ETSU school records also broken in the women’s 4x100 and 100m hurdles  

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 16, 2013) – National and school records fell as ETSU medaled in 14 events on the final day of the Charlotte 49er Classic on Saturday at the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center.

Ifrish Alberg (Paramaribo, Suriname) stole the show in the 100m final as he torched the competition to the tune of 10.31 en route to gold. This mark bested the previous Surinamese national record in Alberg’s native country which was a time of 10.32 set by Sammy Monsels on May 15, 1982 in Modesto, Calif.

“I’m very pleased with our first outdoor meet,” said Director of ETSU Track & Field/Cross Country George Watts. “We had many personal bests, top-three finishes, several wins, two school records and a national record by Ifrish Alberg. Ifrish has a lot left in the tank and the sky is the limit for him.”  

The Buccaneers got off to a good start again as Kelly Monteleone (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took first in the triple jump with a outdoor-best leap of 12.47m, with junior Lexie Burley (Johnson City, Tenn.) also medaling in the third spot with a 12.08m jump. This was followed by strong performances for both the men’s and women’s team in the 4x100, where the men brought home the bronze and the quartet of Courtney Kinlaw (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Keturah Williams (Alpharetta, Ga.), Karissa Bertling (New Port Richey, Fla.) and Emani Harrison (Columbia, S.C.) set a new ETSU school record in their second-place finish with a time of 45.76. Another school record was also taken down as Demetria Edgecombe (Spartanburg, S.C.) blazed a time of 13.76 in the 100m hurdles for a third-place finish. Senior Tim O’Dell (Palm Coast, Fla.) followed this feat by taking home the gold in 400m dash with a time of 48.15.

“The sprinters and hurdlers led the way today with the women’s 4x1 and Demetria Edgecombe setting school records,” said Watts. “Emani Harrison led the way for the women by placing in the 100 and 200 as well as anchoring the relay. Kelly [Monteleone] continues to be consistent in the triple jump and I feel the jumps group is a meet or two away from some huge improvements. Edgecombe has rebounded nicely from the indoor conference meet and I see more improvement to come.”

The medaling for ETSU continued as the event wore on as Filip Jalovy (Modrice, Czech Republic) took third in the 800m with a time of 1:52.23, while Jason Johnson’s (Philadelphia, Pa.) 15.09m flight earned him a third-place finish. On the women’s side, Kristin Chapman (LaFollette, Tenn.) took home the silver in the high jump with 1.70m soar and Harrison earned the bronze in the 200m dash with a time of 24.58.

Freshman Katie Hirko (Oley, Pa.) took the top spot in the 3000m to the tune of 10:13.73, while Anders Ludvigsen (Odense, Denmark) finished third in the men’s 3000m with a time of 8:41.18. The foursome of Briar Pierce (Crossville, Tenn.), Ryan Jones (Apopka, Fla.), Angus Baldwin (Tumbi Umbi, Australia) and Jalovy scurried to a time of 7:49.12 in the 4x800m to earn them a second-place finish.

“The middle and long distance group continues to improve and was led by Katie Hirko with her win in the 3k,” said Watts. “We need to continue to be competitive at a very high level and move towards becoming a national-level team.”

The Bucs will continue the outdoor season on Friday, March 22 at the Catamount Classic in Cullowhee, N.C.

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