ARLINGTON -- Two-time defending NCAA Division II national champion javelin thrower
Linda Brivule posted an automatic qualifying mark for the outdoor national championship meet on Saturday with her winning throw at the Bobby Lane Invitational at Maverick Stadium.
Brivule, competing in her first meet of the 2010 season, won the javelin with a throw of 160 feet, 10 inches, toppingg runner Katelyn Penner of Oklahoma, who posted a mark of 158-7. Brivule is trying to become the first NCAA Division II female athlete to win three straight national championships in the javelin.
Brivule's performance topped a solid day at the opening meet of the outdoor season for the ACU women, who also saw four other athletes post provisional qualifying marks in five events.
Amanda Clemons finished seventh in both the long jump and the triple jump, provisionally qualifying in both events. She posted a mark of 18-9.25 in the long jump and 38-1.50 in the triple jump.
Jessica Sloss finished second in the hammer throw, posting a very solid provisional qualifying mark of 174-5.
Destinee Nixon provisionally qualified in the triple jump at 38-5.00, and
Wanda Hutson finished sixth in the 100 meters in a provisional qualifying time of 11.92 seconds.
On the men's side,
Desmond Jackson finished fifth in the 100 meters, posting a provisional qualifying time of 10.57 seconds.
Ramon Sparks won the long jump with a mark of 25-4.75, but the wind reading of 6.1 meters per second was well over the allowable wind for the mark to qualify for the meet. However, his winning mark in the triple jump (50-1.75) is a provisional qualifying mark.
Tyler Fleet -- who redshirted last year -- finished third in the hammer throw with a mark of 172-9, just short of posting a provisional qualifying mark. And
Amos Sang won the 1500 meters with a time of 4:00.0, which is just short of a provisional qualifying time. Sang also finished third in the 800 meters (1:54.23), also short of a qualifying time.
