May 17, 2008
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track & field teams achieved 10 NCAA Regional qualifying marks on the second day of the Georgia Tech Invitational at the George C. Griffin Track.
Senior Shantia Moss crossed the line third in the women’s 100-meter hurdles final with a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 13.01. Her mark is tied for the fourth-best in the nation this outdoor season. Freshman Leslie Njoku ran a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 59.02 for a fourth-place finish in the women’ 400-meter hurdles.
In the women’s 100-meter final, junior Jacqua Williams placed fourth with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 11.68. Williams also finished second in the women’s 200-meter dash and was the top collegiate finisher with a season-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 23.49.
The Jackets swept the top two positions in the men’s shot as sophomore Steve Marcelle placed first with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 61 feet, 1 ½ inches and junior Andy Powlen finished with a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 58 feet, 8 inches.
Marcelle picked up his second win of the day with a first-place finish in the men’s discus with a season-best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 179 feet, 6 inches.
Senior James Lemons II finished third in the men’s triple jump and was the top collegiate finisher as he registered an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 52 feet, 4 ¼ inches. Sophomore Alphonso Jordan landed in sixth place with an NCAA Regional mark of 51 feet, ¼ inches.
The Georgia Tech women’s 4×100-meter relay team crossed the line fourth with a season-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 45.16. The Jackets were one of eight teams to qualify for the NCAA’s in the event. The men’s 4×400-meter relay team crossed the line fourth with a time of 3:11.17.
Fans at the George C. Griffin were treated with an appearance from former Yellow Jacket standout and Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor, who ran the day’s fastest times in the men’s 200- (20.50) and 400-meter dash (45.03).
The Jackets with qualifying marks will take the week off before traveling to the NCAA East Region Championships on Friday-Saturday, May 30-31 in Tallahassee, Fla. The top finishers at the regional will earn a spot in the NCAA Championships on Wednesday-Saturday, June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa.
– RamblinWreck.com –
