Spence, Jones finish second at Penn; Robinson autos in 400
Grizzlies improve on five qualifiers in final RMAC Championships tune-up
PHILADELPHIA, Pa./FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Adams State senior speed demons Kaymarie Jones (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) and Indira Spence (Trelawny, Jamaica) each ran to second place finishes at the prestigious Penn Relays, and sophomore Kayon Robinson (Clarendon, Jamaica) recorded an automatic qualifier in the 400 meters at the Jack Christiansen Invitational, during the Grizzlies’ final weekend of action before this year’s conference championship meet.
A small contingent of Grizzly sprinters were in action at the Penn Relays, where some of the world’s best gather every year, while another group of ASC runners, jumpers and throwers took part in the Colorado State hosted Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins.
Jones got the weekend underway for the ASC women on Thursday in Philadelphia. Already owner of the top Division II time of the season and the Adams State record in the 400 meter hurdles, Jones bettered those marks with a runner-up finish in a time of 57.98 seconds. Her time was just 1/10th of a second behind winner Latoya Griffith of the University of Illinois, and nearly 7/10ths of a second ahead of the No. 3 time.
With a time 21/100th’s better than her previous best, Jones now leads DII by nearly a full second in the event, and her mark ranks among the top 20 times ever run in DII.
Spence also ran an automatic qualifying time in her runner-up finish at Penn, crossing in 13.12 seconds, 7/100ths of a second behind champion Jasmin Stowers of Louisiana State University. Her time, however, was not an improvement over her DII leading time of 13.09 seconds run last weekend at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Competing closer to home for the ASC women, Robinson highlighted the Friday and Saturday action at the Jack Christiansen Invitational, the Grizzlies’ first team scored meet of the season. Robinson’s win in the 400 meter dash was good for 10 points, and ASC placed sixth in the 9-team field with 48 points.
Robinson finished well over a second ahead of the field in 54.23 seconds (54.34 adjusted), an automatic qualifying mark that presently ranks fifth in DII.
Grizzly throwers also recorded a trio of provisional marks in Fort Collins, as sophomore Katie Kruger (Alamosa, Colo.) and freshman Julia Costin (Parker, Colo.) each made improvements in the shot put, and senior Jenna Bohnen (Erie, Colo.) bested her longest throw of the season in the hammer throw.
Kruger tied for second in the shot put with her throw of 14.65 meters (48’ ¾”), while Costin’s toss of 14.05 meters (46’1 ¼”) placed seventh. For Costin, the throw was a new personal best in the event.
Bohnen recorded a big improvement in the hammer throw, adding 2.6 meters to her prior best mark, and landing at 51.46 meters (168’10”).
Team scoring efforts were also put forth at the Jack Christiansen Invitational from sophomore Zenobia Sims (Sierra Vista, Ariz.) in the 100 and 200 meter dashes; sophomore Krystal Thomas (Aurora, Colo.) in the 100 meter hurdles and long jump; freshman Melissa Roberts (Boulder, Colo.) in the 3,000 meter steeplechase; freshman KrissAnn Walters (Kingston, Jamaica) in the long jump; and Bohnen in the javelin as well.
The Grizzlies will next be in action at the 2012 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships, which will be hosted by Western State at the Mountaineer Bowl in Gunnison, Colo., from May 4-6. The Grizzly women, who recently took over the top spot in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Team Rankings for the first time ever, were picked as the preseason league favorite for the RMAC Championship.
Related Item: 2012 Penn Relays Results
Related Item: 2012 Jack Christiansen Invitational Results
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