Records Continue to Fall as Season Winds Down

As the track and field teams move toward the end of the season the Pirates continue to get stronger, eclipsing numerous Southwestern University records. Three records fell as the men's and women's track & field teams competed in the McMurry Relays on Thursday afternoon. The meet is the final competition before the SCAC Championships on April 22^nd.

Nekia Tharps set the tone for the teams as the meet got underway. She finished first in her heat and 6^th overall in the women's long jump with a best attempt of 4.82 meters. Kelly Myers followed Tharps' performance up with a sixth place finish of her own in the women's triple jump, going 10.08 meters.

Jodi Wilson came in sixth in her flight in the women's javelin with a throw of 26.76 meters while Daniel Poole continues to improve on his already impressive performances in the event. Poole's throw of 44.38m (145',6") earned him eighth place in the event and shattered his own record by two feet.

The men continued to compete well with a ninth place finish in the 5000 meter run by Thomas Bobbitt. His time of 17:40.60 was just outside of scoring points for the Pirates and was the highest Division III finisher in the event while teammate Philip Davis came in 14^th with a time of 19:34.90.

In the women's 1500 meter run Lilly Duarte snagged fifth place and four points for SU with a time of 5:01.81 while Christina Hadly finished in 5:32.48. In the men's edition Sam Martinez posted a sixth place finish for three points with a personal best time of 4:07.95 while Allen Smith was just outside of earning points with an eighth place finish with a time of 4:31.45.

The Pirate women had their best showing of the day in the 100 meter hurdles, earning eight team points in the event. Tharps finished in a time of 16.41 for 8^th place while Kelly Myers broke a decade old SU record with a time of 15.72, taking fourth place and earning five points. Tharps scored another point for SU in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.16 for an 8^th place finish overall, second in her flight.

Lando Duarte closed things out on the men's side with a fourth place finish in an SU record time of 1:59.01 in the 800.

Other point scoring runs for the Pirate women was a fifth place finish in the 4x100. The team of Dianna Urrego, Myers, Wilson and Tharps finished in a time of 57.00 to earn four points. Sarah Puffer scored two more points for the team in the 400 hurdles with a sixth place finish in a time of 1:18.51. The 4x400 team of Emily Ammon, Hadly, Meg Greenfield and Duarte snatched up two points with a time of 4:25.91.

The 4x400 men's team of Brady Kent, Alex Sheppard, Allen Smith and Duarte earned four points for their fifth place finish in the final event of the day.

Southwestern heads to Memphis, Tenn. for the SCAC Championships beginning on April 22^nd.

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