April 23, 2009
Senior Alana Clooten placed second in the hammer throw and freshman Mary Kate DuBard regionally qualified in the steeplechase to lead the Georgia Tech track & field teams on the first day of competition at the Penn Relays Thursday in Philadelphia, Pa.
Clooten’s runner-up finish came at a distance of 186’5″, as she was one of six top-ten performers for the Jackets on the day.
The most notable performance on the day came from freshman Mary Kate DuBard, who finished eighth in the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase. Running the event for just her third-time ever, DuBard ran an NCAA Regional Qualifying time of 10:46.04.
Freshman Bianca Stewart continues to impress in her first outdoor season at Tech, as she placed third in the high jump with a clearance of 5’6″.
In the pole vault, sophomore Erica Penk and Joanna Wright finished 9th and 10th, respectively, both clearing a height of 12’1.50″. LSU’s Rachel Laurent took the pole vault title with a Penn Relay record height of 13’10.50″.
In the first event of the day, sophomore Leslie Njoku finished ninth out of 59 competitors in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:00.88.
The Penn Relays continue Friday with the men’s 400m hurdles at 9 a.m.
