UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior sprinter Gloria Asumnu tied a track record and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 60-meter dash, and senior distance runner Aubrey Phillips set a school record in the 5,000-meter run Friday at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup at the Horace Ashenfelter Multi-Sport Facility on the campus of Penn State University.
Asumnu won the 60m in 7.26 seconds, automatically qualifying her for the NCAA Championship. She also tied a track record for the Horace Ashenfelter Multi-Sport Facility, and tied the mark for best 60m time in the nation so far in the 2008 season. Phillips won the 5,000m and set a school record in the event with a time of 17:05.31, beating her own previous school best by more than 34 seconds.
Freshman Laurie Dalrymple placed ninth in the 5,000m with a time of 17:59.97, and sophomore Olivia Kizzee posted a 60m preliminary time of 7.86. Other Green Wave athletes competing on the first day of the meet were sophomore Nicolette Taku and freshman Zandria DeBowles in the long jump. Taku finished 21st with a jump of 5.13m (16-10.00) and Debowles placed 29th with a mark of 4.89m (16-00.50). Junior Katarina Busljeta finished 26th in the 20 lb. weight throw with a distance of 12.97m (42-06.75).
Through seven events, Tulane stands fifth as a team with 20 points scored.
Asumnu and Phillips lead the Green Wave back into action as the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup continues Saturday, with the first event scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Live scoring and results of the meet on both Friday and Saturday are available on the Internet at http://gopsusports.cstv.com/livestats/c-track/08relays/index.htm. Final results and a recap will be available on the web at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.