March 24, 2007
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Sophomore Lauryn Smith notched three personal records and senior Brittany Sizer ran a career best Saturday at the Alabama Relays.
Smith, from Carrollton, Texas, finished seventh in the long jump with the third longest effort in team history, then recorded all-time Commodore Top 10 marks in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.
Sizer, from Kingwood, Texas, topped her previous best in the 1,500-meter run, finishing fourth overall, and just ahead of teammates Erika Schneble and Carmen Mims.
The activities come in the first outdoor competition of the season for the Commodores. The Alabama Relays continues through Sunday at the University of Alabama facility that will host the Southeastern Conference Championships in May.
Smith showed excellent form in the first outdoor meet. Her long jump of 19’5.5″ betters her previous career best by two inches. Only two Commodore athletes, Ryan Tolbert (19’10.25″ in 1996) and Julie Walk (19’6.5″ in 1999) have gone beyond Smith’s performance Saturday.
Smith came back to set personal bests in both sprint races, though she did not place among the leaders. Her 12.30 in the 100 ranks fifth all-time among Commodore. Smith’s performance in the 200 meters, 25.21, ranks No. 9 all-time.
Sizer finished fourth in the 1,500 in 4:32.90, No. 11 all-time on the team. She was followed by Schneble in sixth with a 4:40.98 effort, and Mims in seventh with a 4:44.43 performance.
The top individual finisher for the Commodore was 3,000-meter steeplechaser Val Kazmer. The junior just missed her personal best in the event, finishing third overall in 11:20.71. Senior Ashleigh Wetzel finished fifth behind Kazmer in 11:35.40.
In other action Saturday:
– Junior Amani Floyd ran 58.81 in the 400;
– Senior Shannon Capps and sophomore Mindy Skelton rank 18:41.51 and 18:42.36, respectively, in the 5,000;
– Junior Lauren Fortson ran 1:04.92 in the 400-meter hurdles;
– Junior Sydney Faulkner went 19’3.25″ in the long jump.
Hitt Finishes Ninth in Alabama Relays Heptathlon (Friday, March 23)
Freshman Mallory Hitt, sparked by a solid effort in the javelin, finished ninth in the Alabama Relays heptathlon that concluded Friday. Freshman teammate Cherice Robertson finished 11th overall after not competing in the final 800-meter run due to an ailing knee.
On Friday, Hitt passed two competitors on the strength of a 90’4″ javelin toss and 2:37.14 effort in the 800 meters. She finished with an accumulation of 4,373 points after the seven-event heptathlon. Robertson finished with 4,075 total points after working her way into second place halfway through the event.
