· Meet results
HOUSTON — Sophomore Ashley Allen won UTSA’s sixth conference title in the pentathlon in the past seven years and the distance medley relay team finished third to highlight day one action for the UTSA women at the Southland Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Friday at Bill Yeoman Field House.
Allen scored a career-high 3,630 points to claim her first individual league crown, finishing 171 points ahead of runner-up Jamie Spivey of Sam Houston State. She grabbed the lead after the second event, clearing a season-best 5-5 1/4 in the high jump, and went on to record marks of 34-5 1/2 in the shot put, 17-9 in the long jump and 2:27.80 in the 800 meters.
Allen’s pentathlon victory was the sixth by a Roadrunner dating back to the first of three in a row by Rhonda Ray in 2001. Ryanne Dupree also won the five-event competition in 2004 and 2006. It was the 38th overall individual SLC title captured by the UTSA women since joining the league in 1992.
It was a busy day for Allen as she later cleared the same height (5-5 ¼) to place fourth in the open high jump, earning five more points for UTSA. Sophomore Rikki Gray contributed two points by clearing 5-3 ¼ for seventh.
The distance medley relay team of freshmen Faith Barlow, Jessica Jones and Dana Mecke and senior Veronica Silva passed the baton to a time of 12:21.50 to place third behind Lamar (12:03.03) and Sam Houston State (12:18.29).
Junior Brittany Epps leaped to an 18-2 ½ measure for seventh in the long jump in other field event final action Friday evening.
The Roadrunners are in fourth place with 25 points after six events. Stephen F. Austin leads with 56, followed by Texas State and Sam Houston State (42).
UTSA has strong chances to add to that point total on Saturday as nine Roadrunners advanced to Saturday running finals. Headlining the preliminary action was senior Lyndsey Sidney, who posted a personal-best time of 8.54 in the semifinal round of the 60-meter hurdles to move on. Sidney’s time makes her the school’s No. 2 all-time performer behind Ryanne Dupree (8.44). Jones joined her in the final with an 8.94 effort.
Mecke (5:16.31) and seniors Hope Jimenez (5:19.38) and Brianna Mendez (5:22.58) all made it through in the mile, while Silva (2:22.46) and sophomore Brittney Britton (2:22.55) both survived the prelims of the 800m
Also advancing were senior Diane Smith in the 400m (58.19) and sophomore Ashley Jackson in the 200m (25.17).
The final day of the meet kicks off with the shot put at 11 a.m.
