Troy University Athletics
Mix of Young and Old Shine for Trojans
3/27/2010 8:00:00 PM | Track & Field
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It was this time last season that Ja-Courteny Alexander lined up against the best the state of Georgia and Florida had to offer as a high school senior. Howvever, 12 months later the transformation from high school senior to collegiate freshman may have been completed as she found herself matched up against the best the FSU Relays had to offer on Saturday afternoon.
The first running event on the final day of FSU Relays collegiate competition was the 200-meters, and Alexander found herself lined up against Teona Rodgers of Florida State - an all-region selection, All-American and IAAF World Junior Champion in the 100-meter hurdles - and a pair of Tennessee runners that Alexander was familiar with being from the state of Georgia - Ashley Harris and Kia Jackson.
Running in lane seven in the opening flight of the 200-meters, Alexander crossed the line with a new personal best of 24.63 seconds to finish second in her heat, just behind Rodgers and ahead of Jackson. After waiting on the final seven heats of the day, Alexander was able to walk away in silver medal position in her first event of the final day of competition at the FSU Relays. The time by Alexander places her in the top 50 in the nation in the event, after just the first full weekend of outdoor competition.
That event started the day off in the sprint competition, and the Trojans were impressive in those races. In the third flight of the men's 200-meters, Antonio McLeod and Payton McGhee ran away from the competition to garner first and second honors in the flight with times of 21.67 and 21.69 seconds, respectively. At the sound of the fun, McLeod took the lead out of the run on the inside lane while McGhee put the pressure on up the middle of the track, with McLeod edging out the sophomore. The duo finished fifth and sixth overall in the event, finishing just behind Tennessee All-Americans Evander Wells and Kyle Stevenson.
A mix of young old continued after the 200-meter dash for the men as a senior and a freshman registered personal bests in the 400-meter hurdles on the women's side. Senior Naquita Rowe kept pace with the rest of her flight through the first 300 meters, and turned to her specialty in the 100 meter hurdles down the stretch to finish third in her flight. She recorded a personal best time of 1:05.98, placing her 11th overall in the event. Meanwhile, freshman Luv Dean ran in the heat prior to Rowe and crossed the line with a new personal best of 1:07.73 to finish 18th overall.
The frenzied atmosphere became heightend even more as the day wore on and the flights lined up for the 100-meter dash. The crowd rose to their feet as the participants walked onto the track, unfortunately for the people in attendance in the grandstands the finish line was moved to the opposite end of the track so the athletes would run into a head wind.
Placed in the second heat, the freshman Alexander got out of the blocks quickly and used that start down the track to win her flight with a time of 11.91 seconds, edging out Samantha Calhoun of Nicholls State. The time by Alexander shattered her previous personal best of 12.11 seconds set in her last meet in the Morehouse Relays. The time was good enough to place her fourth overall in the event, with the third fastest collegiate team, as Alexander finished behind Florida State All-American Danielle Jeffrey (11.62 seconds) and Tennessee All-American Kia Jackson (11.84 seconds).
On the men's side, the Trojans sprinters looked calm and relaxed before the race started; as they could be seen laughing and talking amongst each other during the period between races. But once the time came for the race, they were all business and it showed on the track as four of the runners finished in the top seven overall. McLeod won the overall race with a personal best time of 10.48 seconds, while McGhee finished fifth (fifth in his heat) with a time of 10.68 seconds. Freshman Neko Freeman finished sixth with a time of 10.69 seconds (winning his heat), while freshman Phillip Pritchett won his heat with a personal best time of 10.86 seconds.
The most impressive part of the race for McLeod was the conclusion when he crossed the line with the seventh fastest time in the country this season and a time that was just outside the top four all-time in school history.
Meanwhile, while most of the student-athletes for the Trojans were competing multiple events throughout the weekend, a pair of student-athletes made their debut in the FSU Relays on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman O'Jike Maat competed in the final heat of the 400-meter hurdles and that race had most of the attention on the afternoon with the exception of 100-meters later in the day. The race was action-packed and Matt ran a time of 55.40, pushing himself across the line against the crowd who was cheering on Angela Morosanu of Romania - who trains at Florida State University. Maat outran the two-time Olympian to the finish line for an 11th place finish overall. The extra incentive of running against Morosanu was enough to help Maat eclipse his personal best by over 15 seconds in the race.
Fifth-year senior Jeff Rhodes, a graduate student, ran a sub-four minute 1500-meters on Saturday afternoon, challenging the record books at the school. Rhodes came across the line in fifth place with a time of 3:58.31, which was just off his personal best of 3:49. The time just missed the top four all time at the school by 10 seconds - with the top four times at the school each being four years or older.
The meet concluded with the 4x400-meter relay with the Troy 'A' team leading wire-to-wire in the second flight to win the flight when Ariel Cavazos took the lead in the early stages of the race, before passing off to Alexander who was able to further the lead and Veronica Bryant ran the third leg and held the other teams at bay. Senior Naquita Rowe took the baton on the last leg and was able to pull away from the rest of the field for the flight victory and a time 3:49.31.
The third and final flight of the women's 4x400-meter relay saw the same thing for the Trojans as the team of Simone Pugh, Tamara Curtis, Kapri Hockaday and Luv Dean led wire-to-wire - never really being challenged - as they crossed the line in a time of 4:02.88.
The Trojans return to action next weekend, beginning Friday afternoon in Auburn at the Tiger Track Classic - the first of two trips to Auburn for the Trojans this spring.
TROJAN RESULTS
Discus
Cody Bahrke (8th) 43.16 meters (141-07.00)
Eddy Lynn (5th) 45.99 meters (150-11.00)
High Jump
Veronica Bryant (11th) 1.60 meters (5-03.00)
Shot Put (men)
Cody Bahrke (4th) 13.57 meters (44-06.25)
Eddy Lynn (9th) 12.41 meters (40-08.75)
Shot Put (women)
Brynn Forsythe (6th) 12.53 meters (41-10.50)
Triple Jump (women)
Jasmine Patton (14th) 10.11 meters (38-02.50)
Latoya Ragland (12th) 11.11 meters (36-05.50)
Triple Jump (men)
Terrell Irons (4th) 14.43 meters (47-04.25)
Lamontrey Stamper (2nd) 14.82 meters (48-07.50)
100 Meters (men)
Randall Askew (15th) 11.22 **
Neko Freeman (6th) 10.69 **
Antonio McLeod (1st) 10.48 **
Payton McGhee (5th) 10.68 **
Phillip Pritchett (7th) 10.86 **
100 Meters (women)
Ja-Courteny Alexander (4th) 11.91 **
Ariel Cavazos (13th) 12.25 **
Ashley Hall (15th) 12.29 **
Latoya Ragland (12th) 12.20 **
200 Meters (men)
Stanley Arukwe (11th) 22.10 **
Randall Askew (21st) 23.07
Payton McGhee (6th) 21.69
Antonio McLeod (5th) 21.67
Phillip Pritchett (17th) 22.51
200 Meters (women)
Ja-Courteny Alexander (2nd) 24.63
Ashley Hall (20th) 25.73
Simone Pugh (10th) 25.28 **
400 Meter Hurdles (women)
Tamara Curtis (t-13th) 1:06.74
Luv Dean (18th) 1:07.73 **
Kapri Hockaday (17th) 1:07.62
Naquita Rowe (11th) 1:05.98 **
400 Meter Hurdles (men)
O'Jike Maat (11th) 55.40 **
1500 Meters (men)
Brett Lewis (10th) 4:03.90 **
Jeff Rhodes (5th) 3:58.31
1500 Meters (women)
Kelly Harrington (25th) 4:54.72 **
Chalyce Stancil (39th) 5:14.09 **
4x400-Meter Relay (men)
Troy 'A' (7th) 3:21.01
O'Jike Maat, Stanley Arukwe, Chris Upshaw and Greg Acree
Troy 'B' (11th) 3:24.63
Neko Freeman, Andre McElroy, Randall Askew and Phillip Pritchett
4x400-Meter Relay (women)
Troy 'A' (5th) 3:49.31
Ariel Cavazos, Ja-Courteny Alexander, Veronica Bryant and Naquita Rowe
Troy 'B' (12th) 4:02.88
Simone Pugh, Tamara Curtis, Kapri Hockaday and Luv Dean
** - new personal best in the event
