By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman sprinter D'Airrien Jackson not only smashed the school record in winning the 400-meter dash Saturday at the Vanderbilt Black & Gold Invitational, her time is among the fastest in the nation this season and flirted with the Olympic Trials qualifying standard.
Jackson ran the twice-around in 52.64 seconds, breaking the school record of 58.01 seconds set in 2010 by Allison Price. The Olympic Trials qualifying mark is 52.30 seconds.
It was one of four school records to fall Saturday for coach Wayne Angel's team, on the heels of two school marks falling Friday night in the team's first meet of the outdoor season.
“I thought that we had a solid team performance from top to bottom today,” Angel said. “There are still areas that need to step up if we are to realize our objectives at the end of the season.
“We basically picked up where we left off indoors, with six school records and many personal bests,” Angel said. “Sarah (Brandt) and Na’Asha (Robinson) led the record-breaking efforts this weekend in the 1,500, 800 and 200 meters. I thought the most impressive performance of the day was that of D’Airrien Jackson in the 400-meter dash. Her time of 52.64 was a new school record and just .34 off of the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard.”
Junior Sarah Brandt, who broke the school record Friday night at 1,500 meters added the outdoor record at 800 meters on Saturday, placing seventh in 2:11.96. Brandt set the school indoor 800m record and won the Ohio Valley Conference championship at that distance a month ago.
Jackson also had a hand in the third Tech record to fall Saturday, a mark that came in the 4x100-meter relay. The Golden Eagle foursome of Crystal Liebenberg, Na'Asha Robinson, Tiara Hymon and Jackson ran a time of 46.75 seconds to place sixth, breaking the Tech mark of 48.48 set in 2010 by Megan Lyons, Justine Phillips, Ifey Eguzo and Price.
The fourth school record came in the javelin, where Antonia Susnjar let go with a toss of 124 feet, 10 inches. That broke the previous school mark of 123 feet, 10 inches set in 2002 by Richelle Wardell.
“We also had nice performances by javelin thrower Antonia Susnjar (school record) and our 4 x 100 relay team,” Angel said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we are definitely moving in the right direction.”
Junior Sharnique Leonce, running in her first meet as a Golden Eagle after transferring from Iowa Western Community College, narrowly missed the school mark in the 100-meter hurdles. She finished 12th in 14.42 seconds, just off the school standard of 14.33 seconds.
Tech's 4x400m relay team of Currin Washington, Jaydean Joseph, Leone and Hymon missed the school record by less than half-a-second, posting a time of 3:57.23 to place 11th.
The next event on the Golden Eagle schedule is the Florida Relays in Gainseville, Fla., on April 1-2. Tech athletes who achieve the meet's qualifying standards will comete.
Here is a complete list of Tech's results Saturday at Vanderbilt, with the school record in parenthesis after the event and the individuals place in the parenthesis before their name.
Discus (143') - (13) Makayla Kington, 115' 4"
High Jump (5' 8") - (-) Sharnique Leonce, NH
(-) NaScottisha Drummond, NH
Long Jump (18' 0.5") - (18) Sharnique Leonce, 16' 5.5"
(23) Raven Smith 15' 10"
(29) Christina Driscoll, 13' 3"
Javelin (123'10") - (9) Antonia Susnjar, 124' 10" (school record)
4x100m Relay (48.38) - (6) Team A, 46.75 (school record)
4x400m Relay (3:56.84) -(11) Team A, 3:57.23
100m Hurdles (14.33) - (12) Sharnique Leonce, 14.42
400m Hurdles (1:04.00)-- (15) Madison Stremler, 1:06.37
400m (58.01) -(1) D'Airrien Jackson, 52.64 (school record)
(22) Jaydean Joseph, 58.74
(49) Currin Wahsington, 1:07.52
100m (11.93) - (13) Na'Asha Robinson, 12.33
(23) Morgan O'Neal, 12.56
(26) Tiara Hymon, 12.60
(37) Brittany McGee, 13.04
800m (2:17.02) -- (7) Sarah Brandt, 2:11.96 (school record)
(58) Andrea Retano, 2:27.34
3,000m (10:08.01) -- (27) Sonel Bezuidenhout, 11:16.16