Complete Results
ANN ARBOR, Mich. ? The USF track and field team turned in its best performance of the season Saturday at the Red Simmons Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Bulls captured six event crowns while adding 27 top five finishes in 20 different events.
Senior Jazmine Highsmith paced USF in the throws events, capturing her second first-place title in the weight throw in as many meets with a career-high 18.31m toss. Freshman Lauren Noe finished second behind Highsmith with a 16.56m throw while classmate Atasha Warren set a career high with 14.98m. Warren also registered a third-place finish in the shot put at 13.49m while freshman Marcus Hicks added a 13.38m shot put throw, good for seventh place.
The second first-place finish of the day for USF came in pole vault competition where sophomore Stephanie Duffy set the standard with a season-best 12-1.50. Sophomore Dana Webb and senior Sean Young both recorded second place finishes in the event clearing the bar at 11-7.75 and 16-2.75, respectively. Freshman Kirk Dandridge added a 14-9.00, good for fifth place while junior Melissa Cousin chalked up a seventh place finish (10-8.00).
High jump competition saw the Bulls add their third event crown of the day as senior Errol Blackmon brought home the gold with a 6-8.25 leap. Junior Michael Kursteiner finished second in the event (6-6.25) while freshman Alex Rosenberger made it over at 5-00.25, good for an eighth-place finish.
Antillo Bastian continued to be a force for USF in horizontal jumps competition, posting first-place finishes in both the long jump (22-2.50) and triple jump (46-2.50). Senior Vanetta Randle added an eighth place finish in the long jump at 17-2.75 while junior Samantha Shade posted a career-best 38-11.50 in triple jump competition to capture the silver.
“Green & Gold” hurdlers Glenn Fowler and Yvana Hepburn each posted third-place finishes in the 60m hurdles. Fowler's 8.07 finish in the event earned him the bronze while Hepburn set a career-high with 8.60, shaving nine seconds off her former career mark.
The Bulls carried their momentum into sprints competition, adding four more season-best performances to the already successful outing. Randle led things off in the 60m, crossing the finish line in a career-best 7.81. Gregory Fontus and D'Andre Ruff both improved their times in the 60m from the Indiana Invitational, placing fourth (7.00) and fifth (7.03), respectively. Fontus also led the Bulls in the 200m, posting a second-place finish (22.32), while Ruff set a season-high with 23.08 to take fifth place. Veterans Randle and Hepburn posted fifth (26.28) and sixth (26.87) place finishes in the event, respectively. Rookie Reshaw Exilien captured the bronze in the 400m (50.45) while classmate Alex Rosenberger's 1:04.68 finish was good for eighth.
In middle distance competition senior Carlan Arthur posted a third-place finish in the event at 1:55.45 while junior Mikail Ebanks set a season-high with a 1:57.88 to finish fourth. Freshman Shaniel Chambers picked up final event crown for the Bulls ? and her first career first-place finish ? in the 800m with a time of 2:14.29. Fellow freshman Christine Johnston finished fifth in the event (2:22.54) while Nicole Rozario finished 11th at 2:29.38. Senior Ashley Grigsby chalked up a team-best ninth-place finish (1:38.72) while juniors Josh Wimbley and Kayla Richmond finished the event in 1:25.68 and 1:41.59, respectively.
The Bulls also got strong performances from their distance squad in the mile run and 3000m events. Veterans Pernilla Savestrand and Ryan Courtoy set the pace, each turning in season-best performances in the mile at 5:04.62 and 4:29.12, respectively. Freshman Yasmin Smith added a fourth-place finish (5:06.10) in her first collegiate mile competition while Rozario finished 10th at 5:16.02 and Johnston set a career-high in the event with 5:24.09. Freshman Jen Wynands and Allie Prendergast rounded out distance competition in the 3000m with third (10:23.56) and fourth (10:30.74) place finishes, respectively.
The meet marks the last January competition for the men's track and field team, which will return to action Feb. 6-7 at New York's New Balance Invitational. Meanwhile, the women's track and field team will continue its indoor season in Boston, Mass. at the Rebook Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 31. The women will then join the men at the New Balance Invitational in the last indoor meet for both teams before the BIG EAST Championship.
