Baton Rouge, La. – The University of South Alabama track and field team recorded six top-five finishes at the LSU Twilight Friday in what was its final tune-up for the Sun Belt Conference Champions next weekend.
Dominique Blue posted the highest finish, taking the crown in the men’s triple jump after posting a season-best mark of 15.02 meters (49-03.50). Damien Lee grabbed second in the men’s mile run, posting a time of 4:30.09, a seven-tenths of a second improvement over his best time last season. Noelle Jones finished second in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.64 meters (5-04.50) and Lindsay Schwartz followed in third after leaping 1.59 meters (5-02.50). Schwartz also finished the 60-meter hurdles in 9.28 seconds to take 12th place.
Steven Nobles proved the best out of three Jags to place in the top-eight of the weight throw event. Nobles earned fifth after he recorded a distance of 16.71 meters (54-10.00). Adam Patterson was next with a seventh-place finish with a mark of 15.41 meters (50-06.75) and Jeff Long was right on heels, finishing eighth with a 14.18 (46-06.25) meter toss.
The men’s 4X400-meter relay team posted its best run of the season, finishing sixth and clocking in at 3:32.95. Team members were James Healy, Tyler Agee, Tyrome Bivens and Anton Graphenreed. Graphenreed also took seventh in the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.86 seconds.
Shannon Stever and Brian Aiken both placed in the pole vault, with Stever placing fourth with a mark of 3.42 meters (11-02.50) in the women’s competition and Aiken vaulting 3.12 meters (10-02.75) to take seventh in the men’s field. Aiken also placed seventh in the triple jump after a 11.30 meter (37-01.00) jump.
Magrina Chepkoech finished ninth in the mile run after crossing the line in 5:19.89.
The 2011 indoor track season will culminate next weekend at the SBC Indoor Championships, which will be held in Jonesboro, Ark., Feb. 27-28.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
—USA—
