Thunderbirds Unite for UC Riverside Spring Track Classic

Men's Track & Field 5/18/2014 2:39:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

SUU T&F Picks Up Four More Titles at Outdoor Championships

Day One Recap

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Southern Utah University garnered four more individual titles on the final day of the 2014 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday. The finishes helped the men to a third-place team finish while the women finished ninth.

The Thunderbird men picked up two individual titles on the track as Shaun Murray sprinted to a personal-best time of 10.34 in the 100-meter dash and was followed by teammate Preston Myers with a third-place time of 10.45.

Murray returned in the men's 200-meters and finished third with a personal-best time of 21.06 and also ran the second leg in the 4x100-meter relay that finished sixth with a time of 41.11. His performances led to an individual honor as the senior was named the Co-Men's Outstanding Performer.

Eric Sandall took advantage of a field having already run in the men's 1,500-meters by setting and keeping a fast pace in the men's 800-meters en route to a first-place time of 1:53.83. Freshman Mike Tate was one of those in the field that had raced in the 1,500-meters earlier in the day and finished eighth with a time of 2:07.47. He finished fourth in the 1,500 with a time of 3:57.86.

Southern Utah also had success in the men's 5,000-meters as Nate Jewkes and Ryan Barrus finished a close fourth and sixth in the race with times of 15:23.10 and 15:23.91, respectively.

Alex Anderson picked up the Thunderbirds' final title of the day on the men's side, bounding a personal-best 50 feet 0.75 inches and breaking his own school record in the process. Jayson Kovar also provided highlights in the field events with a second-place finish in the men's discus, throwing a mark of 175 feet eight inches.

Kayla Kovar captured Southern Utah's title on the women's side with a toss of 51 feet five inches, a mark close to two feet greater than the second place finisher, in the women's shot put. Whitney Singleton also secured points for the Thunderbirds in the event with a fifth-place mark of 47 feet one inch.

SUU's track points came from finishes in the women's 100-meter dash as Mayra Franco crossed the line in seventh place with a time of 11.67, faster than her qualifying time of 11.75 and setting a new personal best. Aubrey Bryson also ran a personal-best 2:12.31 in the women's 800-meters, finishing second in the close race that saw first place finish in 2:12.16 and third and fourth finish in 2:12.48 and 2:12.94

Ashley Hawks appeared on the medal stand in the 1,500-meters, finishing third with a time of 4:38.79.

Southern Utah will now look to the first round of the NCAA Championship when qualifying members of the team will compete in Fayetteville, Ark. the weekend of May 29-31.

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