Feb. 3, 2012
Wichita State Day 1 Results
WICHITA, Kan. -- The UT Arlington men's and women's track and field teams had strong individual performances on day one of the Varsity Apartments Invitational in Wichita, Kan., as the teams combined for five individual wins.
Three Maverick men were crowned champions Friday, with two wins coming in field events and one on the track.
Jeff Rodriguez continued his standout season with his third first-place finish in the pole vault. He cleared a mark of 5.21 meters, equaling his top career mark. Meanwhile, fellow field athlete Branko Petrovic netted a victory in the shot put with a season-long throw of 16.13 meters.
On the track, the Mavs had a 1-2 finish in the mile run. Anthony Hilliman logged a clocking of 4:13.21 to outpace Emil Blomberg (4:15.51), who was competing for the first time this season.
In the high jump, Mavericks Kemarki Absalom (2.10) and Isiah Clements (2.10) placed second and third, respectively, with season bests. Clements also placed third in the 400 meters with a time of 49.53.
In addition, Brandon Waller finished third in the triple jump with a mark of 14.36 meters and took fourth in the long jump (7.29m).
The Mavericks claimed the third through fifth spots in the 3000 meters with Cody Widener (8:45.98), Aaron Purser (8:46.02) and Robert Gribble (8:47.00) nipping each other's heels.
The 4x400-meter relay squad took the runner-up spot with a time of 3:19.23. That team consisted of Sheldon Moss, Jalan Batiste, Jonathan Todd and Anthony Rene.
Two women brought home titles, as DeAndrea Smith won the 400 meters with a time of 55.95, which matched her best mark of the year. In a distance event, Emily Koenig was the champion of the 3000 meters, posting a season-best time of 9:55.21.
UTA had a trio of performers place well in the 800, as Lindsey Putman was the runner-up in 2:11.13, while Ashly Wright took third (2:12.01) and Elin Andersson placed fourth in 2:14.01.
Putman also had a strong showing in the mile run, as she took third with a time of 4:58.04, edging teammate Sydney Hampton (4:58.23).
The 4x400 meter relay team of Breonna Baldwin, Wright, Kailey Bostic and Smith placed fourth with a time of 3:49.51.
The meet will finish up Saturday with competition beginning at 9:45 a.m. with the men's heptathlon 60-meter hurdles. Running events begin at 2 p.m.
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