Track Teams Open Action in Texas Relays
AUSTIN, Texas - The University of Oregon men’s and women’s track and field teams opened action Thursday in the first day of the 77th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas.
In the men's pole vault B section, senior Trevor Woods and redshirt freshman David Moore tied for eighth and 10th, respectively at the same final height (16-4 3/4), and redshirt sophomore Jon Derby no-heighted at his opening bar of 15-11.
Moore missed several solid attempts at a would-be two-inch personal best (16-10 3/4) that would have improved on his previous of 16-8 3/4 from last May’s Cardinal Invitational in Stanford, while a would-be Wood clearance would have been just shy of his indoor season best (17-0) from February. All three Duck vaulters have already met the Pac-10 qualifying standard of 16-4 3/4 indoors in 2004.
Overall in the event, Texas A&M junior Justin Sutton won by almost six inches (17-4 1/2) over Oklahoma’s Scott Martin (16-10 3/4).
In the 400 hurdles prelims, senior Brandon Holliday paced a trio of Ducks and finished second in the eighth heat (53.01) behind Florida freshman and former prep All-American Kerron Clement (49.94) who led the eight heats’ 60 entrants. Sophomore AK Ikwuakor ranked second in the third heat (53.27) behind Arkansas senior Maurice Bridges (51.64), and sophomore Eric Mitchum made his season debut and eighth career appearance and took second in the fifth heat (53.47) behind Rice senior Ben Wiggins (52.40).
The Duck trio were all within a second of the ninth and final time qualifier (52.62) for the event final as Holliday ranked 14th (53.01), Ikwuakor stood 17th (53.27) and Mitchum ranked 20th (53.47).
Holliday and Ikwuakor made their second appearances of the season Thursday in the 400 hurdles after clocking Pac-10 qualifiers of 51.89 and 52.93 in the Oregon Preview two weeks ago. A Pac-10 champion in 2002, Holliday also netted a return regional invite in his 2004 opener after he took fifth in the West Regional last year.
Junior Paul Etter took to the hammer circle for the second time this season and ranked 16th (191-10) in the 23-man field. The Everett, Wash., native’s showing consisted of a pair of fouls on his first and last throws, and his lone mark on his second throw - a heave that again met the regional (182-6) and Pac-10 (190-3) standards - and was seven feet and four inches shy of the last qualifier for the final (199-2). Manhattan’s Thomas Freeman, an NCAA indoor weight champion, won the event (222-10) by nine feet over Purdue’s Keith McBride (second, 213-8).
Etter, a transfer from Clackamas Community College, debuted for the Ducks two weeks ago in the Oregon Preview with a daily best of 195-9 that was less than seven feet from the Oregon all-time top-10 list (10th is 202-1).
On the women’s side, junior Katie Kersh finished 21st of 25 entrants in the hammer (164-9), and sophomore Megan Kriz fouled her three preliminary attempts in the same event. Kersh opened with a throw of 161-1 (49.10m), followed with 163-1 (49.72m) and then improved to 164-9 on her third throw (164-9), and was approximately 22 feet shy of the final (the ninth and final qualifier was 187-11 (57.28m)).
Complete meet results are available at the www.TexasSports.com website.
Looking ahead, the Duck men and women return for the second day of the three-day meet on Friday, April 2. The Ducks will spotlight NCAA pole vault veteran Kirsten Larwin, All-America long jumper Leonidas Watson and All-America hurdler Eric Mitchum.
FINAL RESULTS - FIRST DAY
77th Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays
University of Texas
Austin, Texas
Thursday, April 1, 2004
MEN’S RESULTS
400 Hurdles - 1, Kerron Clement, Florida, 49.94. 2, Jamal Collier, Texas State, 51.21. 3, Andrew Carruthers, Houston, 51. 38. 14, Brandon Holliday, Oregon, 53.01. 17, AK Ikwuakor, Oregon, 53.27. 20, Eric Mitchum, Oregon, 53.47. (By Heats) - Heat 3 - 1, Maurice Bridges, Arkansas, 51.64. 2, AK Ikwuakor, Oregon, 53.27. Heat 5 - 1, Ben Wiggins, Rice, 52.40. 2, Eric Mitchum, Oregon, 53.47. Heat 8 - 1, Kerron Clement, Florida, 49.94. 2, Brandon Holliday, Oregon, 53.01.
Pole Vault - 1, Justin Sutton, Texas A&M, 17-4 1/2. 2, Scott Martin, Oklahoma, 16-10 3/4. 3, Cory Aguilar, Abilene Christian, 16-10 3/4. 8t, Trevor Woods, Oregon, 16-4 3/4. 10t, David Moore, Oregon, 16-4 3/4. NH - Jon Derby, Oregon (15-11).
Hammer - 1, Thomas Freeman, Manhattan, 222-10. 2, Keith McBride, Purdue, 213-8. 3, Jerome Bortoluzzi, SMU, 213-5. 16, Paul Etter, Oregon, 191-10.
WOMEN’S RESULTS
Hammer - 1, Loree Smith, Colorado State, 220-0. 2, Britney Henry, LSU, 202-1. 3, Laura Gerraughty, North Carolina, 200-11. 21, Katie Kersh, Oregon, F. F - Megan Kriz, Oregon.
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