The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Samford Invitational
UAB Track and Field Concludes Action at Samford Invitational
2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB track and field team received a trio of top-six finishes in the 3,000-meter run at the Samford Invitational Friday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Lucy Crookes was the top finisher in any event for the Blazers, finishing second in the 3,000 with a time of 9:43.20, the quickest finish in the 3,000 by any Blazer this season.
"This was our final meet before the C-USA Championships,” UAB head coach Kurt Thomas said. “We were looking at some scenarios to decide what to do at the conference meet in certain events. We got some answers in some areas, and we are still seeing where we can score some points at conference in other areas. We have 11 days until our championships, so we still have some work to do.”
With her second runner-up finish of the season, Crookes has not finished outside of the top four in any of the five races she has competed in this season. Crookes recorded first places finishes in the 3,000 in the Birmingham-Southern Icebreaker and the Blazer Invite earlier in the indoor season.
Sarah Livett and Rebecca Evans followed Crookes across the finish line in third and sixth place, respectively. Livett finished the 3,000 in 9:57.70, shaving nearly 30 seconds off of her previous best. Evans finished the race in 10:06.36.
The Blazers got a pair of top-15 finishes in the mile run, as Hannah Coffin finished 14th with a time of 5:10.70, and Jenna Wesley finished in 15th with a time of 5:12.56.
“We saw Jenna Wesley and Hannah Coffin run well today,” Thomas said. “Jessica Shelley had some good hurdle races and Hannah Hensley high jumped well. Those were all good signs going into the last indoor meet.”
Jessica Shelley led the Blazers in sprinting events with a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 8.71. Hannah Hensley recorded her best finish in the high jump, leaping a season-high 1.60 meters to finish third.
Shelbi White and Kandiss Briggs rounded out the Blazers’ top finishers in sprinting events, with respective 14th and 15th-place finishes. Competing in her first event of the season, White finished the 200 in 25.16, while Briggs clocked a season-best time of 25.24.
The UAB track and field team will be back in action on Feb. 25-26, as the Blazers are set to host the Conference USA Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account, @UABathletics. For an in-depth look into the UAB Track & Field program, follow @UAB_TrackXC on Twitter.
Players Mentioned
