BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ingeborg Gruenwald captured her first conference title and Sam Healy, Grant Szalek and Jack Turner all earned spots on the podium to highlight UTSA's opening-day action at the Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Birmingham CrossPlex.
Gruenwald took top honors in the women's long jump to lead a quartet of Roadrunners who scored points in the event. The sophomore leaped to a mark of 6.10 meters (20-0.25) on her second attempt of the competition to help ensure a spot in the final round of three additional jumps. After fouling on her fourth trip down the runway, the Salzburg, Austria, native posted jumps of 6.08m (19-11.5) and 6.09m (19-11.75), giving her three measurements that were better than the top mark of runner-up Patricia Johnson of Southern Miss (6.04m/19-9.75).
Gruenwald became the first Roadrunner to win a C-USA title in the event and it marks the fourth league crown in the long jump and the first since Morgan Moszee's 2006 victory in the Southland Conference. Her 6.10 leap was just shy of her season-best 6.13m posted at the Charlie Thomas Invitational two weeks ago and only eight centimeters short of her career best of 6.18m (20-3.5) recorded in collecting a bronze medal at last year's conference meet.
Sigrid Kleive placed fifth in the long jump with a leap of 5.87m (19-3.25), while Oreoluwa Adamson and Johanna Soover finished sixth (5.86m/19-2/75) and eighth (5.71m/18-9), respectively, to help the Roadrunners pile up 18 points in the event.
Maren Wilms contributed five points by finishing fourth in the pentathlon for the second straight year with 3,439 points. The sophomore from Melsbach, Germany, opened the five-event competition with a time of 9.63 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles to earn 783 points. She then cleared 1.60m (5-3) for 736 points in the high jump and measured 9.30m (30-6.25) in the shot put. Wilms closed strong with a leap of 5.52m (18-1.5) worth 783 points in the long jump before posting the second-fastest time in the final event, a 2:27.05 clocking in the 800m that accumulated 730 points.
In the final race of the day, the distance medley relay team of Chante Dixon, Creshaun Cresser, Brooke Lomax and Abby Balli placed fourth with a time of 12:08.87.
The women are in fourth place in the team standings with 28 points through six scored events. Charlotte leads with 50, followed by Marshall and Southern Miss in a tie for second with 34.
Meanwhile, Healy and Turner led a strong contingent of Roadrunners in the men's long jump. Healy broke the sand at a season-best distance of 7.21m (23-8) on his first jump of the afternoon to secure the silver medal, while Turner measured 7.18m (23-6.75) — also a season best — to earn the bronze.
Two more season bests helped UTSA tally 22 points in the long jump, as Christie Le Roux jumped 7.15m (23-5.5) to finish fourth and Joel McFarlane took sixth with a mark of 7.05m (23-1.75).
Szalek collected his second career conference medal in the high jump, clearing 2.09m (6-10.25) to claim third place. The senior from Perth, Australia, needed a third attempt at his opening height of 2.04m to stay alive before sailing over the bar at 2.09m on his second try to move into position for a podium finish. That clearance was just shy of his career-best 2.11m posted in a victorious showing at the Aggie Invitational last month, but it surpassed his 2.06m effort in picking up the silver medal at last year's C-USA Indoor.
Joel McFarlane pitched in with one point by grabbing eighth place in the high jump with a clearance of 1.89m (6-2.25).
In other action, JD Corona, Dylan Heritage, Caleb Devereaux and Jake Smith passed the baton to a seventh-place time of 10:33.81 in the distance medley relay, while Jake Sauls cleared 4.59m (15-0.75) for seventh in the pole vault.
The men are in third place in the team race with 33 points. Charlotte paces the field with 60 and Rice is second with 55.
Turner and McFarlane also are in a neck-and-neck battle through the first four events of the heptathlon. Turner, the defending champion, is in first place with 3,138 points and McFarlane is right on his heels in second with 3,029, while Justin Wright is fifth with 2,387 points.
Turner's first-day action was headlined by a career-best clearance of 2.05m (6-8.75) in the high jump worth 850 points and a 7.11 clocking in the 60m that tallied 844 points.
McFarlane opened with 833 points after crossing in 7.14 in the 60m before leaping to an 816-point distance of 7.01m (23-0) in the long jump to highlight his Saturday.
In preliminary action on the track, Bashiru Abdullahi took the first step toward defending his conference crown in the 60m hurdles. The junior school record-holder cruised into the final after clocking a 7.98 to win his heat.
Zack Kovar posted the fifth-fastest time in the 800m prelims with a 1:57.27 to move into Sunday's final, while Harrison Wade stayed alive in the mile with a career-best 4:21.52 clocking that was the 10th-best time in the prelims.
On the women's side Alanah Yukich will make a Sunday appearance in a pair of finals. The sophomore clocked the third-fastest time in the 60m hurdles prelims with a career-best 8.61 and then came back later in the afternoon to register the sixth-best clocking in the 400m with a 57.26.
In addition to helping the DMR place fourth, Balli used a strong finishing kick to clock a personal-best time of 5:00.19 in the mile. That ended up as the third-best time in the field and bettered her previous PR of 5:09.48 from two weeks ago at the Charlie Thomas Invitational.
Faith Roberson also advanced in the 400m with the fifth-best time, a 57.12, while Vera Chinedu clocked a 7.68 in the 60m to move on to Sunday's final.
The final day of the C-USA Indoor will get underway with the 60m hurdles in the men's heptathlon at 8:30 a.m. Field events are slated to begin with the men's shot put and men's triple jump at 10 a.m., while action on the track will start at noon with the men's mile.
UTSA Results
Men
60 Meters (prelims)
9. Bashiru Abdullahi 6.97
10. Kaleb Campbell 6.97
17. Lirim Emerllahu 7.28
200 Meters (prelims)
10. Lirim Emerllahu 22.44
12. Noah Rhodes 22.86
14. Kaleb Campbell 22.94
400 Meters (prelims)
11. Logan Masters 50.79
13. Noah Rhodes 50.92
16. Dylan Heritage 51.53
800 Meters (prelims)
5. Zack Kovar 1:57.27q
9. Caleb Devereaux 1:58.62
15. Michael Paredes 2:01.44
Mile (prelims)
10. Harrison Wade 4:21.52q
11. Jake Smith 4:23.92
14. JD Corona 4:32.14
60-Meter Hurdles (prelims)
1. Bashiru Abdullahi 7.98Q
9. Devall Harris 8.69
— Sam Healy DQ
Distance Medley Relay
7. JD Corona, Dylan Heritage, Caleb Devereaux, Jake Smith 10:33.81
High Jump
3. Grant Szalek 2.09m (6-10.25)
8. Joel McFarlane 1.89m (6-2.25)
— Jack Turner NH
Pole Vault
7. Jake Sauls 4.59m (15-0.75)
10. Marcus Ramirez 4.44m (14-6.75)
Long Jump
2. Sam Healy 7.21m (23-8)
3. Jack Turner 7.18m (23-6.75)
4. Christie Le Roux 7.15m (23-5.5)
6. Joel McFarlane 7.05m (23-1.75)
Weight Throw
14. Angel Robles 13.47m (44-2.5)
16. Jorge Ayala 12.48m (40-11.5)
Heptathlon (Day 1)
1. Jack Turner 3,138
60 Meters— 7.11 (844); Long Jump — 7.09m/23-3.25 (835); Shot Put — 12.04m/39-6 (609); High Jump — 2.05m/6-8.75 (850)
2. Joel McFarlane 3,029
60 Meters — 7.14 (833); Long Jump — 7.01m/23-0 (816); Shot Put — 12.56m/41-2.5 (640); High Jump — 1.93m/6-4 (740)
5. Justin Wright 2,387
60 Meters — 7.86 (601); Long Jump — 6.14m/20-1.75 (617); Shot Put — 10.37m/34-0.25 (508); High Jump — 1.84m/6-0.5 (661)
Women
60 Meters (prelims)
7. Vera Chinedu 7.68q
200 Meters (prelims)
10. Alanah Yukich 25.14
11. Vera Chinedu 25.32
— Taylor Armstrong FS
400 Meters (prelims)
5. Faith Roberson 57.12q
6. Alanah Yukich 57.26q
17. Orla Brothers 59.62
19. Creshaun Cresser 1:00.50
800 Meters (prelims)
9. Brooke Lomax 2:17.28
10. Sofia Salinas 2:18.81
21. Maddy Blair 2:27.81
22. Karina Fernandez 2:28.67
Mile (prelims)
3. Abby Balli 5:00.19Q
11. Chante Dixon 5:12.07
60-Meter Hurdles (prelims)
3. Alanah Yukich 8.61q
— Faith Roberson DNF
Distance Medley Relay
4. Chante Dixon, Creshaun Cresser, Brooke Lomax, Abby Balli 12:08.87
Long Jump
1. Ingeborg Gruenwald 6.10m (20-0.25)
5. Sigrid Kleive 5.87m (19-3.25)
6. Oreoluwa Adamson 5.86m (19-2.75)
8. Johanna Soover 5.71m (18-9)
9. Maren Wilms 5.57m (18-3.25)
11. Danielle Spence 5.53m (18-1.75)
Weight Throw
22. Lacee Barnes 13.62m (44-08.25)
Pentathlon
4. Maren Wilms 3,439
60-Meter Hurdles — 9.63 (783); High Jump — 1.60m/5-3 (736); Shot Put — 9.30m/ 30-6.25 (484); Long Jump — 5.52m/18-1.5 (706); 800 Meters — 2:27.05 (730)
-UTSA-
