CHARLOTTE, N.C. –
Amos Sang was an upset winner in the men's 10,000 meters, and the women's 400-meter relay team and sprinter
Desmond Jackson from the Wildcat men's team led the qualifiers Thursday on the opening day of the 48th annual NCAA Division II track and field championships.
Sang, the favorite in the 5,000 meters who came in with the second best qualifying time in the 10,000, sprinted away from defending champion Daniel Kirwa of Harding over the final 800 meters to win easily in 30:04.98. Kirway ran 30:13.69.
The Wildcats stand in a tie for second place in the men's team competition with 14 points to 19 for leader Hillsdale. Ashland also has 14 points.
Jackson, the NCAA Division II leader in the 100 at 10.31 seconds, won his heat in 10.37, which was Thursday's second-best time in trials for Saturday's final. The junior from Midland Lee will also compete in Friday's 200 preliminaries.
Defending champion Lincoln won the other heat with Thursday's best time of 45.05.
Only Kimour Bruce of Lincoln, who was timed in 10.33, ran faster here Thursday than Jackson, who drew the inside position in his heat. "I don't worry about my lane too much in the 100," he said. "I worry more about that in the 200."
Jackson added, "I've been working on my blocks. I felt that was good (Thursday), and the rest of my race is coming on. I'm just taking it day to day. I just wanted to make it to the finals."
In the women's sprint relay, coach Roosevelt Lofton's foursome of
Sydney Smith,
Wanda Hutson,
Joella Foster and
Kim Prather won its semifinal heat in 45.28 for its fastest time of the season.
In Thursday's finals for the Wildcats,
Ramon Sparks and
Jessica Sloss also scored for Abilene Christian. Sparks, among the favorites in the triple jump here, was fifth in the long jump at 24-5, and Sloss was eighth in the hammer throw at 173-7.
In other qualifying on opening day, Hutson advanced in the women's 100 with 11.69 seconds, and
Anais Belledant ran 4:34.03 in the women's 1,500 meters to qualify for Saturday's final.
Earlier in the day in the heptathlon,
Jessica Withrow improved her first-day score from the recent Lone Star Conference championships, but the Wildcat senior still stands in 10th place after Thursday's first four events with 3,070 points.
Angelo State's Aisha Adams, ranked fourth among American heptathletes this year and a solid favorite to win here, is first with 3,548, and her ASU teammate, Chrystal Ruiz, is third with 3,313.
Withrow was 14th after opening with 15.03 in the 100 hurdles, but she climbed to eighth after the high jump (5-7) and shot put (34-3.5). She ran 25.76 in the 200 to slip to 10th before Friday's events – long jump, javelin and 1,500 meters. Withrow was NCAA Division II champion in the heptathlon here in 2007 as a sophomore with 5,041 points (3,049 on first day). Withrow returned to action in 2010 after a redshirt year in 2009 because of injuries.
In the decathlon, another ACU senior,
James Hardin, ranks eighth after the first five events Thursday with 3,408 points. He started the day in seventh after 11.39 in the 100 meters, then settled into eighth place with 21-2.5 in the long jump, 38-1.25 in the shot put, 5-10.75 in the high jump and 51.80 in the 400.
Darius Walker of Central Missouri is the leader with 3,865, and LSC decathlon champion Eldon Grimslid of West Texas A&M is 10th with 3,317 points.
In addition to closing events in the multi-events on Friday at Belk Stadium at Johnson C. Smith University, competing for the Wildcats in final events will be
Destinee Nixon and Clemons in the triple jump. In other qualifying races will be
Kim Prather and Hutson in the 200 and Sang in the 5,000.
