March 5, 2005
TEMPE, Ariz. - Saturday was a very busy day on the track and in the field for the Arizona State University program as the Sun Devils played host to the Bill Sawyer Invitational that opens each outdoor season in Tempe while also sending several athletes to one of three NCAA `Last Chance' meets. Overall, the outdoor meet produced five marks that will qualify Sun Devil athletes to the NCAA West Region Championships in May while the indoor participants snagged seven marks they hope will earn a berth into the national meet being held March 10-12 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Many local community colleges and numerous ASU athletes came together to compete in the 2005 Bill Sawyer Invitational on the outdoor surfaces of Joe Selleh Track at Sun Angel Stadium Saturday with Sun Devil athletes winning 17 events (nine women, eight men) and produced Top 3 finishes on 40 occasions (21 women, 19 men). Jessica Pressley led the women from the field as she produced marks that will gain her entrance into the regional meet in the hammer (57.40m), shot put (15.40m) and discus (48.94m) while the men were led by Travis Jones, who punched his ticket to the regional meet in the discus (53.20m) and the hammer (56.32m). Jones won both of his events while Pressley was the runner in discus and shot put after winning the hammer.
Joining Jones as multiple winners on the day were a pair of hurdlers. For the women, Kelsey Perry took home victories in the 100m hurdles (15.72) before capturing the 400m intermediate hurdles (1:07.66). Marquis Profit pulled off the same double as Perry, taking first in the 110m high hurdles (15.61) and the 400m hurdles (55.89). In all, the women picked up victories in six track and three field events while the men recorded five wins on the track and three more in the field.
Indoors, the Sun Devils sent athletes to meets in Seattle, Wash., Ames, Iowa, and South Bend, Ind., in hopes of gaining entrance or improving one's place in the national lists for the national meet. At the Washington Last Chance, Desiree Davila barely posted a provisional qualifying time in the 3,000m run, coming in under the barrier of 9:35.00 to finish second at 9:34.81. Long jumper Trevell Quinley improved his entry mark set earlier in the season as he jumped to 7.67m (25-02.00) to win the event.
The men's sprinters posted three provisional marks that were added to the lists Saturday as Jason Barton (46.38) improved his standing in the 400m dash while teammate Lewis Banda earned a provisional mark in the same event on his first run of the season (46.80). The duo joined Seth Amoo and Domenik Peterson in clocking a 3:04.20 in the 4x400m relay to also make the lists. Peterson, Amoo and Kelvin Love also recorded provisional marks in the 200m dash, but each missed his season-best time by 0.01.
The final indoor event of the weekend was the Alex Wilson Invitational/Notre Dame Last Chance meet held in South Bend, Ind. On Friday evening, the distance medley relay that included Amy Hastings and Rachel Ellison earned a provisional mark in the event. On Saturday, Hastings and Ellison earned marks in individual events with Hastings meeting the standard in the 3,000m run while Ellison hit the mark in the mile run.
The NCAA will announce later this week the athletes selected to compete in the national indoor meet set for Fayetteville, Ark., March 10-12.