· Final results
· Photo gallery
SAN ANTONIO — Led by a record-setting performance from Ryanne Dupree in the heptathlon, the UTSA women’s track & field team won five more events on Saturday at the UTSA Relays held at Blossom Athletics Center.
Dupree shattered the meet record in the heptathlon, punching her ticket to the NCAA Championships with an automatic-qualifying and school-record 5,584 points. She eclipsed her old UTSA standard of 5,575 set in 2005, while she broke junior Ashley Allen’s meet record of 4,937 set last year.
Allen finished second with a provisional qualifying 5,075 points, just one point shy of her personal best set last season. Her freshman sister, Haylee, claimed third with 4,238 points, while junior Kari Michalik was fourth with 4,198.
Dupree also won the 100-meter hurdles with an NCAA regional qualifying 13.56, her second-fastest effort of the season. The mark would have eclipsed the meet record, but the wind reading of 2.2 meters per second was over the allowable measure (2.0 m/s) for records.
Senior Hope Jimenez grabbed top honors in the 1,500m Championship division, clocking a 4:45.99 to edge Kathryn Hearn (4:46.89). Senior Veronica Silva was third in 4:49.58, while freshman Dana Mecke took fifth in 5:04.98.
The 1,600m and shuttle hurdle relays both won on Saturday, giving UTSA three of the four relay titles. The 4x4 team of sophomore senior Diane Smith, sophomore Ashley Jackson, Silva and junior Brittany Epps clocked a 3:49.96, while the shuttle hurdle foursome of freshmen Haylee Allen and Jessica Jones, Michalik and senior Lyndsey Sidney raced to a 1:01.89.
Junior Chelsea Malina was the top collegian in the javelin and third overall, recording a 130-10 throw.
Combined with three victories on Friday — Smith in the 800m, freshman Faith Barlow in the 3,000m and 800m relay — UTSA captured eight events, two more than last year.
Dupree’s regional clocking in the 100m hurdles led a 1-2-3 finish by the Roadrunners as Sidney was second in 14.21, while Jones took third in 14.43.
The 400m relay team of sophomore Shanelle Slaughter, Epps, Dupree and Jackson passed the baton to a runner-up time of 46.76, just behind Texas State’s 46.36.
Other top-five finishers for the Roadrunners included: Epps (100m, fourth, 12.24), Slaughter (100m, fifth, 12.34), freshman Arlene McKenzie (400m OD, fourth, 1:01.86), Smith (1,500m OD, second, 5:20.76) and junior Shantel Buggs (discus, fifth, 125-4).
The Roadrunners compete in the Texas Invitational next Saturday, March 24, in Austin.
