Feb. 11, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Georgia Tech track and field torched 22 career bests over the two-day Music City Challenge at Vanderbilt on Friday and Saturday.
“I’m very pleased with what we accomplished in Nashville this weekend,” said men’s track and field head coach Grover Hinsdale. “Many guys set personal records and I thought we competed really hard event after event. Of the many PRs that were set, I have to mention Andreas Ward’s PR in the 60m HH. A one–tenth [of a second] PR in a 60m race is a major improvement. I’m very pleased with our fight across the board.”
Ward turned in a time of 8.10 in the 60m hurdles, a career best for the junior that surpasses the ACC qualifying time. Senior Alex Grady grabbed a second-place finish for the Yellow Jackets in the 3000m with a career-best time of 8:18.09. Tanner Shaw and Jack Bordoni also recorded career bests in the 3000m with times of 8:23.78 and 8:21.37, respectively.
The men’s distance medley relay team of Chris Burnett, Benjamin Jean, Andres Littig and Avery Bartlett recorded a new season-best time for Tech, finishing with in 9:44.70, good for second in the ACC this season. Jean surpassed the ACC qualifying time in the 400m with a time of 47.98.
Bartlett, Burnett and Littig all bested the ACC qualifying time in the 800m. Christian Bowles, Andrew Matson, Matt Munns and Mitchell Sanders all registered career bests in the mile and Preston Smith and Ryan Thomas both reached the ACC qualifying mark in the triple jump.
“It was a really good weekend of competition at Vanderbilt for the women,” said women’s track and field head coach Alan Drosky. “The long jumpers were awesome. Donjhae set a huge personal best and Carissa was able to compete well after being injured a month ago. The distance group is improving week-to-week and had a big number of personal best here. The sprints and hurdles were consistent and competed hard.”
On the women’s side, sophomore Rebecca Dow recorded a career best in the 5000m with a time of 18:22.83. Dasia Smith registered a career-best time of 26.57 in the 200-meter dash and also registered a career best in the long jump with a mark of 5.80m, surpassing the ACC qualifying mark. Additionally, Donjhae Jones recorded a career-best in the long jump, besting the ACC qualifying standard with a mark of 6.15m. The DMR team of Amy Ruiz, Denise Woode, Brittany Powell and Charlotte Stephens posted a season-best time for Tech of 11:57.89.
Ellen Flood and Juanita Pardo both registered career-best times in the 3000m of 10:30.33 and 10:29.90, respectively. Woode took more than a second off her career best in the 400m with a time of 57.33. Lindsey Wheeler got in on the action, rewriting her career best in the 800m with a time of 2:16.45. Melissa Fairey, Erin Gant, Mary Claire Solomon and Stephens all set career bests in the mile. Knesia Novikova registered a career best in the pole vault while besting the ACC qualifying mark with a mark of 3.99m.
Kenya Collins, Raven Stewart and Jeanine Williams all surpassed the ACC qualifying time in the 60m hurdles.
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 18 when they send indiviuals to Clemson for the Tiger Tuneup.
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