NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April. 21, 2007) -The ETSU track and field team put together solid performances at the Vanderbilt Invitational Saturday afternoon as nine athletes notched season-best marks in their respective events.
Senior Jenny Knox (Connelly Springs, N.C.) had a spectacular afternoon by clocking personal-bests in both the 100 and 200 meters. Knox posted a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.88, and then followed that up with a seventh-place nod in the 200-meters (24.20). Along with Knox, sophomore sprinter Nae-Nae Bailey (Statesville, N.C.) set a season-best in the 200 meters with her fourth-place finish. Bailey finished in 24.10, besting her previous mark this season which was 24.59. Both Bailey and Knox broke the 26-year-old school record in the 200-meters with their marks.
Also on the women's side, freshmen Christin Zink (Herndon, Va.) and Vicki Currie (Dumfries, Scotland) provided strong performances in their respective events. Zink set a personal-best in the 400-meters, finishing in 59.82, while Currie also set a best mark with a top-20 finish in the 800-meters. Currie crossed the line with a time of 2:17.18, placing her 19th overall respectively. Rounding things out on the women's side was sophomore Tashauna Robinson (Trelowny, Jamaica, W.I.), as she posted her best mark this season in the triple jump. Robinson blasted her previous record (35-04) on Saturday, with a leap of 36-00.75 (10.99m).
On the men's side, the 4x100-meter relay team ran solid as they came away with a Regional Qualifying mark of 40.21. The crew of Chris Harrison (Woodbridge, Va.), Derek Carey (Nassau, Bahamas), Johnny Tucker (Spartanburg, S.C.) and James Rainer (Alcoa, Tenn.) set the mark. Mike Wright (Chattanooga) had a solid meet with top-20 finishes in both the 110-meter hurdles and the high jump. Wright finished tied for 15th with his leap of 6-02 (1.88m), tying her seasonal best, and he also finished 18th in the hurdles with a time of 15.14, marking a season best as well. Senior Johnny Tucker (Spartanburg, S.C.) had a great run in the 100-meters, finishing in 10.90. Local native Drew Beamer (Johnson City) competed only in his second outdoor meet this season and tied a season-best mark of 14-07.25 (4.45m), tying him for 12th overall in the pole vault .
With the A-Sun Championships right around the corner, the ETSU track and field team will continue its strong run by competing in the Penn and Drake Relays next weekend. Both meets begin Thursday, April 26.
