April 27, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State University track and field team completed competition at the 99th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and finished with several strong performances on the `Blue Oval' that will serve as the home of the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in several weeks. Overall, the Sun Devils placed among the Top 3 eight times on the day and secured a pair of victories in the women's events.
On the women's side, Jessica Pressley won the shot put with a toss of 17.33m (56-10.25) to give her two titles on the weekend and making her only the seventh woman in Drake Relays history to capture the discus and shot put in the same meet and the first since 2004 when Becky Breisch of Nebraska accomplished the feat. Her victory also marked just the third title won by an ASU woman at Drake. Teammate Sarah Stevens took second in the event with a toss of 16.78m (55-00.75) after finishing second in the hammer with a throw of 65.29m (214-2) while Pressley was fourth (61.73m/202-6) and Tai Battle was sixth (60.90m/199-10).
The women's 4x400m relay of Jordan Durham, Jeavon Benjamin, Dominique Maloy and Shauntel Elcock combined to capture the program's first relay crown at Drake on the women's side as the group clocked in at 3:36.88 for the crown. Maloy, Durham and Elcock joined with Charonda Williams to run 45.15 in the 4x100m relay for third place. Williams also scored a runner-up finish in the 100m dash as she ran 11.63 while Maloy took fifth in 11.72. Also in the sprints, Jacquelyn Johnson ran 13.02 with a strong tail-wind to record the second-fastest time in school history. Johnson also finished in the Top 3 in the long jump (third at 6.14m/20-01.75).
For the men, Jason Lewis hit a mark of 61.65m (202-03) to finish 10th in the hammer while moving up to No. 4 on the ASU all-time list as only the fifth Sun Devil to record a mark of 200-feet or more in competition. It marked the second time that feat was accomplished this year as Tomas Navarro (who finished 17th in the event this weekend at 59.20m) recorded a toss of 62.31m (204-05) earlier this year. The 4x400m relay team of Joel Phillip, Justin Kremer, Darryl Elston and Jimmie Gordon finished fourth in 3:07.35 while Calvin Abram was fifth in the 100m dash in 10.59. Matt Turner tied for sixth in the high jump with a clearance of 2.05m (6-08.75) while Navarro was seventh in the discus at 49.46m (162-03).
Next up for the Sun Devils will be their annual Double Dual competition with intrastate rivals Arizona and Northern Arizona on Saturday, May 3. The dual will be held at UA's Drachman Stadium in Tucson.