April 23, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Meagen Martin and Rita Jorgensen both broke school records on Sunday in the final day of the Vanderbilt Invitational.
In the pole vault, Martin cleared a height of 3.76m (12’4″) to break the previous school record of 12′ ½” set by Katherine Hendricks last season. Also competing in the pole vault was Morgan Toone, who placed second with a height of 3.66m (12′). Finishing tied for third was Hendricks, also clearing a height of 3.66m. Alyson Hasty rounded out the top five with a performance of 3.36m (11′ ¼”).
“Meagan performed beautifully today,” said assistant coach Clark Humphreys. “She had three really excellent jumps at what would be 12’8″, and was so close. She’s come a long way and I’m really proud of seeing her progress. All of the pole vaulters jumped really well today.”
In the 800 meter run, Jorgensen broke a 13-year school record with a time of 2:05.54. The previous record, set by Stacey Carpenter in 1998, was 2:06.06.
“I know Rita was really focused on her last race as a senior on the home track,” said distance coach Steve Keith. “She was really going for the school record. She obviously has a future in the 800. It’s nice because it gives us some more options later on in the season with the conference meet and NCAA first round.”
Also in the 800 meter run, Kristen Findley set a one second personal record with a time of 2:17.14. Erin McManus clocked in at 2:24.44, while Jillian Currie and Emily Boldt posted times of 2:26.52 and 2:36.31, respectively.
In the high jump, freshman Brionne Williams cleared a height of 1.73m (5’8″) on her third attempt. She finished fifth overall in the competition. Her mark qualified her for the USATF Junior National Championships, in Eugene, Ore. this summer.
“Brionne was stellar in the high jump today,” said Humphreys. “Qualifying for USATF Junior Nationals was one of our goals we had set. It was a phenomenal day. The ladies were jumping big when they needed to be, in front of friends and family. We’ll do this again in three weeks at conference and get some points on the board.”
Anna Carr Hawkins placed second in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.42 seconds, while Taylor Jackson clocked in at 24.89 and Teegan Hill finished in 25.30 seconds. Jackson also competed in the 100 meter dash, and finished in 11.89 seconds.
Hawkins and Hill both placed in the top 10 of the 400 meter dash, with Hawkins finishing sixth at 57.60 seconds and Hill at ninth with a time of 58.45 seconds.
“I felt really good about Anna’s performance in the 400,” said head coach D’Andre Hill-Montgomery. “It was her first time running that event this year in a meet, and she put in a solid performance. I wish Teegan had been able to improve on her 55.81 from a couple of weeks ago, but being able to get the work in was really good for her. Taylor ran a really strong race in the 100 meter dash; she finished well. It was a really solid run at home today.”
The next scheduled meet for the Commodores is the SEC Championships in Athens, Ga., May 12-15.
