Four Individual Champions Highlight First Day of UAA Championships for Washington University Track & Field
RESULTS
Pittsburgh, Pa., April 28, 2012 – The Washington University in St. Louis track & field teams had four individual champions and 11 all-conference finishes to highlight the first day of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday.
After six events, the Washington U. women sat atop the team standings with 77.5 points on day one. Case Western Reserve University was second with 70 points. On the men’s side, Washington U. was in third after five events with 36.5 points. Carnegie Mellon University leads the men’s team race with 71.5 points, followed by Case Western Reserve with 54.
Sophomore Anna Etherington was one of four individual event champions for the Bears on the first day. She cleared a height of 3.76 meters to win the women’s pole vault, setting a new UAA record in the process. Sophomore Moira Killoran finished second with a clearance of 3.16m, while freshman Claire Simons cleared 3.01m to tie for third.
Washington U. also claimed the top three spots in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Senior Molly Wawrzyniak claimed the UAA title with a time of 11:10.97. Freshman Lucy Cheadle finished as the runner-up in 11:11.42, while senior Lacey Vogel placed third in 11:25.09.
Junior Anne Diaz-Arrastia earned the UAA title in the women’s long jump with a season-best mark of 5.47m. Senior Amanda Matheson and sophomore Jasmine Williams placed fifth and seventh with marks of 5.21m and 5.13m, respectively.
Freshman Nick Alaniva was the lone event champion for the WU men on the first day, winning the pole vault with a season-best clearance of 6.52m. Freshmen Kyle Engelken and Tim Elliott cleared 4.11m and 3.96m to finish tied for third and seventh, respectively. Alaniva also finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 6.52m, while freshman Troy Makous was eighth with a mark of 6.03m.
The WU women’s 3,200 relay team of seniors Elizabeth Stocking, Elizabeth Phillips, Erica Jackey and sophomore Elizabeth Worley finished as the runner-up in 9:37.75. Sophomore Madison Cannon also earned all-UAA honors by placing third in the shot put with a career-best toss of 11.64m. In the men’s shot put, junior Tom Arnold finished fourth with a throw of 14.14m, while freshman Zach Lonneman was sixth (13.84m).
The WUSTL men also added two more sixth-place finishes during Saturday’s action. Freshman Andrew Padgett clocked a time of 9:35.53 to place sixth in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase. Padgett also teamed up with freshmen David Gorsche, Brett Baker and Garrett Patrick to finish sixth in the 3,200 relay in a time of 9:04.34.
The Washington U. women also had 11 athletes advance to the finals in their respective running events, while the WU men had 12 runners advance to Sunday’s finals. The UAA Outdoor Championships conclude on Sunday, with events scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. (ET).