The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
UAB Blazer Invitational
Track and Field Opens Blazer Invite
1/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB track and field team concluded the opening day of the Blazer Invite on Friday at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The Blazers' day was highlighted by four top-15 finishes, including Shelby Barker's ninth place finish in the women's 500-meter dash.
“We performed as we expected them to for the first meet back after the holiday break,” said head coach Kurt Thomas. “We were looking to see where they were at. There are always a couple that may look a little bit better and some that aren’t quite as sharp. Renay (Ransaw) ran well in her 300-meter dash and the hurdlers just missed out on making the finals.”
The day opened with the women's 60-meter hurdles preliminaries. Five Blazers competed in the opening round, led by Jessica Shelley and Autumnn Burnett. Shelley took second in the fourth heat, turning in a time of 8.77. Burnett, running in the sixth heat, crossed the line in third place with an 8.86. Shelley and Burnett finished the preliminary round 13th and 15th overall, respectively, with the top eight moving onto the finals.
In the 60-meter dash preliminary, Kandiss Briggs matched her season best from the Birmingham Southern Icebreaker on Dec. 5, turning in a 7.81 to win her heat. The time was not good enough to advance to the finals, however, as she finished 23rd overall.
The day continued for UAB in the women's 500 meters. Barker finished ninth overall with a time of 1:17.44. Burnett concluded her day with a 1:18.91 to take second in her heat and 14th overall.
Off the track, Kendra Gipson took 12th in the triple jump with a first leap of 11.34m (37-02.50). Gipson would follow the mark with two fouls. Shanice Leach recorded a jump of 10.97m (36-00.00) to take 19th place. Leach improved on her season best from the BSC Icebreaker on Dec. 5 by 0.22m (00-08.75).
The Blazers ended competition on day one in the women's 300-meter dash. Breona Humphrey led the way for UAB with a 41.72 to finish 19th overall and second in her heat. Fanta Diabate ran a 41.73 to finish 20th, while Briggs took 21st place with a 21.76.
The fourth edition of the Blazer Invite concludes on Saturday at the Birmingham CrossPlex. Running events are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with the women's 5,000-meter open run. Field events will commence at 9 a.m. with the women's long jump.
“We will look for more of the same tomorrow,” Thomas said. “Most of the day people will not be in their primary races. We are just preparing for the rest of the season. Lucy Crookes could come out and have a good race in the 3,000 meters.”
Admission for the event is free. Results from this weekend’s competition can be found at UABsports.com. Live results will be provided by xpresstiming.com.
For more information on the UAB track & field team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_TrackXC). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
