University of Louisville
Fast Start Invitational
Track and Field Opens Season with Seven First-Place Finishes
December 04, 2010 | Men's Track and Field
Dec. 4, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's and women's track and field teams had seven individuals capture first-place finishes to open the 2010-11 indoor season at the Southern Illinois Fast Start Invitational in Carbondale, Ill.
Khadija Abdullah and D'Ana McCarty dominated the field in their respective events. A Markham, Ill., native, Abdullah took first in the shot put with a distance of 55-07.75 (16.96 meters), an NCAA qualifying mark. McCarty, the defending two-time national champion in the weight throw, picked up where she left off from the past indoor season. She took first in the event, earning a qualifying mark with a toss of 72-10.50 (22.21 meters).
The women's squad also received strong performances from Ahlivia Spencer, Megan Schubert, Chelsea Lucas and Charachesicia Lockhart.
Spencer took first in the 600-meter run, crossing the finish line in 1:36.30. Schubert and Lucas posted runner-up finishes, as Schubert took second in the high jump with a leap of 5-07.00, while Lucas recorded a 12-00.75 mark in the pole vault. Despite it being just the first competition of the season, Lockhart had an impressive day, finishing second in the long jump (19-11.50) and third in the triple jump (40-09.00).
On the men's side, four individuals - Neil Angermeier, Kyle Gann, Wesley Smith and Weston Banks - took first place in their respective events.
One of the team's best finishes came via junior Wesley Smith in the long jump. Not only did he take first with a career-best mark of 25-08.00, but he narrowly missed an NCAA qualifying mark by eight-hundredths of a meter.
Angermeier breezed past his competition in the high jump, posting a 6-08.75 mark, while Gann's first-place finish came on the heels of a 15-08.25-foot mark in the pole vault. Banks' first-place shot put (58-01.00) is an indoor-best mark - he registered the same throw during the 2010 outdoor season.
Other notable performances included Seon Powell's second-place showing (24-05.00) in the long jump and newcomer Sam Bombaugh' third-place finish in the shot put in his first career collegiate meet. He had a toss of 52-08.75.
The men's and women's teams will break from action for the holidays and return to competition on Jan. 15, 2011, at the Kentucky Invitational in Lexington.
Players Mentioned
