Feb. 27, 2009
Four Yellow Jackets scored points while eight others qualified for finals on the second day of competition at the 2009 ACC Track & Field Indoor Championships in Blacksburg, Va. Friday.
The Tech women, currently in sixth-place, garnered all their points in field events on the day. Freshman Terri Ann Grant placed fifth with a mark of 5’8″ while junior Tiffany Chavis tied for sixth with a 5’7 tally to give the women six of their 12 points through two days of events.
The Jackets grabbed seven points in a strong effort from seniors Kimery Hern and Alana Clooten in the weight throw. Hern and Clooten threw the same distance of 58’00.50″, but Hern’s second-best throw of 17.62 meters locked up a fifth-place finish. Clooten’s second-longest mark was 17.39 which put her in sixth.
Sophomore Jenae Anderson qualified for the 60 meter dash finals with a career-best time of 7.46 and a seventh-place finish in the prelims. Also locking up a spot in the finals for the women was Junior Tiffany Grant, who finished eighth with a season-best time of 55.60 in the 400 meter prelims.
On the men’s side, six performers qualified for the finals as the Jackets look to garner points in nine events Saturday. In the men’s 400 meter prelims, sophomores Antonio McKay Jr. and Hunter Clasen finished fourth and eighth, respectively, as McKay Jr. ran a 48.14 and Clasen a 48.39 on the day.
In the distance events, junior Billy Mateker was the fifth qualifier in the 800 meter run with a 1:52.58 pace, while senior E.C. Gibbs secured his spot in the finals of the mile with a 4:11.11 to finish eighth.
The most promising result of the day was in the 60 meter hurdles prelims in which junior Alphonso Jordan finished third with an 8.09 and senior Dave Ford finished fourth running an 8.10. Jordan, who has the top conference mark in the triple jump, was unable to compete any further as he received an injury during the 60 meter hurdle prelims.
The championships continue Saturday with the men’s high jump at 10 a.m., and conclude with the men’s 4×400 meter relay finals at 3:40 p.m.
