Track and field impresses at ASU Invite
The Arizona State University track and field team hosted its second consecutive home meet, March 24, as the Sun Angel Stadium played home the the 2012 ASU Invitational in Tempe, Ariz.
There were no shortage of positive results to report on the day for the No. 20 men’s and No. 17 women’s teams as numerous Sun Devils were victorious in their respective events and several opened up their 2012 outdoor seasons in the process.
The performance of the day may have come from one of the more unexpected event groups. While the majority of the crowd was watching the running events, sophomore pole vaulter Derick Hinch became just the second Sun Devil in school history to clear the 18-foot mark with his clearance of 5.50m (18-00.50).
Hinch, a junior college transfer this season of out Cuesta College in California, is now second in Arizona State history with the jump behind only Olympic gold medalist Nick Hysong. The leap also currently ranks Hinch second in the nation barring results from other events this weekend.
Hinch wasn’t the only pole vaulter posting big marks as sophomore Shaylah Simpson set an outdoor personal record with her leap of 4.18m (13-08.50) to take second in the competition and first among collegians.
The men’s sprints were another hot spot on activity, led by the sweep of the 100 and 200 meters by sophomore Ryan Milus. Milus clocked a new personal best of 10.21 to take the 100-meter crown in meet-record fashion before bouncing back to the 200 meter victory in another career record of 20.86.
Milus also anchored the 4x100-meter relay team of Daniel Auberry, Chris Burrows, Rashad Ross and Ryan Milus to a blistering time of 39.38 for the victory in that event as well.
Auberry had an impressive day as well, clocking the second-fastest time at 100 meters in 10.34 and then taking third in the 200-meter dash in 20.99 – both career bests.
Ross was fifth at 200 meters in 21.26 and Burrows was third in the 400-meter dash in 46.78. Burrows would team with Will Henry , John Cline and Kelsey Caesar to clock a winning time of 3:08.33 while Henry also won the open 400 in 46.39.
ASU saw some success in the women’s sprints as well, starting with Brierra Winfrey’s victory at 400 meters in 55.37. It was a career best for the freshman walk-on and she would go on to take fourth in the 200-meter dash in 24.88.
In the same race, Alycia Herring took the individual victory in 24.01 while sophomore Brianna Tate was third in 24.70.
Herring and Tate would go on to team up with Kayla Sanchez and Keia Pinnick to win the 4x400-meter relay in 3:37.96. Sanchez, Pinnick and Herring earlier teamed with Asiah Gooden for a victory in the quarter-mile relay in 44.86.
Pinnick also clocked a personal best of 13.71 in the 100-meter hurdles to open the day of competition, good for second place. Teammate Christabel Nettey was sixth in the event in 14.27 before going on to set a personal record in the high jump with a leap of 1.73m (5-08.00). Nettey also won the triple jump with a meet record of 12.80m (42-00.00) – a new career record and the second-best jump in school history.
Senior Mason McHenry took little time getting into the swing of things in his 2012 outdoor debut, taking the 800-meter victory in 1:47.60 in his first race after winning the indoor national title in the event.
In the jumps, Bryan McBride opened the 2012 season with an outdoor personal record of 2.20m (7-02.50) to move into a tie for seventh in ASU history in the event.
Senior Chris Benard set a new outdoor personal best in the long jump with his leap of 7.73m (25-04.50) to take the victory in the event.
Anna Jelmini won the discus competition for the Sun Devils in her opener with a throw of 56.99m (187-00).