Jan. 15, 2005
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior NCAA high jump national champion and U.S. Olympian Chaunte Howard finished first in the women’s high jump with a NCAA Automatic qualifying mark of 6’1.50″ to lead the Georgia Tech women’s track and field team at the Kentucky Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Dana Rogers registered a first-place finish for the Yellow Jackets in the women’s 60-meter high hurdles with a personal-best run of 8.27 to post a NCAA Provisional qualifying time. Freshman Shantia Moss finished third in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.45 in the finals after tallying a NCAA Provisional mark of 8.43 in the preliminaries. Sophomore Fatmata Fofanah finished fourth in the finals with a time of 8.61.
Reigning ACC Female Performer of the Week Andriane Lapsley tallied three top-10 finishes for the Jackets. Lapsley finished fourth in the women’s 60-meter dash with a time of 7.58, sixth in the 200 meters (24.50) and ninth in the 60m hurdles (8.75).
Four Tech athletes finished in the top 10 in the long jump. Junior Brandy Depland led the way with a fifth-place performance in the women’s long jump with a mark of 18’2.25″. Senior Holt McPherson finished sixth in the men’s event with a mark of 22’8″, while senior Ashley McNeill finished ninth in the women’s long jump with a mark of 17’6.75″. Sophomore James Lemons II wrapped up top-10 finishes for the Jackets in the long jump with a 10th-place finish for the men (22’0.75″).
Sophomore U.S. Junior National Champion Ashlee Kidd posted a pair of runner-up finishes for the Rambling Wreck in the women’s 200 and 400 meters with times of 24.15 and 54.53, respectively. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native was one second off her personal-best time in the indoor 200. Also picking up a top-10 finish for Tech in the women’s 200 was Rogers with a personal-best time of 24.59, finishing eighth.
In the 800 meters, senior Jennifer Lentz, sophomore Jennifer Sims and freshman Derek Hoye logged top finishes for the Yellow Jackets. Sims finished third (2:13.61) and Lentz finished fourth (2:13.68) in the women’s 800, while Hoye finished seventh in the men’s 800 (1:53.70).
Rounding out top performances for the Rambling Wreck were seniors Brian Ford and Jonathan Spillman. Spillman finished seventh in the men’s shot put with an indoor personal-best mark of 55’6″, while Ford finished ninth in the men’s 400 with a mark 49.21.
The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams will travel to Johnson City, Tenn., for the Niswonger Invitational next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22.
-GT TRACK & FIELD-
