April 11, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. - The 29th Sun Angel Track Classic got underway Friday afternoon inside Sun Angel Stadium as the Arizona State University track and field team opened the meet with several impressive marks in the hammer competition. Sarah Stevens won the women's hammer with a school-record toss while Tomas Navarro moved into third all-time in school history to pace the men.
Stevens joined teammates Tai Battle and Jessica Pressley in sweeping the Top 3 places in the women's hammer that featured 26 competitors. Stevens hit a mark of 66.52m (218-03) to claim victory and bettered her school record that stood at 66.34m (217-08). Battle was second overall in 62.64m (205-06) while Pressley was third at 62.19m (204-00). All three marks qualified for the NCAA regional meet.
The men's event saw a pair of Sun Devils move up on the all-time lists with Navarro taking over the No. 3 position with his toss of 62.31m (204-05) while placing fourth overall in the meet. Jason Lewis, who placed seventh in the meet, hit a mark of 60.50m (198-06) to climb into the fifth-spot on the ASU lists. Also competing in the event were Jeff Helwig, who took 10th at 56.20m (184-04), and Andy Haas, who was 11th at 53.79m (176-06).
The Sun Devils will continue their home competition Saturday morning as the remaining events of the Classic are held. The field events open at 10 a.m. with the discus while the running events start at 2 p.m. An opening ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. and will be followed by the premier portion of the meet that will feature several of the top events of the meet, including Olympic champion Dwight Phillips in the long jump.