WUSTL Women First, Men Second After First Day of UAA Indoor Championships
DAY ONE RESULTS
ETHERINGTON-SPARKS VIDEO
New York, N.Y., February 25, 2012 – The Washington University in St. Louis track & field teams had nine individuals and a relay earn all-conference honors on the first day of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Championships being held at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York.
The Washington U. women had three event champions, including one UAA meet record, to sit in first place in the team standings with 55 points after day one. Emory University was second in the team standings with 31 points. On the men’s side, Washington U. scored 32 points to sit in second of a tight team race. University of Chicago finished the first day in first place with 36 points, while Emory and Carnegie Mellon University were tied for third with 31 each.
Sophomore Anna Etherington led a first- through third-place sweep for the Washington U. women in the pole vault. Etherington cleared a height of 3.55 meters to win the UAA title. Sophomore Moira Killoran and freshman Claire Simons cleared personal-best heights of 3.45m and 3.35m to finish second and third in the event, respectively.
The women’s distance medley relay team of freshman Lucy Cheadle, sophomores Shannon Howell and Elizabeth Worley, and senior Erica Jackey set a UAA record with a time of 12:01.04 to win the conference title in the event. The time broke the previous record of 12:11.67 set by a Washington U. team in 2010.
Sophomore Sarah Fisher was Washington U.’s third UAA champion of the day, clocking a time of 17:39.12 to win the women’s 5,000 meters. Senior Molly Wawrzyniak finished fifth in a time of 18:11.71.
The Washington U. men were led by a 2-3-5 finish in the 5,000. Sophomore Kevin Sparks posted the third-fastest time in Washington U. history to finish as the UAA runner-up with a time of 14:45.55. Freshman Ryan Senci also earned All-UAA honors, finishing third in a personal-best time of 14:54.69, while senior Tucker Hartley finished fifth in 15:03.04.
Senior Justin Pieper equaled his season-best by clearing a height of 2.00m to place second in the men’s high jump. Freshman Nick Alaniva also earned all-UAA honors for the Washington U. men, placing third in the long jump with a season-best leap of 6.66m. Sophomore Jasmine Williams and junior Anne Diaz-Arrastia both posted season-best marks in the women’s long jump, finishing second (5.36m) and sixth (5.09m), respectively.
The men’s distance medley relay team of sophomore Austin Vanbastelaer, freshman David Gorsche, senior Ben Cutting and sophomore Caleb Ford rounded out the scoring for Washington U. on the first day, finishing fifth in a time of 10:17.04.
The Washington U. men and women had several strong performances in preliminaries during Saturday’s events as well. Junior Ryan Doll broke the school record in the men’s 200 with a time of 22.33, qualifying for Sunday’s final in the event. Doll’s time was .08 of a second faster than Pierre Hoppenot’s record set in 2010. He and Alaniva also qualified for the finals in the men’s 60 with season-best times during the prelims.
Senior Elizabeth Phillips posted the second-fastest time in school history (2:13.44) to lead three Washington U. women to the finals of the 800. Seniors Erica Jackey and Elisabeth Stocking also qualified for Sunday’s final in the event. In the men’s 800, freshman Brendan Stone and junior Mike Boughdiri both ran season-best times to advance to Sunday’s final. Stone’s time of 1:56.18 ranks third all-time at Washington U.
Other Washington U. athletes who advanced to the finals in their respective events included: sophomore Arthur Townsend (men’s 400); senior Tyler Jackson and freshman Tyler Frank (men’s 60 hurdles); sophomore Katie Sandson (women’s 60); sophomore Nkele Davis (women’s 400); senior Amanda Matheson (women’s 60 hurdles); and Williams (women’s 200).
The UAA Indoor Track & Field Championships conclude on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the New Balance Track & Field Center in New York. Field events are scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m. (ET), with running events getting underway at 11:30 a.m. (ET).