TEMPE – The first day of the Pac-12+/Big Ten Challenge started with an NCAA-leading mark and ended with a U.S. Junior qualifying mark for the Sun Devils, Friday at Sun Angel Stadium.
Maggie Ewen made her highly anticipated season debut in the hammer throw to open the day for Arizona State. After shaking off some rust with her first throw, she launched an NCAA-leading 72.28m/237-1-foot throw that locked up the competition win for her and put her at No. 3 in the world so far in 2018.
Ewen ended up winning the hammer by more than seven meters, nearly 23 feet, and the Sun Devils also had two other women claim final spots in Kaylee Antill and Samantha Noennig.
Noennig, a redshirt freshman, threw a personal best 53.60m/175-10 feet to finish seventh in the competition, and Antill's 59.12m/193-11-foot throw got her fifth.
The final event of the night was the only running event, and it featured just two athletes with one being true freshman Jackson Lewis.
The Sun Devil frosh from Waukee, Iowa, lined up for his first 3,000-meter steeplechase as a collegiate athlete after he took eighth in the 2,000-meter version a week ago.
"We got a really good performance from Jackson in the steeple, tonight," assistant coach Cory Leslie said. "To come out in a low-key race with only two people and get a U.S. Junior mark is a great start to the season for him. It's something for him to build on for the rest of the year, and it's really going to help as we move forward."
Lewis ran a 9:28.88, the best time in the Pac-12 in 2018, and a time that is good enough to qualify him for the U.S. Junior Championships in the event.
Saturday, Lewis will return to the track for the 1,500-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay.
During the women's javelin throw, two Devils finished sixth and seventh in Jessica Barreira and Melanie Johnson, respectively.
Barreira, who will compete in the women's long jump Saturday, set a personal best with her second throw of the series. The southpaw threw the javelin 45.18m/148-2 feet for a PR of more than a meter, and the sixth-best throw in Sun Devil history.
Johnson clinched her spot in the final with her first throw that landed at 45.08m/147-10 feet. She already has the seventh-best mark in school history and both Devils are now within 10 feet of the school record that has belonged to seven-time NCAA champion Jacquelyn Johnson since 2008.
Day two of the Pac-12+/Big Ten Challenge gets started at 1:30 p.m. PT. Heat sheets for tomorrow's events are available online and live results are available on Finished Results.
The event is open to the public and tickets will be available at Sun Angel Stadium.
Pac-12+/Big Ten Challenge | March 23, 2018 | Tempe
Women's Results
Hammer Throw
1. Magdalyn Ewen – 72.28m/237-1
5. Kaylee Antill – 59.12m/193-11
7. Samantha Noennig – 53.60m/175-10
Javelin Throw
6. Jessica Barreira – 45.18m/148-2
7. Melanie Johnson – 45.08m/147-10
Men's Results
3,000-Meter Steeplechase
2. Jackson Lewis – 9:28.88
Maggie Ewen made her highly anticipated season debut in the hammer throw to open the day for Arizona State. After shaking off some rust with her first throw, she launched an NCAA-leading 72.28m/237-1-foot throw that locked up the competition win for her and put her at No. 3 in the world so far in 2018.
Ewen ended up winning the hammer by more than seven meters, nearly 23 feet, and the Sun Devils also had two other women claim final spots in Kaylee Antill and Samantha Noennig.
Noennig, a redshirt freshman, threw a personal best 53.60m/175-10 feet to finish seventh in the competition, and Antill's 59.12m/193-11-foot throw got her fifth.
The final event of the night was the only running event, and it featured just two athletes with one being true freshman Jackson Lewis.
The Sun Devil frosh from Waukee, Iowa, lined up for his first 3,000-meter steeplechase as a collegiate athlete after he took eighth in the 2,000-meter version a week ago.
"We got a really good performance from Jackson in the steeple, tonight," assistant coach Cory Leslie said. "To come out in a low-key race with only two people and get a U.S. Junior mark is a great start to the season for him. It's something for him to build on for the rest of the year, and it's really going to help as we move forward."
Lewis ran a 9:28.88, the best time in the Pac-12 in 2018, and a time that is good enough to qualify him for the U.S. Junior Championships in the event.
Saturday, Lewis will return to the track for the 1,500-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay.
During the women's javelin throw, two Devils finished sixth and seventh in Jessica Barreira and Melanie Johnson, respectively.
Barreira, who will compete in the women's long jump Saturday, set a personal best with her second throw of the series. The southpaw threw the javelin 45.18m/148-2 feet for a PR of more than a meter, and the sixth-best throw in Sun Devil history.
Johnson clinched her spot in the final with her first throw that landed at 45.08m/147-10 feet. She already has the seventh-best mark in school history and both Devils are now within 10 feet of the school record that has belonged to seven-time NCAA champion Jacquelyn Johnson since 2008.
Day two of the Pac-12+/Big Ten Challenge gets started at 1:30 p.m. PT. Heat sheets for tomorrow's events are available online and live results are available on Finished Results.
The event is open to the public and tickets will be available at Sun Angel Stadium.
Pac-12+/Big Ten Challenge | March 23, 2018 | Tempe
Women's Results
Hammer Throw
1. Magdalyn Ewen – 72.28m/237-1
5. Kaylee Antill – 59.12m/193-11
7. Samantha Noennig – 53.60m/175-10
Javelin Throw
6. Jessica Barreira – 45.18m/148-2
7. Melanie Johnson – 45.08m/147-10
Men's Results
3,000-Meter Steeplechase
2. Jackson Lewis – 9:28.88