University of Arizona
LSU Alumni Gold Calssic
Men?s 4x400-Meter Relay Team Sets No. 2 Time In UA History
04/19/2015 | Track and Field
Baton Rouge, La. – The University of Arizona Wildcat men's and women's track and field teams finished the weekend of competition on Saturday afternoon. Arizona had athletes in two locations, first, at the 57th annual Mt. SAC Relays at Historic Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif. The other group competed at the LSU Alumni Gold Classic in Baton Rouge, La.
At the Mt. SAC Relays, sophomore Collins Kibet posted the No. 2 time of his career in the 800-meter race at 1:47.23. That time was good for fourth place overall in the invitational “A” section. At the same meet, sophomore Aaron Castle took seventh place invitational section of the men's shot put with a toss of 60-0.5 (18.30m).
“I thought we had an average meet with some standout performances,” head coach Fred Harvey said, regarding the LSU Alumni Classic. “It was, in golf terms, a “par” type of meet.”
The quartet of junior Blake Eichler, senior Pete Lauderdale II, sophomore Bryce Houston and sophomore Miles Parish clocked a time of 3:07.04 in the men's 4x400-meter relay. That is the seventh-best time in the country on the year and the No. 2 time in school history. Arizona's time is also tops in the Pac-12 this year. They finished the race in second place overall.
“I think they are knocking on the door for the school record (3:05.81),” head coach Fred Harvey said. “I think they are going to take that down.”
Sophomore heptathlete Aleah Hurst posted a personal-best mark in the long jump at 19-9 (6.04m, +1.4 wind). Hurst has now placed in herself in a great position to make the NCAA West Preliminaries in the event.
Freshman Tatum Waggoner posted a big personal-best time of 54.09 in the women's 400-meter sprint. That time is a team-best mark on the year and solidifies her spot in the event at the NCAA West Preliminaries. Waggoner won her section and took third place overall in the “B” section. Junior Gia Trevisan finished in fifth place at 55.36 while sophomore Jasper Gray's time of 55.75 was good for 10th place.
“Far and away the standpoint performance at LSU on the day was Tatum Waggoner,” Harvey said. “She's the most complex athlete I've ever been around. She's been running these huge personal bests in the 200 meters, has great strength and has been training really well with coach (Francesca) Green. But, her 400-meter race just wasn't coming around. She put it together and dropped 1.5 seconds in her 400-meter time. I was really pleased with her.”
The women's 4x100-meter relay team of sophomore Bealoved Brown, Waggoner, junior Traci-Lynn Hicks and sophomore Rachel Johns clocked a season-best time of 45.71 and took fourth place overall. In the 4x400-meter relay, Waggoner, Trevisan, Gray and freshman Katelin Warren clocked a time of 3:44.08 and took sixth place in heat two.
Senior Pete Lauderdale II clocked a time of 46.82 in the 400-meter sprint, good for fourth place overall in the “A” section. It is the fourth time in four races that Lauderdale that has run under 47 seconds this outdoor season. Freshman Tyrell Johnson ran the exact same time he ran at the Jim Click Shootout, only this time it was wind-aided. He took 11th place with his time of 10.43 (+2.6 wind). Johnson then made his debut in the 200-meter sprint, clocking a time of 21.55 (+1.5 wind) and taking third place in heat two of the “A” section.
Junior decathletes Harrison Ivie and Pau Tonnesen competed in the 200-meter sprint. Tonnesen clocked a time of 23.29 (+0.7 wind), the No. 2 time of his career. Ivie finished the race in 23.32 (+0.7 wind), the No. 3 time of his career. Tonnesen took one try in the long jump and posted a wind-aided mark of 23-2 (7.06m, +3.3 wind). Tonnesen also cleared 6-8.25 (2.04m) in the high jump competition, good for a tie in third place.
Freshman heptathlete Tiana Bonds won the “B” section of the 100-meter hurdles with a wind-aided time of 14.14 (+2.2 wind). Bonds then made her collegiate debut in 400-meter hurdles, running 62.42 and taking seventh place in the “B” section. Bonds also long jumped and posted a mark of 18-5 (5.61m, +1.7 wind), good for second place in the open section. That is the second-best jump of her career.
Sophomore heptathlete Alyssa Thompson clocked a time of 14.84 (+1.7 wind) and finished in eighth place overall. Thompson ran in the 400-meter hurdles “A” section and clocked a time of 63.06. It was her first time running the race as a Wildcat. Thompson competed in the invitational long jump section and took sixth place with a mark of 19-4.25 (5.93m, +1.4 wind).
Warren took second place overall with a time of 2:13.26 in the women's 800-meter race “B” section. Hicks ran in the “A” section of the 100-meter hurdles and clocked a wind-aided time of 14.04 (+2.3 wind), good for 17th place.
Former Wildcat All-American Shapri Romero ran the 400-meter sprint in 52.15, a very fast time that was good for the win. LaTisha Holden-Palmer, a former Wildcat All-American as well, ran 13.11 (+3.1 wind) in the 100-meter hurdles. Another alumnus, Echos Blevins, an All-American on the women's 4x400-meter relay team in 2012, ran in the race with Romero and took fifth place with a time of 54.00. That time was good for third place in heat overall.
For continued coverage of Arizona Wildcat men's and women's track and field, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and follow @ArizonaTrack on Twitter.
