HAMMOND - Once again, the only two Lions in competition had big days at the Texas Relays. Sophomore hurdler Adlus Wiltz posted a qualifying time of 52.29 seconds in the 400 m hurdles and senior thrower Colleena Collins advanced to the finals of the women's hammer throw with a toss of 176 ft. 4 in. (53.76 m) as day two of the 81st annual four-day event drew to a close.
Wiltz, who had been nursing a hamstring injury earlier in the outdoor season, finished 13th in a field of top-level athletes in the 400 m hurdles. Despite missing out on a top-ten finish and a place in the championship heat, Wiltz's time of 52.29 came in .22 seconds under the NCAA's Regional Qualifying time of 52.51 seconds. The top 16 finishes in the event, including the next three hurdlers behind Wiltz, all came in under the NCAA's qualifying time.
"It's not very often you see a guy run well enough to qualify for an NCAA Regional while missing out on the top ten," Southeastern track and field coach Sean Brady said. "Adlus ran very well against an elite field on a very windy day that wasn't conducive to putting up good times. Any time you can do that it bodes well for you the rest of the way. It really just speaks to the quality of the competition we're going up against here in Texas and how hard our kids are competing."
On the women's side, senior thrower Colleena Collins claimed advanced to the finals of the women's hammer throw with six throws over 166 ft. 6 in. (50.75 m), capping her day with a ninth-place toss of 176 ft. 4 in. (53.76 m) that fell approximately 16 inches (.39 m) from the NCAA Qualifying mark of 177 ft. 8 in. (54.15 m).
"Colleena did well today," Brady said. "She's continuing to improve in the weight throw, and she's already throwing four or five feet farther than she was at this point last season. It's another good sign that she's on the right track and can score at some events later this year."
The two Lions follow Southeastern freshman Henry Rop and junior Everlyn Matonyei as the only two Lion competitors on their day at the University of Texas hosted event. The Lions will return to action on Friday as the sprint and distance relays highlight the Lions chances to score at the prestigious meet.
"This is one of the biggest meets you will see this season," Brady said. "There are a lot of high-level competitors from around the country here and to see the way our kids have performed these first two days says a lot."