April 7, 2007

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. ---- The Samford track and field team finished fourth overall in the Second Annual Gem of the Hills meet hosted by Ohio Valley Conference foe and in-state rival Jacksonville State. While Samford had more than twenty athletes place in the top ten of their events, it finished behind winner Jacksonville State and runners-up Alabama State and Alabama-Huntsville.

In the men's field events, Steve Baker set a new personal record in the javelin throw with a distance of 152'1". Lawton Goethe finished second in the hammer event with a throw of 113'8" and fifth in the discus event with a throw of 111'1".

Asa Ackerson placed in the top ten in three events in Saturday's competition. Ackerson took second place in the high jump (6'0.75") and fourth in the long jump (19'11"), while placing seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.48.

Will Denton took eighth place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.14 and Andrew Mardis placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.01. In the men's mile, Blaise Carie came in third place with a time of 4:04.88 and joining him in the top ten was Michael Schwartz at ninth place with a time of 4:14.50.

Three Samford men took three of the top five places in the 5000-meter race. Michael Hanson led the Bulldogs in second place (15.22.74) while Cameron Bean (15:23.33) and Drew Anderwald (15:24.06) took third and fourth place, respectively.

The Bulldogs also dominated the men's 3000-meter steeplechase as Spencer Anderwald grabbed his first collegiate win with a time of 9:58.52. Michael Schwartz placed fourth with a time of 10:10.86 and Chas Keithan took sixth place with a time of 10:13.27.

On the women's side, Ashley Dance and Ashley Flowers took third and sixth place, respectively, in the 400-meter dash. Katherine Herring won the 800-meter race while Katie Lantz placed ninth in that same event.

Robyn DeBenedet won the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:45.02. Also in that event, Katie Almand and Britney Almaguer placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

In other women's events, Jessica Van Ausdall placed fifth in the women's mile with a time of 4:59.80 and Lauren Pilcher took sixth place in the 5000-meter race with a time of 19:08.11.

Lakeita Rox took seventh place in the 100-meter hurdle event with a time of 17.23. Former Bulldog standout April Howell took fourth in that same event, running unattached. She clocked a time of 16.16. Kady Decker came in fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:07.72.

In the women's field events, Cameron Cardwell won the pole vault event with a height of 10'6". Anna Fearon finished fourth in the same event with a height of 8'6.25".

Ciara Floyd and Morgan Tyler finished sixth in the long jump and triple jump, respectively. Floyd had a jump of 16'10.5" and Tyler had a jump of 35'6.5".

Jessica Lucas had a distance of 97'8" in the hammer throw to land her in eighth place while placing seventh in the javelin throw with a distance of 92'6".