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Garnetta Holloway Fifth in Sea Ray Relays Heptathlon 4/13/2006 Sets Four Personal Records in Career Best Effort Knoxville, Tenn. — Commodore multi-event standout Garnetta Holloway used personal-best efforts in four events to accumulate the third highest heptathlon total by a Vanderbilt athlete during a superb showing at the Sea Ray Relays. Holloway, a senior from Cleveland, Tenn., accumulated 5,239 points in the heptathlon held Wednesday and Thursday at the University of Tennessee track complex. Holloway’s total was more than 300 points higher than her previous best in the event, which came during a seventh-place finish at the 2005 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Holloway finished the competition fifth overall, and second among collegiate athletes. She trailed Jennifer McCoy of Ball State by 52 points. “I was so proud of how Garnetta competed, from the first event to the last,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Lori Shepard said. “She came in mentally prepared and really focused on putting together a great heptathlon. In accomplishing that, she moved to the next level. I’m very happy for her.” Holloway’s performance gets the Commodores off to a fast start at the four-day Sea Ray Relays. This weekend, more than a dozen of Holloway’s teammates will compete at the Knoxville meet, while another squad of Vanderbilt athletes is expected to participate in the Boston-Moon Invitational at Tennessee State. Holloway moved to third all-time among Commodore heptathletes with the performance, passing Ryan Tolbert, who amassed 5,022 points in 1996. The only Vanderbilt athletes to score higher in the event are former All-American Josie Hahn and former All-SEC participant Julie Walk. Hahn set the school heptathlon mark of 5,503 points in 2004. To accumulate the heptathlon total, Holloway set personal bests in the 100-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, long jump and 800-meter run. She balanced those performances by matching a career best in the high jump and approaching career highs in the two remaining heptathlon events – shot put and javelin toss. Holloway started quickly Wednesday afternoon, breaking 15 seconds for the first-time ever in the 100-meter hurdles. Her final time, 14:94, cut .45 off her previous best in the event. She followed that with a 5’3″clearance in the high jump. Holloway stayed in contention by throwing the shot put 35’3.25″ — just two inches off her all-time best mark. Then, to conclude the first day of competition, Holloway smashed another personal record, running the 200 meters in 24.78. Holloway’s final time in the 200 took .62 off her former best in the race. It also marks the fourth fastest 200 meters ever by a Commodore. Confident entering the second day of competition, Holloway started strongly Thursday, becoming just the third Commodore ever to go 19 feet outdoors in the long jump. Her 19’0″ effort eclipsed an outdoor personal best by six inches and allowed Holloway to vault past three others in the overall competition. Holloway closed the margin with McCoy with a solid javelin toss, throwing 125’7″, just two feet off her all-time best. She then closed the heptathlon by cutting her 800-meter personal record by two seconds with a 2:25.75 effort. Tacita Bass, a former All-American and 2002 SEC heptathlon champion, captured the heptathlon by accumulating 5,626 points, edging 2005 NCAA heptathlon champion Lela Nelson by 10 points. Former Cincinnati standout Ashley Wilhelm finished behind McCoy in fourth, 29 points ahead of Holloway. Another Commodore participate, sophomore Anjarae Washington, finished 16th overall with 4,160 points. |
