Jan. 27, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford track and field team continues the 2011 indoor track and field season Friday and Saturday with the first of three trips to Clemson, S.C. The Bulldogs will compete in the JRF Combined Events Invitational at the Clemson Indoor Track and Field Complex. The venue will also be the site of the 2011 Southern Conference Indoor Championships, as it has been for the last five years.
Last Saturday, Samford started the indoor season at the Blue Raider Invitational hosted by Middle Tennessee State University. Four Bulldogs set school records in that meet, all in field events. Kyle Kirby led the pack, breaking his own school record in the 35-lb. weight throw. The junior from Longwood, Fla., posted a toss of 60-06.75, topping his previous record by more than three feet. Kirby now holds the record for the indoor weight and the outdoor hammer.
Sophomore Brandon Bassett broke a nine-year record in the long jump. Bassett passed Nate Russell's 2002 record of 22-8 with a mark of 22-10 on Saturday. The school record is the third for Bassett as he set the record for the outdoor long jump and the decathlon last year in his freshman season.
Fellow sophomore Chenelle Terry, this week's SoCon Women's Field Athlete of the Week, set a new record in the high jump with a mark of 5-11. She passed Laura Malnatti's 2006 record of 5-08.50. She now holds the school record for both the indoor and outdoor high jump.
Freshman Shelby Builta proved to be a new force for the Bulldogs as she posted a school record in the 20-lb. weight throw in her collegiate debut. With a toss of 41-01.50, she topped Jessica Lucas' 2010 record of 38-06.75.
Competition in the JRF Combined Events Invitational begins on Friday at noon with the pentathlon and heptathlon events. First up are the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash followed by the high jump, long jump, shot put and 800-meter run. At 5 p.m., the trials for the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash will start the track events for the evening session followed by the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter run. Triple jump and shot put will start the field events at 5 p.m., followed by pole vault and high jump. The finals for the 60-meter hurdles and dash as well as the 5000-meter run will close out Friday's action.
On Saturday, the heptathlon 60-meter hurdle finals will start the day's track events at noon. At 1 p.m., the mile run will start followed by the distance medley relay and the heptathlon 1000-meter run. The 200-meter dash will follow while the 3000 meters and the 4x400-meter relay will round out the track events. Saturday's field events will start with the weight throw and long jump at noon followed by the pole vault and high jump.
Fans can find a schedule of events for the meet on the track and field schedule page at www.samfordsports.com. A full recap and results will also be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of each day's events.
