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Flyin' Frogs shine at TCU Invitational
April 19, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Flyin' Frogs posted 27 NCAA regional qualifying marks, crushed two school records, set a new St. Kitts national record and recorded the third fastest time in the world on Saturday at the ninth annual TCU Invitational.
"We had our best meet of the year today. Things went really well and we did outstanding," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "We were better and that is a testament to the kids' work ethic. We have to get better though and keep on improving." Earning NCAA regional qualifying marks on Saturday were the men's and women's 4x100, Kishelle Paul (100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles), Jordan Pitts (110-meter hurdles), Jessica Clarke (200 and 400 meters), Che Chavez (400 meters), Dell Guy (400 meters), Matthew Love (400 meters), Virgil Hodge (100 and 200 meters), Brittany Blaylock (100 and 200 meters), Justyn Warner (100 and 200 meters), Mychal Dungey (100 and 200 meters), Andon Mitchell (100 meters), Otis McDaniel (200 meters), Joe Brown (Javelin), Candis Kelley (Shot Put), Stormy Harrison (Shot Put), JimAnne Hejny (Long Jump), Neidra Covington (Long Jump and Triple Jump) and Jonathan Jackson (Triple Jump). Hodge had a phenomenal day on the track as she placed first overall in both the 100 and 200 meters. In the 100 meters, the St. Kitts native clocked a personal best time of 11.26 to place first overall. Her time broke her own St. Kitts national record and currently is the 10th fastest time in the world. It is also the fifth fastest time in the NCAA and Midwest region this season. She was followed by Blaylock who posted an NCAA regional qualifying time of 11.61 to finish in third-place. Blaylock's mark currently sits as the 13th fastest time in the NCAA this spring. In the 200 meters, Hodge blazed to a first-place finish with the third fastest time in the world this outdoor season. The senior clocked a time of 22.76, which is an NCAA regional qualifying mark and the fastest mark in the NCAA in 2008. She was followed by Clarke who clocked a personal best time of 23.40 seconds to place third. Finally, Blaylock recorded a fourth-place finish with a time of 23.75 seconds. On the men's side, Warner won the 100 meters with a personal best time of 10.23. His mark is currently the sixth fastest time in the NCAA this season and ranks him in the top 20 in the world standings. Dungey and Mitchell both recorded regional qualifying times of 10.37 and 10.39, respectively, to place third and fourth overall. Dungey, an Austin native, currently has the 15th fastest time in the NCAA, while McDanielle crossed the finish line with the 17th fastest time in the nation. In the jumps, Jackson broke his own school record in the men's triple jump by soaring 53 feet, 7 inches to place first overall. His mark broke his 2006 mark of 53 feet and currently ranks as the 18th best jump in the world. The senior is currently the No. 3 jumper in the NCAA in 2008. On the women's side, Covington won the triple jump with a leap of 42 feet, 6 ¾ inches. Her mark also set a new school record and is currently the 13th best jump in the nation. The sophomore broke Donna Thomas' 1985 mark of 42 feet, 4 inches. In the women's long jump, Hejny jumped 20 feet, ¼ inches to place second overall, while Covington soared 19 feet, 8 ¾ inches to place third. Both marks are regional qualifying marks. In the men's 200 meters, Dungey cruised to second-place finish with a time of 20.68 seconds. His mark is currently the fourth fastest time in the NCAA and the 14th fastest mark in the world this spring. McDaniel, a San Antonio native, followed in fourth-place with an NCAA regional qualifying time of 20.74 seconds. Finally, Warner ran 21.27 seconds to finish 10th overall. In the 4x100 relays, the TCU women crossed the finish line in first-place with a regional qualifying time of 44.67 seconds, while the men also placed first with a regional qualifying time of 39.76. Other highlights on the day included, Clarke who was the top collegiate runner in the women's 400 meters. The New York native placed second overall with a regional qualifying time of 54.43 seconds. On the men's side, Chavez, Guy and Love all posted NCAA regional qualifying marks. Chavez, who crossed the finish-line second-place, ran 47.00, while Guy collected his first NCAA regional qualifying mark of the season by turning in a time of 47.08 to finish third overall. Love followed in fourth-place with a personal best time of 47.15 seconds. In the men's 110-meter hurdles, Pitts recorded a personal best mark of 14.07 to place second overall and record his first regional mark. His mark is currently ranked in the top 40 of the NCAA and the top mark in the Mountain West Conference. In the 400-meter hurdles, Paul, who placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a regional qualifying time of 13.87, blazed to a first-place time of 58.74 seconds. Her time is currently ranked in the top-10 in the NCAA. In the field events, Brown led TCU in the men's javelin by tossing 216 feet, 6 inches to place first overall. His mark is a seasonal best and the 25th best throw in the NCAA this spring. In the women's shot put, Kelley threw a personal best mark of 50 feet, 9 ¼ inches to win the event. The junior, who won the discus title on Friday, sits in the top 20 of the NCAA standings. She was followed by Harrison who also posted a regional qualifying toss of 49 feet, 7 ¾ inches. On the men's side, Tommy Killen, who won the men's discus on Friday, won the event with a throw of 51 feet, 8 ½ inches. Overall, TCU won 18 events and set two Lowdon Track and Field complex records on Saturday. "I could go on-and-on about how we did today because everywhere you looked we were doing great things, but now we go against some of the best in the nation at the Penn Relays, so we have to keep improving," said Anderson.
The Flyin' Frogs will next be in action at the historic Penn Relays next week. Competition is slated to begin on April 24.
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