|
Tar Heel Women Open Season With Win
Jan. 10, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Callie Pottinger and Vanneisha Ivy each notched NCAA provisional marks in the opening meet of the year, the Art and Linda Maillet Tar Heel Invitational Saturday afternoon in the Eddie Smith Fieldhouse. Pottinger clocked a 2:09.22 in the 800 meter run and Ivy nearly ran an NCAA automatic time in the 60-meter hurdles (8.17) setting a new personal best in leading the Tar Heel women to an easy team victory with 242.50 points. The Tar Heel men battled to the bitter end with St. Augustine's before finishing second overall with 123 points just eight behind the winner and 15 ahead of third place Duke (108).
The Tar Heel women swept the top three spots in the 60-meter dash as Shardae Anderson took first in 7.62, just edging out freshmen Jacinda Evans and Tyler Ford who finished with identical times of 7.63. Ashley Hill finished fifth in the 60 with a time of 7.89. Carolina took the top six spots in the 200-meter dash with Vanneisha Ivy claiming the top spot with a time of 24.54, while Shardae Anderson (24.93), Ashley Hill (25.32), Danielle Brock (25.39), Jacinda Evans (25.43) and Malai Walker (25.58) helped to take the top six spots.
The 400-meter dash was also controlled by the Tar Heels with sophomore Christine Johnson winning the event ahead of Elizabeth Mott as the duo clocked times of 56.54 and 56.94 in the event. Pottinger dominated the 800-meter run on Saturday winning by nearly six seconds with an NCAA provisional time of 2:09.22. Tasha Stanley was Pottinger's closest competition with a time of 2:15.01 for a second place showing. Coming off a cross country All-America season junior Lauren Holesh claimed a second place finish in the mile run with a time of 5:01.85. Callan Fike and Brie Felnagle finished three-four in the 3,000-meter run to add to the Tar Heel point total with Fike finishing in 10:23.85 and Felnagle running on her heels at 10:24.12. In the 60-meter hurdles Ivy turned in a very impressive performance in the qualifying round as she set a new personal best in the event with a time of 8.17 before winning the event in 8.36. Multi athletes Gabby Gioia and Alexandra Coppadge finished two-three in the 60 hurdles behind Ivy with times of 9.12 and 9.15, respectively. The Tar Heels captured both of the relay events with relative ease as the 4x400-meter relay was won in more than eight seconds and the DMR was won in nearly four seconds. In the women's field events Abby Kimball took the top spot in the pole vault (11 feet 11 3/4 inches), while freshman Jacinda Evans made a good first impression in the long jump with a first place finish after a jump of 19-6 3/4. Evans held off fierce competition from a trio of Tar Heels as Ford (18-7 1/4), Hill (18-6) and Cierra McGee (18-0 1/4) finished second through fourth. Another freshman was able to take the triple jump as Michelle Newman leaped 38-8 3/4 claiming her first title. Freshman Becky O'Brien also took her first title in the shot put with a throw of 47-0 1/4. On the men's side, Charles Cox and Ryan Booker finished one-two in the 400-meter dash with times of 48.21 and 49.68, while Ian Williamson claimed fourth in a time of 50.39. Junior Adam Smith joined Cox with an individual title in the 800-meter run as he ran his four laps in 1:57.30, with senior Jeremy Hyder joining him in the top three (1:58.91). Andrew Rotz and Zack Dawson picked up points for the Tar Heels in the mile run with Rotz running a 4:20.69 for fourth place and Dawson running a 4:25.12 for fifth place. Senior Brock Baker fell just shy of a win the 3,000-meter run finishing 0.19 seconds behind Duke's Ryan McDermott who ran an 8:29.57 edging Baker's 8:29.76. The Tar Heel relay teams nearly replicated the women's performance with a win in the 4x400-meter relay, but took second in the DMR. All-America Donte Nall finished second in his first high jump appearance of the year as he cleared 6-10 1/4, besting teammate Daniel Keller who recorded a mark of 6-8 1/4 to finish third. Keller joined with freshman Scott Houston and Parker Smith to claim the top three spots in the pole vault. Houston took the top spot by clearing 15-7, while Keller matched his mark for second and Smith also cleared 15 feet at 15-1 for third place. Austin Davis took third in both the long jump (23-9) and the triple jump (49-9) for the Tar Heel men.
|
 |
