KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Three Sycamores earned event wins on the opening day of competition of the 2012 Pacesetter Quadrangular hosted by Indiana State University. Dustin Betz, Chris Fields, and Brandon Pounds each posted a win Friday at Marks Field on the campus of Indiana State.
Fields won the shot put for Indiana State with a personal best throw of 50-feet-11½-inches (15.53 meters) with Justin Applegate
Pounds was also a winner for Indiana State as he took the hammer throw with a distance of 207-feet-9-inches (63.32 meters) with Fields throwing a career best distance of 174-feet-10-inches (53.29 meters) for sixth.
Betz took over the lead in the 5,000 meter run with two laps to go, held off a surge by Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Jake Reilly, and pulled away on the final lap to win in 14:45.54. Reilly was second in 14:49.85 with ISU's Andrew Lepkowski third in 14:59.78. Betz and Lepkowski each posted personal bests in the event.
The three wins were not enough to put Indiana State in front of the team race as they travel the Southern Illinois Salukis by a single point 62-61. Wisconsin-Milwaukee is third with 31 points and Butler fourth with 21 points.
Another tight battle is shaping up on the women's side Southern Illinois and Indiana State heading into the second day of competition tied with 60 points. Butler sits in third with 29 points and Wisconsin-Milwaukee is fourth with 26 points.
Gabe Ocasio led ISU in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase with a fourth place finish in a personal best time of 9:21.18. Butler's Craig Jordan won the event with a time of 8:58.48 which set a new Pacesetter meet record. Sycamore Andrew Sullivan was seventh with a personal best 9:53.29.
Ernest Rollins, one of 16 seniors who will be honored on Saturday at Marks Field, placed third in the men's long jump with a leap of 21-feet-11½-inches (6.69 meters). Robert Webb was fourth at 21-feet-11-inches (6.68 meters). SIU's Douglas Palacious won the event (22-feet-9-inches) with teammate Eric Reeves second (22-feet-5-inches).
Felisha Johnson was second in the hammer throw with a distance of 195-feet-4-inches (59.53 meters) as SIU's Jeneva McCall won the event with a distance of 222-feet-6-inches (67.83 meters) which broke both the Marks Field and Pacesetter meet records. ISU's Mary Theisen was seventh with a personal best distance of 172-feet-4-inches (52.54 meters).
Johnson was also second in the shot put with a heave of 51-feet-11¼-inches (15.83 meters) as SIU's McCall posted her second win with a distance of 56-feet-4 ¾-inches (17.19 meters) which established a new Pacesetter meet record. Theisen was third at 49-feet-10½-inches (14.13 meters).
Kelly Steffen established a personal best distance in the long jump with a leap of 18-feet-10-inches (5.75 meters) which was good enough for second. SIU's Malaikah Love won the event (19-feet-5½-inches) with Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Samia Taylor third (18-feet-9¾-inches). ISU's Jaquelle Stewart had a personal best leap of 18-feet-2½-inches (5.55 meters) to finish fourth.
Hanna Mercer ran the fourth fastest 3,000 meter steeplechase in Indiana State history as she finished second with a personal best 11:02.41. Butler's Shelbi Burnett won the event with a time of 10:47.92. ISU's Andrea Prusz also had a personal best for the event in finishing fifth (11:06.19).
Jessica Zangmeister and Valerie Burns finished third and fourth in the women's 5,000 meter run with Zangmeister finishing in 17:39.989 and Burns setting a personal best with a time of 17:41.30. Butler's Becky Howarth dominated the event from start to finish, winning with a time of 17:23.72 while SIU's Lacey Gibson was second in 17:39.28.
The 2012 Pacesetter Quadrangular resumes at 11 a.m. (ET) Saturday with competition in the women's discus, men's pole vault, and women's high jump. Track action will begin at 12:30 p.m. (ET) with the women's 4x100 meter relay.
