Tiger Track & Field Wraps Up Opening Weekend of Outdoor Season

March 21, 2009

Coral Gables, Fla. – Three student-athletes posted first-place finishes Saturday at the Hurricane Invitational on the opening weekend of the 2009 outdoor season. Daniel Inge won the women’s and men’s pole vault, respectively.

Swaggard posted a time of 52.59 in the intermediate hurdles Saturday.

Other top men’s performers in the sprints were Trenton Guy and Jacoby Ford, who placed second and third, respectively, in the 200m dash. Guy’s time was 21.19, while Ford clocked a 21.34. Both were regional-qualifying times, with the help of a strong but NCAA-legal tailwind.

For the women, Michaylin Golladay finished third in the 100m high hurdles.

Despite a strong headwind, she posted a time of 14.10. Kristine Scott was fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 24.26.

Inge won the men’s vault with a clearance of 15’7″ in his first outdoor meet. On the women’s side, Caroline Kennedy tied for first with a clearance of 12’1.5″. Emily Barlage also cleared the height, with more attempts. Barlage now moves to fifth on the school’s all-time outdoor pole vault performance list.

George Fields was runner-up in the long jump with a regional-qualifying effort. He hit a mark of 24’7.75″. Josh Fowler also qualified for regionals in the triple jump, hitting a top mark of 49’3″ for a third-place showing.

Alex Padgett completed a strong weekend in the throws. He was third in the hammer throw with a season-opening mark of 180’8″. He also placed fourth in the discus (146’1″).

The distance groups also finished their work over the weekend at Coastal Carolina’s Shamrock Invitational. Chris Slate was runner-up in the 3000m run with a time of 8:49.72. Also on the men’s side, Jonathan Sunde placed fifth in the 1500m (4:05.43).

Among the women’s performers, Kim Ruck had the best finish with a third-place effort in the 3K. She had a time of 10:16.29, while Stephanie Buffo (10:19.97) was fifth. Candice Johnson competed in the 1500m run and was fourth (4:42.95).

The teams return to action next weekend for the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta, GA.