 54.60-second, personal-best time in the men's 400m hurdles earned him a win in the event and sixth place in this season's Sun Belt Conference standings.
-Harris ran the women's 400m hurdles in 1:05.60 to claim her second victory of the day.
-Jaguars finished first and second in the women's 800m race. Cindy von Ahlefeldt completed the event in 2:21.32, while Gillianne Sharp crossed the finish line in 2:25.43.
-Kailee Kiminski won the women's 1,500m race with a 4:55.94 time — 17 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
-Luke Fielding posted a season-best 4:06.08 to win the men's 1,500m. Dylan Pausic's time of 4:12.02 earned him a second-place finish.
-Nicole Van Der Merwe finished second in the women's 3,000m with a time of 11:07.27. 
-Phillip Friedlander's 9:28.74 time in the men's 3,000m earned him a first-place finish.
-Jobi Finau claimed victories in the men's hammer throw (52.05m, 170-09.00) and men's discus (44.82m, 147-00.50) events. Chris Gastauer finished fifth in the discus event with a career-best 37.47m (122-11.00) mark.
-Three Jaguars posted career-high marks in the women's hammer throw. Meagan Hall won the event with a 51.89m (170-02.75) throw, earning seventh in the conference rankings. Esherika Hawkins finished second with a 49.01m (160-09.50) mark, the 13th-highest in the league. Halee Thomas finished fourth with a 39.93m (131-00.00) measurement.
-Cameron Stokes won the men's javelin event by more than 11 meters. A career-high 56.59m (185-07.75) throw landed him at seventh in the conference rankings.
-Liz Bolden (34.48m, 113-01.25) finished second in the women's javelin event. Thomas placed fifth with a 32.45m (106-05.50) throw. Thomas also earned a fifth-place finish in the women's discus event with a 35.40m (116-01.50) effort.
-Hawkins won the shot put event with a 12.57m (41-02.75) throw and placed second in the discus event with a 36.92m (121-01.50) effort.
-Christina Wiggins' career-best 3.34m (10-11.50) pole vault mark earned her a first-place finish in the event. Savannah Howie finished second with a 3.19m (10-05.50) measurement.
-Sam Brown finished third in the men's high jump (1.88m, 06-02.00) and sixth in the men's long jump (6.12m, 20-00.75).
-Sheldonna Chappell tied for sixth in the women's long jump with a 5.09m (16-08.25) mark.  
 
MEET INFORMATION
Event: 91st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays
Date: March 28-31
Host: University of Texas
Site: Mike A. Myers Stadium
Results
 
NOTES
-Niel Giliomee earned third place in the men's pole vault event and moved from third to second in the Sun Belt rankings with a career-high 5.35m (17-06.50) mark. It is the ninth-highest measurement in the NCAA Division I standings for the season. He remains second in the all-time USA record books.
-Sean Collins tied for seventh in the pole vault with a 5.20m (17-00.75) measurement.
 
UP NEXT
The Jaguars return home to host the South Alabama Invitational April 6-7.

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On performances over the weekend… "I thought Niel had a very promising performance at the Texas Relays. At Florida, Preachuk and Swan's performances really stood out in my mind. We still have some athletes that haven't quite put it together in competition, so there is still a lot of work ahead of us to be where we need to be for Conference and beyond."
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
 
Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub
 
—USA—