TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Five members of the University of South Alabama men's track and field team earned top-three finishes at the John Mitchell Alabama Relays held at the Sam Bailey Track & Field Stadium this weekend.
Renaldo Frechou won the hammer throw with a season-best 67.59m, while teammate Patrick Rohr took first in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:14.62.
Frechou followed his performance on Thursday by winning the same event Friday at the Jaguar Challenge in Mobile, posting a school-record mark of 68.31m.
Christoph Graf earned second place in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:30.59, 12 seconds behind the winner while in the 400-meter hurdles Spencer Anderson claimed third place with a season-best time of 52.76, just over a second behind the winner. The time moves him to seventh on the school's all-time performance list in the event.
Jan-Louw Kotze recorded a third-place result in the discus throw with a season-best distance of 57.34m, just over two meters behind first place. He recorded another season-best mark in shot put, placing ninth with a distance of 15.99m. In the hammer throw, Kotze rounded out the top 10 with a career-best distance of 57.32m.
"We had some pretty competitive marks, both at the [Sun Belt] conference and national levels," stated USA head coach Paul Brueske. "Renaldo won two events in two days, breaking his own school record with a very good mark; I imagine his distance will among the best in the country. Although Jan-Louw didn't win the discus, the two guys ahead of him were both All-Americans including the defending national champion.
"With both Renaldo and Patrick's performances, any time you go to the Alabama Relays and win an event against the level of competition there that's doing something. There were a lot of top-flight programs, so to go up there and have guys win and place high is no small feat. I was very pleased with the guys this week, I think you'll see us have individuals ranked on performance lists in numerous events."
Nick Farrell set a career-best mark in the pole vault with a height of 5.05m, moving him to fourth on the school's all-time performance list in the event while finishing seventh at the meet.
In the triple jump, Lezyon Legarde placed eighth with a season-best distance of 14.36m, just .41m out of the top five. Also taking eighth place was Matthew Dillon in the 110-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 14.82, less than .60 seconds behind the winner.
Mark Watts finished 10th in the 400-meter dash invitational with a time of 48.85, less than two seconds behind first place. The 4x400-meter relay team, whose members included Michael Smith, Trey Clarkson, Tevin Barnett and Watts, finished ninth with a season-best time of 3:15.89.
The men's track and field team will be back in action next weekend at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta, Ga.
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).
—USA—
