PUEBLO, Colo. – MSU Denver won five events, including four by women's competitors, and broke three school records on Saturday in a rousing first outdoor meet of the season at the Early Bird Invitational.
For the women,
Naleia Sowell won the 200 meters,
Allyssa Romero the 400,
Maya Ries the 100 hurdles and
Taylor Engram the 5,000, while
Brandon Simpson won the men's javelin.
Sowell set the school record in the 200 at 24.78, however the time is considered wind-aided. Romero finished second in the event in a wind-aided 25.05, which is also better than the previous school record.
While Simpson won the javelin with an effort of 50.10 meters (164 feet, 4 ¼ inches), which is his fifth-best all-time in the event, he set the school record in the hammer throw with a heave of 44.14 (144-9 ¾) to place 11
th. He was also ninth in the discus at 36.78 (120-8) and 11
th in the shot put at 12.39 (40-7 ¾) in a busy opening day.
Romero won the 400 in 57.91, her eighth-fastest time ever (only one MSU Denver racer has had a better time in the event).
Ries, the school record holder in the 100 hurdles, ran her fourth-fastest time of 14.40, though the time was wind-aided. Ries also ran a swift, wind-aided 100 dash of 12.58, placing eighth.
Engram outdistanced the field in the 5,000 in 18:49.77.
Lushous Davis set the program record in the women's hammer throw with a seventh-place mark of 43.89 (143-11 ¾). She was also 10
th in the discus while moving into second individually at MSU Denver with a toss of 35.27 (115-8 ½) and was 10
th in the javelin and 11
th in the shot put.
More quality efforts came in the women's jumps.
Taylor Weber was third in the triple jump with a personal-best 11.01 (36 feet, 1 ¼ inches) that improved her status as MSU Denver's fourth-best individual ever in the event. In the long jump, Breauna Sorenson was fifth in 5.11 (16-9) to become the Roadrunners' seventh-best all-time individual, with Weber placing sixth at 5.02 (16-5 ½).
Also of note,
Brooklynn Jones, a starting guard on the MSU Denver women's basketball team and school record holder in the javelin, finished fourth in her track & field specialty at 34.42 (112-11), while
Jocelyn Korbe was fifth at 34.43 (112-7 ½).
Grace Solarin was fifth in the shot put at 11.39 (37-4 ¼) and sixth in the discus at 38.46 (162-2). Her discus toss was the school record-holder's second-best effort ever.
For the men,
JJ Ramey was 18
th in the men's 10,000 in 31:50.14, a time that makes him MSU Denver's seventh-best individual all-time in the event;
Jordon Grant had a personal-best 43.11 (141-5) for eighth place in the javelin that makes him the program's third-best competitor in that event; and
Sean Pecenka was second in the 110 hurdles with a personal-best, but wind-aided, 15.08 that improves his fifth-place standing all-time at MSU Denver (he was also sixth in the 400 hurdles in 58.17).
Aden Guenther was third in the 110 hurdles in a wind-aided 15.30, making him the Roadrunners' sixth-fastest.
