NEW ORLEANS - When the Tulane track and field program awoke for their second day of competition at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, they were greeted with eight inches of snow. That frigid weather didn't affect their performance on the oval inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center on the University of Nebraska campus as they captured eight top-ten finishes on the final day of the event.
"I really have a sense that our team is beginning to come together nicely," said head coach Eric Peterson. "We are really beginning to see steady and consistent signs of improvement form all of our different event areas in our program. This is a very encouraging thing to see as we head towards the Conference USA Championship."
The Green Wave opened the final day of competition with a pair of strong performances from the duo of Jamie Riles and Candice St. Etienne. In the 400 meter consolation final, Riles came out on top, claiming the individual title with her second fastest time of the season. The sophomore covered the two laps in 56.54, which would have finished fourth in the championship finals. St. Etienne placed third in the second heat of the competition and finished fourth overall with a time of 57.46.
Also on the oval, Hilary Woods nabbed a pair of third place finishes in consolation finals. The sophomore ran 7.73-seconds over 60-meters and followed that with a personal-best showing in the 200-meter. At the 200-meter distance, Woods broke the tape in 25.10 to post the third fastest time of the season for Tulane.
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In the triple jump, Estefany Cruz and Briana Santiago each qualified for the finals and finished among the top-ten of the 19-person field. Cruz finished third overall, but entered the finals in fourth. The freshman fouled on two of her three attempts in the finals, but on her fifth jump of the competition glided to a 12.35-meter jump, her second best jump of the season.
"Estefany and Briana have been two of the most consistent performers on our roster during the indoor season," said Peterson. "They both have competed well in each one of our indoor meets, but in today's competitions, with both making the final in a meet that had strong jumpers from across the country is a great sign for them. While neither jumper posted personal bests, they continued to show signs of consistency and I am excited for them as we move forward."
Santiago continued to show consistency on the runway in 2012, posting two of her four measured jumps over 11.50-meters. The Gulf Breeze, Fla. native flew to a 11.54-meter jump on her first attempt and landed 11.75-meters from the board on her second attempt. Her mark of 11.75-meters was her best of the day, but she qualified for the finals and claimed a seventh place overall finish.
A pair of high jumpers cleared the 1.65-meter bar, with sophomore Melanie Mainor tying for tenth place and senior Zandria Debowles placing 14th. Mainor set a personal best with the clearance, while DeBowles set a season-best. Mainor cleared the opening height of 1.60-meters on her first attempt, while DeBowles cleared the height on her second attempt, marking the difference in the place.
In the pole vault, freshman Jessica Knierim cleared a career-best height of 3.52-meters to tie for 18th place. The height was the best performance the career of the Randolph, N.J. native and her best mark since her junior year of high school.
"I think one of the good things that came out of this meet was the emergence of Hilary Woods and Melanie Mainor, based on their previous personal records. Hilary ran lifetime bests in both of her events, advancing to the consolation finals in both of those, but showed an amazing amount of consistency from yesterday's qualifying to today's finals. She is a very hard worker and takes her training and competition opportunities very seriously and it is great to see her starting to have some success. Melanie has shown significant signs of improvement as we leave this meet, which is encouraging."
Tulane will travel to the Tyson Invitational next weekend to compete in the two day meet starting on Friday, Feb. 10 at Noon and running through Saturday, Feb. 11 evening.
Day Two Results at 2012 Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational
60 Meter Consolation Final
3. Hilary Woods, 7.73
200 Meter Consolation Final
3. Hilary Woods, 25.10 *
5. Tiffanie Smith, 25.31
400 Meter Consolation Final
1. Jamie Riles, 56.54
4. Candice St. Etienne, 57.46
High Jump
T-10.Melanie Mainor, 1.65m *
14. Zandria Debowles, 1.65m
Katelyn Price, NH
Triple Jump
3. Estefany Cruz, 12.35m
7. Briana Santiago, 11.75m
Pole Vault
T-18. Jessica Knierim, 3.52m *