Championship Central
Day One Results
Tampa, Fla. – On a rain hampered day in south Florida, six individual titles were awarded during day one action at the 2014 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. SMU leads on the women’s side, while Louisville leads on the men’s side.
The women’s hammer throw was the first completed event, with SMU’s Helena Perez taking the title. Perez reached 61.22 meters in the finals to take first, besting Louisville’s Patrice Gates (57.86m) and UCF’s Destinee Romain (55.29m).
The men’s hammer throw went to Cincinnati junior Josh Province. Province posted a mark of 57.72 meters, earning 10 points for the Bearcats. Louisville took the second and third place finishes with Nils Westrick (57.11m) and Brad Vivance (56.82m).
In the women’s 3,000 meter Steeplechase, SMU took the top two spots. Freshman Tova Magnusson claimed the title finishing in 10:17.84. Her teammate Shanoah Souza was just one second behind her, taking second in 10:18.74, while Louisville’s Benadate Cheruiyot took third. The time for Magnusson is the fastest run in the event this year by competitor from The American.
The men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase champion was also a freshman in Louisville’s Edwin Kibichiy. He crossed the finish line in 8:55.93, the second fastest time run in the conference this year. Kibichiy finished six seconds ahead of second place, Temple’s Matthew Kacyon (9:01.83).
The women’s 10,000 meter race went to UCF’s Anne-Marie Blaney. The sophomore, who already claimed conference titles this year at the Cross Country and Indoor Track and Field Championships, finished first in 34:47.24. UConn’s Emily Durgin placed second in 35:07.88.
The men’s 10,000 meter race came down to a pair of Cardinals. Louisville freshman Ernest Kibet held off teammate Tyler Byrne by two seconds to take the title. Kibet crossed the line in 30.28.43, with Byrne finishing in 30:30.43.
The day also included the first of two days of completion in both the heptathlon and decathlon. Five events were run in the decathlon: 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, and the 400-meter dash. At the conclusion, Memphis’ Luis Hanssler leads with 3,984 points.
The women ran four events in the heptathlon: the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash. After those four events, Houston’s Cassie Wiley sits in first place with 3,192 points.
The meet will resume on Saturday, slated to begin with the men’s javelin at 12:30 p.m.
Women’s Team Scores After Day One
SMU 47
Louisville 22
UCF 21
UConn 15
USF 5
Cincinnati 4
Temple 3
Men’s Team Scores After Day One
Louisville 51
Cincinnati 27
Memphis 9
USF 8
Temple 8
UConn 6
Houston 6
Rutgers 2