May 17, 2008

EL PASO, Texas --- Erika Russ and Jacinta Scruggs took top spots on the final day of the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship, winning the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles respectively, and leading the UAB track and field to a fourth-place finish.

Russ won the 100-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 13.41, more than a half-second improvement over Friday's preliminary time of 13.97 that was good for sixth.

Scruggs set a freshman record with a 58.96 finish in the 400-meter hurdles, beating the closet competitor by 1.60 seconds.

Tara Colvin earned her first outdoor all-conference honor, placing second in the 400-meter run with a finishing mark of 53.92.

The Blazers scored 70 points, including 54 during Saturday's event, which helped them to a their highest outdoor championship finish under head coach Ray Stanfield and placing fourth for just the second time in C-USA league meets.

Rice took the league title home scoring 175 points, while host-school UTEP scored 143.50 to finish second. UCF placed third with 84.33 points, UAB in fourth and SMU capturing fifth with 64 points.

UAB had fourth-place finishes on the day from Genoah Collins in the 800-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay squad. Collins took her spot with a 2:11.59 time and also ran the second leg of the relay that scored five points and clocked a 3:41.45.

In the finals of the 1,500-meter run Alina Varpiotaite and Whitney Mays placed fifth and eighth, respectively. Varpiotaite finished in 4:41.31 and Mays in 4:47.87.

Katrina Harrell brought home a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.91. She also led off the Blazers' 4x100-meter relay that clocked a 46.91 for a sixth-place finish.

Penny Shields and Samantha Hamilton participated in the triple jump, placing sixth and seventh. Shields jumped 12.62 meters and Hamilton 12.47. Both will compete in the event at the NCAA South Region Championships, May 30-31 in Fayetteville, Ark.

The 5,000-meter race featured three UAB runners. Elizabeth Ambrus placed ninth (17:37.69), Stephanie Gammon captured 15th place (18:25.89) and Elizabeth Hilligoss came in 24th (18:53.10).