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Track & Field: Rice Women Earn Three Conference Crowns
5/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
- Results
EL PASO The Rice women claimed three individual titles Friday at the Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in El Paso.
Jessica Sommerfeld set the pace for the Owls, winning the shot put with a throw of 48-10 3/4. Alice Falaiye furthered the effort, taking home the long jump title with a leap of 20-9 3/4. Rice ended the day with a near sweep of the points in the 10,000-meter run. Katie Waite won the event in a time 39:57.48, followed by teammates Summer Bell, who finished second, Malia Mason in third and Marisa Bono and Allison Cox in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Kari Vigerstol added six points to the Owls' total with a third-place, 10:03.49 showing in the 3,000 meters. Shaquandra Roberson and Aimee Teteris qualified for Saturday's finals in the 800 meters by winning their respective heats in the preliminaries. LaKeisha Robertson and Margaret Fox are each slated to compete in the 100- and 200-meter finals after making the cut in the first round. Kelechi Anderson is also set to run in finals as she survived the preliminary elimination in the 400 meters.
For the men, Charlie Ghandour placed third in the javelin with a throw of 207-11. Rice's long jumping tandem of Drexel Owusu and Tommy Oleksy collected 14 points for the Owls with a two-three finish in the event. Owusu landed 24-10 from the board as Oleksy marked 24-7 3/4. John Jura capped off the day by coming in second in the 10,000 in 31:57.24.
Scott Byer and Justin Burrow are each lined up to run in the finals of the 800 as Byer won his preliminary heat and Burrow qualified by time, and Rashad Stafford, Kevin Bowen and Frank Miller are all three on the bill for the 400-meter hurdle finals.
The women are currently in second place with 65 points. Fresno State is in the lead with 80 and Southern Methodist University is in third with 29. The men are in fourth place with 29 points. SMU is on top with 60 followed closely by Fresno State with 56 and Texas-El Paso with 51.
Action resumes Saturday at 2:30 pm with the women's hammer. Running events begin at 5 pm.
