Eagles Track & Field Takes Fourth at Clemson Opener
12/9/2009 4:27:00 PM
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Georgia Southern women's track and field team captured a fourth-place finish at the Roaring Tiger Opener on Friday, Dec. 4. The 16-member Eagles team that traveled to the event earned 50 total points, barely nudged out of third place by Charlotte (53). Clemson finished first with 113 points and Georgia Tech recorded 84 points for second place. Georgia State had 32 points for fifth-place, College of Charleston finished in a three-way tie for sixth with Bethune-Cookman and Charleston Southern (26 points). Jacksonville State (18), Emory (13) and Florida A & M (10) completed the scoring.
" This meet was one of the best starts we have had and we were up against some of the top competition in our region," said Eagles Head Coach Natalie Smith. "We traveled a partial squad and I was really proud of the efforts and performances of these young ladies. This gave us something to build on when we compete again in January."
The Georgia Southern 4 X 800 meter relay team of Talisha Rice (Stockbridge, Ga.), Laura Fuller (Cartersville, Ga.), Azura Robillard (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) and anchored by Morgan Jefferson (Villa Rica, Ga.) took first with a time of 9:43.24 and leaving both Clemson's "A" and "B" teams and the Yellow Jackets "A" team behind. Lynndsey Hyter (Dallas, Texas) posted a first-place finish in the long jump with a distance of 5.76 meters. The first-place finish added another 10 points to the Eagles' total.
Fuller also competed in the one mile run and recorded a time of 5:22.64 for second place. Senior Demetrise Anthony (Manchester, Ga.) posted six points with her third-place finish in the 60 meter dash, (7.64).
"Demetrise Anthony, Laura Fuller and Lynndsey Hyter really stood out at the meet," Smith said. "Freshman Jasmine Billings ran a 8.91 in the 60 meter dash, which is a great time for her, especially since it was her first time running in that event."
The 4 X 400 meter relay squad of Jefferson, JoAnn JaJa Benson (Savannah, Ga.), Robillard and Antoinette Jordan (Griffin, Ga.) contributed an additional point with its ninth-place finish. Benson posted two points for her 11th-place finish in the 500 meter dash (1.:21.67) while Jefferson added one point with her 13th-place finish in the same event (1:23.45).
In the 300 meter dash, Jordan ran a 41.69 for a top-10 finish and Ebony Carter finished 16th with a 43.47 time. Freshman Jasmine Billings (Lawrenceville, Ga.) ran an 8.91 in the 60 meter hurdles, good for fifth in the finals and picking up four points toward Georgia Southern's total.
Freshman Sara Curry (Lawrenceville, Ga.) picked up a fifth-place finish in the one mile run event with her time of 5:45.99.
In the other field events, Amanda Spivy (Pembroke, Ga.) recorded a mark of 12.23 meters in the weight throw for eighth-place. Two Eagles competed in the shot put with Ashley Thomas (Rome, Ga.) advancing to the finals with a throw of 9.75 meters and ninth place in the event. Senior Shaunta Hamilton (Macon, Ga.) finished in the top 10 with a ninth-place finish in the long jump with a distance of 5.27 meters. Alex Cassagnol (Augusta, Ga.) earned a fourth-place finish for Alex Cassagnol (Augusta, Ga.) in the high jump with a height of 1.60 meters.
Georgia Southern Track and Field begins the indoor portion of its schedule in January.
-GS-
