University of Louisville
<B>CARDINAL OPEN</B>
Cards' 4x100-Meter Relay Team Claims Title at Cardinal Open
April 25, 2003 | Men's Track and Field
April 25, 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Senior Brittany Hedgepeth won the long jump and both the men's and women's 4x100-meter relay teams picked up first-place finishes to lead the University of Louisville track and field teams Friday at the Cardinal Open at Cardinal Park.
Storms that rolled through the area during the early evening hours and the continued threat of severe weather caused the meet to be canceled after just 11 events, leaving 31 events uncontested. Twenty-five teams and more than 800 athletes were in town for the event.
Hedgepeth won the long jump after jumping 19 feet, 2.5 inches, the second best jump in school history and just one-quarter inch short of the school record. It also marked just the fifth-ever jump over 19 feet by a Cardinal woman.
Junior Ify Akubeze placed third in the long jump with a mark of 17-9.75, while junior Mindy Helman was eighth with a personal-best leap of 17-2.25.
Freshman Emily Kost eclipsed her personal-best mark in the hammer throw by nearly 15 feet with a fifth-place toss of 149-11. Kost also placed ninth in the discus and 12th in the shot put.
The 4x100-meter relay team of freshman Dartavia Jackson, Hedgepeth, senior Lissette Shannon and senior Alanna Mestelle won its race with a time of 47.52, the team's fastest this spring. On the men's side, the 4x100-meter relay team of Robert McCune, Jonathan Combs, Steven Perkins and Emanuel Hassell claimed the title with a time of 41.54.
Freshman Arthur Turland finished fifth in the hammer throw with a mark of 159-9. Junior John Blackwell (146-10) was 11th and freshman Brandon Cook (137-1) placed 16th.
In the shot put, junior Troy Williams came in 10th with a personal-best mark of 47-4.25. Turland (46-7.50) finished 12th and Blackwell (42-2.75) 19th in the event.
