Pole Vaulters, 4 x 100 Relay Team, 800 Meter Runners Highlight Day Two for T&F at Alabama Relays
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 Sophomore Jack White posted a top-ten Tulane finish in the 800 meters on Saturday at the Alabama Relays |
March 22, 2014
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Following a day in which the Tulane track and field coaching staff raved about the improved marks made by the team during the first day at the John Mitchell Alabama Relays at Sam Bailey Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., six 800 meter runners and two pole vaulters posted new personal bests while the men's 4 x 100 meter relay team ran one of the fastest times in school history on Saturday.
On Friday night, eight Green Wave athletes notched new personal bests against some stiff competition.
"I'm just impressed with our significant levels of improvement in all of the different areas of this team," stated Tulane track and field director Eric Peterson.
Three Green Wave men and three Green Wave women took to the track in the 800 meter run, and all six came out with new top times. Sophomore Jessica Adamson (2:13.62), junior Michelle Kreutzberg (2:14.52) and freshman Sara Kebede (2:15.76) each shaved significant time off their previous bests. All three finished in the top 15 on Saturday, as well, as Adamson placed seventh, Kreutzberg placed 10th and Kebede came in 14th.
On the men's side, sophomore Jack White annihilated his former previous top time with a 1:53.65 finish, good for 11th on the day. For the second consecutive day, his performance earned him a spot in the Tulane record book, as Saturday's time marks the ninth fastest time in the event in Tulane history.
Freshman Kade Kistner and sophomore Jonathan Heil also posted new personal bests, finishing the event in 1:54.50 and 1:57.26, respectively. Kistner's time is good for 11th fastest in school history.
"It's really important for our kids to have competition on a daily basis," mentioned Peterson. "On the men's side, Jack and Kade work very well together, but they also do a great job of competing and pushing each other. Sara, Michelle and Jessica all do the same thing. Anytime you can build clusters of athletes like this, it will very likely lead to higher levels of performances. It's not surprising to me at all at a meet of this caliber that they all stepped up and performed the way they did."
The performances of Kebede and White are particularly impressive, seeing that they both ran in the 1,500 meter run on Friday night.
"For them to double up and run two events in lifetime best fashions is incredible," added Peterson.
In the pole vault, three Green Wave women performed, and two freshmen finished the day with new top marks. Freshman Mary Carson Pitts posted a new Tulane freshman record in the event with a mark of 3.87 meters (12-8.25), doubling as the third best pole vault in outdoor school history.
"Mary Carson was awesome today," mentioned Peterson. "She and Joanna (Lapucha) fought hard for these results today. They would miss a bar and then come back at another attempt and make it. They grinded through the competition and did a good job. Mary Carson set a great, new personal record for her. She had two amazingly good attempts at 3.97 meters which would have been a lifetime best for her. Mary Carson has a lot of talent, and she works very hard. She has a real bright future, and she is just scratching the surface on her potential."
Fellow freshman Emma Staisloff leapt 3.72 meters (12-2.5), nearly two-tenths of a meter better than her previous high. Her mark remains the fifth best in Tulane history.
"Emma had a limited indoor season, and she hasn't competed near as much as she could have, but she is practicing well and she is coming into meets and it is translating into her performance," added Peterson.
Lapucha recorded a height of 3.87 meters (12-8.25) in the pole vault on Saturday.
Tulane's 4 x 100 meter relay team, comprised totally of Green Wave football players, blew away the previous top time on the season by a relay team. Freshman Sherman Badie, freshman Richard Allen, sophomore Devon Breaux and junior Taurean Nixon notched a time of 41.52, good for sixth place in school history.
"They are all excellent athletes, and they are fast," said Peterson of his four relay runners. "There is no doubt in my mind that they are going to run a very fast 4 x 100 relay by the end of the season. But they still have a lot of work to do. We have to improve on the handoffs and we have to make sure they continue to develop their strength and speed while staying healthy. By the end of the season, our goal is to have them primed and ready to compete for a possible Conference USA Championship as well as an NCAA Regional."
Next weekend, the Green Wave will host their lone meet of the season, the Tulane Team Challenge. The competition will be held at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park on Saturday, March 29.
Fans can follow the Tulane track and field programs on Twitter (@GreenWaveXCTF) or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TulaneXCTF.
Tulane Results for the Alabama Relays
Women
Women's 800 Meter Run
7. Jessica Adamson, 2:13.62 *
10. Michelle Kreutzberg, 2:14.52 *
14. Sara Kebede, 2:15.76 *
Women's 100m Hurdles
24. Dominique Hever, 15.30 !
Women's Pole Vault
7. Mary Carson Pitts, 3.87m (12-8.25) *
9. Joanna Lapucha, 3.87m (12-8.25)
12. Emma Staisloff, 3.72m (12-2.5) *
Women's Discus Throw
--Cheyenne Swanson, Foul
Men
Men's 800 Meter Run
11. Jack White, 1:53.65 *
15. Kade Kistner, 1:54.50 *
29. Jonathan Heil, 1:57.26 *
Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
6. Nicholas Meloro, 10:30.94
Men's 4 x 100 Meter Relay
9. Tulane (Badie, Allen, Breaux, Nixon), 41.52
Men's Discus Throw
--Thomas Lynch, Foul
*= Personal Best
!= Converted Time