April 24, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB track and field team's 4x100-meter relay team qualified for regionals and won the event by running a 45.61 here in the Samford Twilight on Saturday afternoon.

The Blazers won three other events in the meet. In the 800-meters, Genoah Collins ran a personal-best time of 2:11.96 to take the event. The 4x400-meter relay team tallied a time of 3:48.21 to best the field. UAB's Judy Shepherd also set a personal best in the triple jump, taking the title with a jump of 11.80 meters.

With Shepherd's win, UAB took the top-three spots in the triple jump, as Penny Shields placed second with a jump of 11.42, while Erin Harris jumped an 11.31.

In the 100-meters, Stephanie McCauley placed second overall and tied a personal best with a time of 11.97, while Oriana Carter finished in third with a time of 12.05. Theresa Smith tallied a sixth-place finish (12.20), Shauntae Lockett placed 11th (12.37) and Candice Raye finished 22nd (13.30).

All five of the Blazers' runners in the 200-meters set personal bests. Crystal Hunter finished in second in the 200-meters with a time of 24.60, while McCauley placed third with a time of 24.76. Lockett was seventh (25.22) and set a personal best, Carter placed 10th (25.50), Judy Shepherd finished 15th overall (25.95) and Candice Raye tallied a 23rd-place finish (27.08).

In the 800-meters, Petra Ivanova placed second overall, behind Collins, with a time of 2:14.87. Elace Minnifield finished in ninth with a personal best of 2:21.12, Mary Kim Webb was in 16th with a time of 2:26.40 and Adie Sander placed 18th overall with time of 2:27.69, a new personal best.

UAB had two runners place in the 400-meters, as Amanda Hart placed third with a personal-best time of 57.05 and Normanie McKenzie finished fifth with a time of 58.97.

Emry McKay finished second in the 1500-meters with a time of 4:36.63, a new personal best, while Ryanne Fortney placed 10th with a time of 4:53.74.

McKay also placed third overall in the 5000-meters with another personal best of 17:54.29. UAB had four other runners place in the top-12, as Amanda Kara came in fourth (17:58.82) and Jennifer Thompson finished in sixth (18:18.18). Elizabeth Ambrus and Fortney set personal bests, as Ambrus finished ninth overall (18:29.41) and Fortney placed 12th (18:38.73).

UAB had six finish in the top-10 in the 100-meter hurdles. Smith placed second (13.87), Shepherd finished with a personal best (14.30) and a third-place finish and Amanda Hart (15.28). LaDedria Taylor, Adrienne Duke and Harris all tallied personal bests in the event. Taylor placed sixth (15.32), Duke finished in seventh (15.34) and Harris placed ninth (15.37).

Duke, Taylor and Harris also placed in the 400-meter hurdles with Duke and Harris setting personal bests. Duke finished second overall with a time of (25.53), Taylor was fourth (1:08.83) and Harris finished seventh (1:17.60).

In the long jump, McCauley tallied a third-place finish and a personal best with a jump of 5.50 meters, Shepherd recorded a personal best of 5.31 meters and Shields finished in seventh, jumping a distance of 5.12 meters.

In the discus, Christy Mixon placed third with a throw of 32.30 meters and Laura Strunk finished in fifth with a distance of 29.60 meters.

Tiffany Parker placed fourth in the javelin (31.85 meters) and Strunk finished sixth overall (30.20 meters).

Parker also finished sixth in the pole vault with a jump of 2.44 meters, a new personal best.

Next, the Blazers will compete in the Mississippi Open on May 1 in Oxford, Miss.