| Sophomore Jessica Jones ran an NCAA Regional-qualifying 13.80 and placed third in the 100-meter hurdles on Saturday. |
AUSTIN ? Senior Kari Michalik, sophomore Jessica Jones and freshman Kim Brooks all won individual titles to lead a bevy of season-best marks posted by the UTSA women’s track & field team on Saturday at the Texas Twilight held at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Jones blazed to a personal-best and NCAA regional-qualifying time of 13.80 for top honors in the 100-meter hurdles among collegiate competitors and third overall behind a pair of unattached runners, Lacena Golding-Clark (12.88) and former UTSA All-American Ryanne Dupree (13.25). Jones’ time was aided by a 2.9 meters/second wind, which is under the 4.0 m/s allowed for regional qualifying, and improved her previous career-best of 14.09 registered at the Border Olympics on March 1. Jones also finished third in the 400m hurdles in 1:02.66, just off her season-best of 1:02.38.
Michalik unleashed a personal-best throw of 41.03 meters on her second attempt, bettering the runner-up toss of 40.73m by Texas State’s Kelli VanVleet in winning the javelin for the second time this season. Senior Chelsea Malina was fifth overall and fourth among collegians with a season-long 35.29m mark, while Dupree took third (39.68m).
Brooks led a 1-2 showing in the 800m, circling twice in a season-best time of 2:15.12, while freshman Jayde James was right behind in second with a season-best 2:15.24 clocking. Sophomore Faith Barlow placed fifth in 2:19.29, also a personal-best.
The 400m relay team of junior Shanelle Slaughter, senior Brittany Epps, Jones and junior Ashley Jackson passed the baton to a season-best 46.31 clocking to take second behind Rice (45.75). That performance bettered the previous season-best of 46.77 posted last Saturday at the Javelina Invitational.
Slaughter also picked up a runner-up finish in the 100m with a windy season-best of 12.08, while Jackson raced to a season-best 24.75 for fifth in the 200m.
In other action, Epps leaped to a third-place mark of 5.75m in the long jump, sophomore Dana Mecke timed 4:36.60 for fifth in the fast section of the 1,500m, the 1,600m relay team of Epps, Brooks, Jackson and freshman Shavonne Armbrister placed third in 3:49.26 and senior Rikki Gray cleared 5-3, just off her season-best of 5-3 ?, to tie for fourth in the high jump.
The Roadrunners travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the prestigious Drake Relays next Thursday-Saturday, April 24-26.