BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ingeborg Gruenwald grabbed gold in the women's long jump with a record-setting performance and Maddie Boswell and Diego Pettorossi set school marks on the track to lead the UTSA track & field teams on Saturday at the Conference USA Indoor Championships at Birmingham CrossPlex.
Gruenwald leaped to a winning mark of 6.42 meters (21-0.75) on her first attempt of the day to successfully defend her conference crown and better her own UTSA standard of 6.35m (20-10) set two weeks ago at the Charlie Thomas Invitational. A native of Salzburg, Austria, she soared past 20 feet on three of her five other jumps in cruising to her fourth career C-USA medal and also improving her own Austrian U23 record.
Boswell raced to a school record while picking up the bronze medal in the women's 5,000 meters. The senior transfer from Texas clocked a time of 16:52.58 to finish third behind Southern Miss' Olivia Wawrzyniak (16:33.99) and Charlotte's Louise Lounes (16:35.64). Boswell's time eclipsed the previous UTSA indoor 5,000m mark of 16:55.14 established by Isabel Balbontin at the 2014 C-USA Indoor.
Pettorossi stopped the clock in a time of 21.15 seconds to win his preliminary heat of the men's 200 meters and earn a spot in Sunday's final. A native of Bologna, Italy, who transferred to UTSA after an All-America career at Angelo State, he eclipsed the previous school standard of 21.23 set by Nate Brunette at the 2013 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships and bettered his previous season best of 21.30 posted two weeks ago.
Oreoluwa Adamson made it a 1-2 finish for the Roadrunners in the women's long jump. The London, England, native secured silver with a leap of 6.02m (19-9), the best jump of her young UTSA indoor career. Adamson was in fifth place after measuring 5.88m (19-3.5) on her first try before unleashing her longest measurement of the day on her third trip down the runway, collecting her second career C-USA medal in the process.
Acacia Astwood earned the bronze medal in the women's weight throw with a season-best performance. Sitting in fourth place with a mark of 18.08m (59-4), the transfer from UNLV and Bahamas native measured 18.64m (61-2) on her sixth attempt to move onto the podium. Her final throw bettered her previous season best of 18.23m posted at the Ted Nelson Invitational in her UTSA debut last month.
Earlier in the day, Maren Wilms moved up four total spots in the final two events of the pentathlon to grab fifth place with 3,468 points. She entered the long jump in ninth after opening with a time of 9.48 in the 60m hurdles, a height of 1.54m (5-0.5) in the high jump and a mark of 9.08m (29-9.5) in the shot put. A native of Germany, she measured 5.63m (18-5.75) for the second-best long jump in the field before racing to the top 800m time of 2:23.02 for 783 points in the final discipline, securing her third straight top-five showing in the C-USA pentathlon.
The UTSA women lead the team standings with 34 points through the first six scored events. Charlotte and FIU are tied for second with 30 points apiece, while Rice is fourth with 29.
The UTSA men piled up 19 points in the long jump behind a 2-3-4 finish. Sam Healy leaped to the third C-USA silver medal of his UTSA career with a mark of 7.56 meters (24-9.75) to finish second behind Middle Tennessee's Benjamin Onyekwelu (7.69m). Christiaan Le Roux nabbed the bronze after breaking the sand at a distance of 7.35m (24-1.5), his top indoor long jump as a Roadrunner, while Jemuel Miller moved up five spots into fourth on his sixth and final jump of the afternoon with a season-best measurement of 7.33m (24-0.75).
Grant Szalek tallied 3.5 points in the high jump by soaring over the bar at 2.04m (6-8.25) on his first try to tie for fifth place. In fact, the Australian was successful on his opening two heights prior to his final clearance, which was a season best.
Jonathan Barraza supplied two points with a seventh-place finish in the men's pole vault. The freshman from San Antonio Harlan High School topped 4.29m on his third and final attempt at his opening height before clearing 4.44m on his first try and 4.59m (15-0.75) on his second trip down the runway.
The UTSA men are in fifth place in the team race with 24.5 points, just ahead of North Texas (24) and close behind a third-place tie between Middle Tennessee and UTEP (30). Charlotte leads with 54.5 and Rice is second (47).
Joel McFarlane has scored 3,105 points through four events to claim the lead in the men's heptathlon after the first day. The Monikie, Scotland, native opened with a 7.05 clocking in the 60m for 865 points and third place before taking the lead with a leap of 7.19m (23-7.25) worth 608 points in the long jump. The 2021 C-USA Indoor silver medalist maintained his spot atop the 10-man field with a measurement of 13.00m (42-8) in the shot put and a clearance of 1.81m (6-2.75) in the high jump with three events left on Sunday.
Justin Wright is in ninth place in the heptathlon, scoring 2,360 points during a day highlighted by a 7.78 clocking in the 60m and a 1.81m (5-11.25) leap in the high jump.
In preliminary action on the track, UTSA advanced a total of 13 to Sunday's finals, seven for the women and six on the men's side.
A pair of UTSA women moved on to Sunday in two different sprints. Thennelle Williams and Vera Chinedu each won their preliminary heat in the 60m with times of 7.54 and 7.58, respectively. Then came back an hour later to advance in the 200m as Williams won her heat in 24.55 and Chinedu crossed first in hers with a 24.71 clocking.
Marie Duvigneau moved on in the 400m with a 55.71, which won her heat and was fifth overall.
Abby Balli advanced in the women's mile with the eighth-fastest qualifying time of 4:55.21 as the reigning silver medalist smashed her previous personal best by nearly five seconds, while Brooke Lomax clocked an indoor personal-best time of 2:14.40 to move on in the 800m.
For the men, Pettorossi led a trio of Roadrunners that made it through the 200m prelims with his school-record race, as Jose Garcia (21.56) and Trevion McCalla (21.59) will join him in Sunday's final. The Italian also stayed alive in the 60m with a 6.76 clocking, good for fifth in the field and him in a tie with Cedric Harris as the No. 2 all-time performer in program history.
Bashiru Abdullahi, the 2020 C-USA Indoor champion and runner-up a year ago, cruised to a time of 7.93 to win his heat of the 60m hurdles and secure a spot in Sunday's final.
Mike Roth made his Roadrunners debut by posting the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the 400m with a 48.53.
Sunday's action is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m.
UTSA Results
Men
60 Meters (prelims)
5. Diego Pettorossi 6.76Q
9. Jose Garcia 6.85
10. Trevion McCalla 6.87
18. Brice Chabot 7.07
200 Meters (prelims)
1. Diego Pettorossi 21.15q
4. Jose Garcia 21.56q
5. Trevion McCalla 21.59q
17. Brice Chabot 22.19
400 Meters (prelims)
4. Mike Roth 48.53q
14. Logan Masters 49.86
15. Noah Rhodes 50.55
800 Meters (prelims)
16. Daniel Morales 1:57.14
20. Victor Charo 1:58.29
Mile (prelims)
15. Michael Paredes 4:20.15
19. JD Corona 4:26.65
60-Meter Hurdles (prelims)
2. Bashiru Abdullahi 7.93Q
10. Gabriel Green 8.81
Distance Medley Relay
9. UTSA (Daniel Morales, Noah Rhodes, JD Corona, Michael Paredes) 10:38.79
High Jump
5. Grant Szalek 2.04m (6-8.25)
Pole Vault
7. Jonathan Barraza 4.59m (15-0.75)
- Marcus Ramirez NH
Long Jump
2. Sam Healy 7.56 (24-9.75)
3. Christiaan Le Roux 7.35 (24-1.5)
4. Jemuel Miller 7.33m (24-0.75)
Weight Throw
14. Jorge Ayala 14.31m (46-11.5)
16. Angel Robles 13.87m (45-6.25)
Heptathlon (Day 1)
1. Joel McFarlane 3,105 — 60 Meters (7.05/865); Long Jump (7.19m/859); Shot Put (13.00m/667); High Jump (1.90m/714)
9. Justin Wright 2,360 — 60 Meters (7.78/625); Long Jump (6.10m/608); Shot Put (10.09m/491); High Jump (1.81m/636)
Women
60 Meters (prelims)
4. Thennelle Williams 7.54Q
5. Vera Chinedu 7.58Q
200 Meters (prelims)
5. Thennelle Williams 24.55q
7. Vera Chinedu 24.71q
25. Geraldy Barron 26.22
400 Meters (prelims)
5. Marie Duvigneau 55.71q
11. Alanah Yukich 57.64
14. Mackenzie Grimes 58.70
22. Ibiso David-West 59.53
- Creshaun Cresser FS
800 Meters (prelims)
8. Brooke Lomax 2:14.40q
17. Maddy Blair 2:23.36
Mile (prelims)
8. Abby Balli 4:55.21q
29. Chante Dixon 5:26.55
5,000 Meters
3. Maddie Boswell 16:52.58
Long Jump
1. Ingeborg Gruenwald 6.42m (21-0.75)
2. Oreoluwa Adamson 6.02m (19-9)
10. Sigrid Kleive 5.74m (18-10)
12. Danielle Spence 5.62m (18-5.25)
18. Maren Wilms 5.43m (17-9.75)
Weight Throw
3. Acacia Astwood 18.64m (61-2)
13. Lacee Barnes 16.35m (53-7.75)
- Zoe Shanklin FOUL
Pentathlon
5. Maren Wilms 3,468 — 60-Meter Hurdles (9.48/812); High Jump (1.54m/666); Shot Put (9.08m/469); Long Jump (5.63m/738); 400 Meters (2:23.02/783)
-UTSA-
