Track and field sweeps in-state rivals at Double Dual
The Arizona State University track and field team scored a sweep down in Tucson, Ariz., as the team rolled in the annual ASU-UA-NAU Double Dual, defeating both Arizona and Northern Arizona on the men’s and women’s sides.
Both the men and women took down their in-state opponents with the #3 Arizona State men defeating Arizona, 110-86 and Northern Arizona 114-66 while the #10 women’s scored a victory over the Wildcats, 101-96, and the Lumberjacks, 136-56. It was the second consecutive sweep for the Sun Devils over the in-state rivals after doing the same in Tempe in 2011.
The Sun Devils got the running events with a sweep of the steeplechase with senior Kauren Tarver taking the women’s race in 10:38.52 before freshman Domenic D’Acquisto ran away with the men’s race in 9:05.73.
The sweet would set up the ASU for a big race in the quarter-mile relay as the team of Asiah Gooden, Alycia Herring, Keia Pinnick and Kayla Sanchez scored a victory in 44.47, moving into 10th on ASU’s all-time quarter-mile relay list. It was the fastest time of the season for ASU and moved them within the top-30 overall times in the country with the result.
Arizona State then scored another sweep in the high hurdles as junior Keia Pinnick upset the top seed Dahlys Marshall of Arizona in a new career-best time of 13.51 to move within the top 35 in the nation in the event.
Pinnick victory preceded Cameron Taylor’s victory in just his second-ever 110-meter hurdle race as a collegian as he took the men’s race home in 14.34.
Will Henry led a 1-2 sweep of the men’s 400-meter dash in 46.48 ahead of teammate Kelsey Caesar, who ran a new career-best in 46.77.
That was the first of two consecutive sweeps for the Arizona State men as they came right back and went 1-2 in the 100-meter dash behind a Ryan Milus victory in 10.27 ahead of teammate Daniel Auberry’s 10.40.
The men would go on to wrap up the meet with a victory in the 4x400-meter relay as the team of Chris Burrows, Caesar, Rashad Ross and Henry took the victory in 3:10.36.
In the women’s 800 meters, freshman Shelby Houlihan bounced back from a tough battle and runner-up finish in the 1,500-meter run to take the half-mile race in 2:09.31.
Alycia Herring helped to seal the victory for the Sun Devil women with a new career best of 23.73 to win the women’s 200-meter dash and give ASU enough of a bubble to hold on through the final events.
In the field events, Jordan Clark went three-for-three in his throwing events on the day as he opened the day’s events with a strong victory in the hammer throw with a mark of 65.39m (214-06). The mark was a new career best and moved Clarke to ninth in the nation and third in ASU history.
Clarke followed that with a victory in the men’s discus event with a throw of 51.68m (169-07) before taking the shot put crown with a throw of 19.89m (65-03.25) – a new outdoor career best while also putting him in a tie for the top mark in the nation.
In the jumps, Chris Benard scored a sweep in the horizontal jumps, winning the long jump with a jump of 7.59m(24-11.00) before taking the triple jump title with a mark of 15.94m (52-03.75).
Christabel Nettey kept the run going in the jumps as she soared 6.35m (20-10.00) in the long jump to take the title in that event before scoring the triple jump crown with a jump of 12.01m (30-05.00).
Anna Jelmini took the victory in the women’s discus with a throw of 55.66m (182-07).
Shaylah Simpson continued her recent hot streak, winning the women’s pole vault with a mark of 4.11m (13-05.75). Derick Hinch made it a sweep on the men’s side as he cleared 5.12m (16-09.50).
The majority of the team will now have the next weekend off as the team prepares for the Pac-12 Conference Championships in Eugene, Ore., in two weekends. The ASU multi-events will head to Oregon this weekend for the multi-event part of the championship.