Two School Records Fall At AAC Indoors Friday

Friday, February 24

Birmingham, Ala.

University of Memphis

American Athletic Conference Championships

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Feb 24, 2017 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

The American Championships/Men's Results (Day One)The American Championships/Women's Results (Day One)

Parker earns all-conference honors in the pole vault.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two more go down – as in University of Memphis track and field program records.

In first-day action at the 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Friday, Davon DeMoss and Julian Sanchez Pinto both set school marks in the men's 200 meters and men's 5000 meters, respectively.

After day one of the championships, the Memphis men's squad is in seventh place with 13 points, but only five events have been scored. On the women's side after six events, the Tigers are eighth with 12 points. The two-day conference meet continues Saturday.

DeMoss, who first broke the program's 200 meters record at the Feb. 10 Music City Challenge, bettered that mark in a time of 21.18 Friday. The sophomore was the top finisher in the men's 200 meters and advanced to Saturday's event finals. The Jackson, Tenn., native also advanced to Saturday's final in the men's 60 meters with a time of 6.70.

Sanchez Pinto ran in his first 5000 meters at Memphis Friday and placed fifth in the event with a school-record time of 14:36.18. The junior college transfer broke the previous mark by 10 seconds (14:46.33 set in 2014).

With Friday's two school records, the Tigers men's and women's squads have combined to set seven total program marks this indoor campaign.

American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships/Day One Highlights

In addition to Sanchez Pinto in the men's 5000m, the Tigers men's team also picked up points in the distance medley relay and weight throw. The Memphis distance medley relay team of Brock Ballard, Christopher Walker, Naaman Norment and Matthew Kamph placed fourth (10:03.64), and senior Luke Vaughn was fifth in the weight throw.
Luke Vaughn's 63-4 (19.31m) weight throw surpassed his previous personal-best by over a foot (61-11.75; 18.89m). His previous best weight throw came at the 2015 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, where he finished second.
Freshman Kolbeinn Gunnarsson also advanced to two finals on Saturday. He placed fifth in the 200m (21.32) and second in the 400m (47.98) preliminaries Friday. Both times are season-bests for Gunnarsson.
Freshmen Lennard Biere (second) and Simon Hosten (fifth) are in the top-five after four events of the men's heptathlon. Biere's 3291 points are only eight points behind Cincinnati's Alex Bloom, who leads the competition with 3299 points. Hosten is fifth with 3086 points.
Scoring for the Tigers women's squad Friday were juniors Jada Parker (third) and Dorina Baiker (fourth) in the pole vault and junior Chelsea Ladd (eighth) in the 5000m.
Jada Parker posted a personal-best 13-4.25 (4.07m) vault, and with her third-place finish, she became the Tigers' first all-conference performer at this year's meet. Dorina Baiker's 13-0.25 (3.97m) vault was a personal indoor best.
Senior Martina Rodriguez Sala gets a chance to defend her 2016 conference crown in the women's mile with a first-place finish in the preliminaries. Rodriguez Sala, who holds the school record in the event, ran a 4:55.60 Friday.
Freshman Cera Chavez ran a season-best 24.18 in the women's 200m preliminaries Friday and qualified for Saturday's final.
Freshman Mona Jaidi threw a season-best 55-7 (16.96m) in the women's weight throw Friday. She surpassed her previous best throw by over two feet.

Memphis Men's Results
60m (P) – 4. Davon DeMoss, 6.70 (advances to Saturday's final)
200m (P) – 1. Davon DeMoss, 21.18 (advances to Saturday's final); 5. Kolbeinn Gunnarsson, 21.32 (advances to Saturday's final)
400m (P) – 2. Kolbeinn Gunnarsson, 47.98 (advances to Saturday's final); 7. Jason Kimmet, 49.07 (advances to Saturday's final); 8. Antaun Andrews, 49.10 (advances to Saturday's final); 14. Christopher Walker, 49.80
800m (P) – 11. LaForrest Church, 1:55.18; 14. Alex Klatt, 2:04.21
5000m – 5. Julian Sanchez Pinto, 14:36.18; 16. James Durkin, 15:30.59
Distance medley relay – 4. Memphis, 10:03.64 (Brock Ballard, Christopher Walker, Naaman Norment, Matthew Kamph)
Long jump – 11. Olushola Olojo, 22-8.5 (6.92m); 14. Shameek Miller, 21-8 (6.60m)
Weight throw – 5. Luke Vaughn, 63-4 (19.31m); 11. Adam Neelly, 52-6 (16.01m); 14. Rafael Vallery, 49-0 (14.95m)
Heptathlon (through 4 events) – 2. Lennard Biere, 3291 points; 5. Simon Hosten, 3086 points

Memphis Women's Results
200m (P) – 7. Cera Chavez, 24.18 (advances to Saturday's final)
400m (P) – 12. Dominque Chatman, 56.47; 14. Destinee Lansden, 56.80
800m (P) – 12. Celine Rone, 2:15.65
Mile (P) – 1. Martina Rodriguez Sala, 4:55.60 (advances to Saturday's final); 17. Megan Briley, 5:15.58
5000m – 8. Chelsea Ladd, 16:53.66; 12. Arnica Zitting, 17:16.28
60m hurdles (P) – 10. ToNaya Gulley, 9.05
Pole vault – 3. Jada Parker, 13-4.25 (4.07m); 4. Dorina Baiker, 13-0.25 (3.97m)
Long jump – 11. Chardae Greenlee, 18-4.25 (5.60m); 15. Sandra Ekblom, 17-9.5 (5.42m)
Weight throw – 12. Mona Jaidi, 55-7 (16.96m)