April 22, 2017
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech track and field closed out the final day of the Georgia Tech Invitational on Saturday, posting six top-three finishes and 12 career bests on the day. Over the two day meet, Tech totaled six wins and 34 career bests.
“The women had a great weekend and it was fun watching them compete,” said women’s track and field head coach Alan Drosky. “Their effort was outstanding across the board, with some really nice improvements in every event area. The short and long hurdles continue to lead the team, but this weekend the long sprints stepped up, and the long jumpers and distance runners took some steps forward. And winning the 4×400 relay was a great end to the meet.”
“I’m very pleased with day two and the overall meet,” said men’s track and field head coach Grover Hinsdale. “I’m really proud of what the 4×100 relay did today; they had a significant season best which we’ve been looking for and they kind of hit it today. I thought the 800m group had a really solid day, Andres Littig and Avery Bartlett ran really well but Bennett Hillier and Gabriel Darosa had significant personal records which was really good to see. All in all I’m very pleased with the day. We’re looking forward to the last few weeks of the season.”
Ksenia Novikova started the day off with a first-place finish in the women’s pole vault with a mark of 4.04m. Marinice Bauman posted a third-place finish in the 400m hurdles with a career-best time of 59.49, which ranks seventh in the ACC. Brianna Hayden, Angelica Henderson, Bauman and Domonique Hall teamed up to take first in the women’s 4×400 with a time of 3:44.27.
Hall and Henderson registered career bests in the 400m with times of 54.97 and 54.72, respectively. Henderson also posted a career-best time of 24.32 in the 200m. Dasia Smith and Denise Woode also recorded career-best times in the 200m. Brittany Powell and Amy Ruiz clocked career bests in the 800m.
The men’s 4×100 team of Zachary Gunnz, Tyson Spears, Maurice Simpson and Andreas Ward took first with a time of 40.66. Spears and Simpson also posted personal records in the 200m. Andres Littig and Avery Bartlett finished one hundredth of a second apart to take first and second among collegiate competitors, respectively, in the men’s 800m. Gabriel Darosa crossed the line with a career-best time of 1:51.46. Bennett Hillier also saw significant improvements in the 800m with a career-best time of 1:51.95.
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