Dana Hall sets shot put school record, while Jackets record pair of event wins
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (March 17) – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams wrapped up their outstanding starts to the outdoor season by recording a combined 35 top-10 finishes, including a pair of event wins, on the final day of competition at the Snowbird Invitational March 17. The two-day meet was held at Mike Long Track on the campus of Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Yellow Jacket women recorded 23 of the day’s top-10 finishes and both of the event winners on Saturday as they picked up where they left off on Friday night. Tech’s first event winner of the day came in the 1500-meter race, as freshman Renee Metivier led three Jackets in the top 10 as she won the race by three seconds with her time of 4:36.55. She was followed by junior Amy Edwards in seventh place with a 4:46.65, and Rachael Caruso in 10th at 4:50.90.
The day’s second event winner was sophomore Jennifer Ledbetter, who won the high jump with a leap of 5-8.00. Fellow second-year performer Jamie Ostrov also was part of the top five, as she placed fifth with a height of 5-4.50. Perhaps Tech’s top event of the day was the 100-meter hurdles, as five Jackets placed in the top 10. Junior Tosan Osaigbovo was the top finisher as she placed third with a time of 14.15 seconds. Tech then swept places five through eight, as junior Mishanta Reyes was fifth in a time of 14.27, senior Nikole Jeffery sixth at 14.29, junior Alisha McClinton seventh at 14.52, and rookie Melanie Waits eighth in a time of 14.81 seconds.
McClinton also placed seventh in the 100 meters with a time of 12.29, while Waits was 10th in a time of 12.73. Junior Amandi Rhett finished fourth in the 100 with a time of 12.16 seconds and followed that with a fourth-place finish in the 200 meters in a time of 24.84 seconds.
Tech had four other athletes finish among the top five in their respective events, led by junior Dana Hall, who was second in the shot put with a school-record toss of 43-5.75. Sophomore Cassandra Worthy was fourth in the shot with a distance of 42-9.75. Junior Nicole Campbell placed second in the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.09 and freshman Jodie Nettles was third in the pole vault with her height of 11-5.75.
In the men’s competition, the Jackets had 12 top 10s, including three athletes that placed second in their respective events. The first performer to do so was sophomore Sharif Azim, who was second in the 400 meters with a time of 47.88 seconds. He was followed in the meet by junior Montrell Person, who was second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.37 seconds.
In the high jump, sophomore Keith Schuler led a trio of Yellow Jackets in the top 10, as she finished second with a height of 6-8.00, and was followed by rookie Michael Massey in fifth place with a jump of 6-6.00 and Greg Sciame in eighth at 6-4.00.
Sophomore Brendon Mahoney was one of two Tech runners to finish in the top 10 in the 800 meters, as he placed third with a time of 1:52.64. Senior Yannick Devouassoux, who was seventh in a time of 1:53.85, followed Mahoney.
Rounding out Tech’s track competitors in the meet were juniors Matt O’Brien and Aaron Sink, both of whom were fifth in their events with O’Brien finishing with a time of 9:52.83 in the 3000-meter steeplechase and Sink recording a time of 53.65 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. The Jackets’ 4×400-meter relay team finished third with a time of 3:17.89.
In day two’s field events, Spencer Irvine finished eighth in the triple jump with a distance of 42-11.75 and sophomore Scott Reida was eighth in the discus with a throw of 149-0.
The Yellow Jackets will return to action on March 24-25, when they travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to compete in the Alabama Relays.
