HOUSTON – Freshman Danielle Spence claimed her first collegiate event title with a first-place showing in the triple jump at Friday's Howie Ryan Intercollegiate. In all, Spence led a contingent of nine Roadrunners that combined for six top-10 event showings.
Spence, who hails from Jamaica, leapt a UTSA season-best 11.96m on her third attempt of the day. She opened with an 11.83m jump, then recorded an 11.90m leap before claiming the fifth-best leap in UTSA history with her 11.96m.
Victoria Rausch opened UTSA's day on the track with a first-place heat finish in the 60m hurdles. Rausch's personal-best time of 8.53 advanced the junior to the semifinals with the No. 1 seed. In the semifinals, Rausch again won her heat with the round's second-best time of 8.60 to advance to the meet final, which she opted not to run. The Luxembourg native's 8.53 time in the preliminary round ranks third on the UTSA all-time list.
In the men's 60-meter hurdles freshman Devall Harris advanced from the preliminary round with a personal-best 8.58, which was good for 17th overall. In the semifinals he lowered his PR even further to an 8.40 to place 13th overall.
Byron Taylor stopped the clock in a season-best 6.99 in the 60-meter dash to place 13th in the preliminary round. In the semifinals, the senior posted a 7.01 to place 14th overall.
In the women's pole vault, Caroline Bellows placed 10th with a cleared height of 3.55m and Britton Chapman 13th with a vault of 3.25m. Bellows' height was a season-best. Sophomore Kyle Real placed seventh in the men's pole vault with a final height of 4.60m, which was 0.05m shy of his collegiate best.
Derek Fenton led UTSA's efforts in the shot put with a final distance of 15.38m to place sixth. Sophomore Steven Thomas finished millimeters behind Fenton in seventh with a personal-best hurl of 15.34m.
Up next
UTSA travels to Birmingham, Ala., for the 2018 Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The championship meet commences on Sat., Feb. 17 and concludes on Sun., Feb., 18.
UTSA Results
Track Events
60m hurdles prelim (W)
1. Victoria Rausch – 8.53
60m hurdles semifinal (W)
2. Victoria Rausch – 8.60
60m hurdles final (W)
-- Victoria Rausch – DNS
60m hurdles prelim (M)
17. Devall Harris – 8.58
60m hurdles semifinal (M)
13. Devall Harris – 8.40
60m prelim (M)
13. Byron Taylor – 6.99
60m semifinal (M)
14. Byron Taylor – 7.01
Field Events
Pole vault (W)
10. Caroline Bellows – 3.55m
13. Britton Chapman – 3.25m
Pole vault (M)
7. Kyle Real – 4.60m
Triple jump (W)
1. Danielle Spence – 11.96m
Shot put (M)
6. Derek Fenton – 15.38m
7. Steven Thomas – 15.34m
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