Liberty University
Raleigh Relays
Jones, Mistretta Shine at Raleigh
3/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Liberty freshman Janae Jones and sophomore Meredith Mistretta starred on Saturday at the Raleigh Relays. Jones triple jumped 39-8.5 for eighth place in Section 1, while Mistretta won Section 2 of the women's 10K in impressive fashion.
Jones fell just ¼ inch shy of her season best in the triple jump, despite battling a headwind. Melissa Rohwer also faced a headwind in Section 2 of the women's triple jump but managed a 37-9.5 effort for fourth place.
Mistretta got Liberty off to a strong start in the day's first race, Section 2 of the women's 10K. She crossed the finish line in 36:57.22, improving upon her personal best by 27 seconds and winning the race by 20 seconds.
Mistretta became the fifth Lady Flame ever to run a sub-37:00 10K, less than 12 hours after teammate Khristina Kanagy had dropped her 10K personal best to 35:21.97 on the same track.
The Lady Flames placed 10th in the 4 x 800 relay, with the quartet of Amanda Wimbush, Lauren Cook, Courtney Russo and Riley Brandon teaming up for a 9:24.04 clocking.
Liberty also found success in the women's 4 x 400 relay, winning its heat and finishing 16th overall in a season-best time of 3:54.92. Three of the four relay legs were freshmen, with Kelli Ley, Brittany Crittenden and Corinn Bedell joining junior Kiara Bridges.
Shelley Parker pole vaulted 10-11.75, placing ninth in Section 1 of the women's pole vault.
Chris Johnson and Daniel Klase were Liberty's top finishers on the men's side on Saturday. Johnson triple jumped 46-7.5 for 12th place in Section 1. Meanwhile, Klase's 181-6 javelin throw netted 13th place.
Liberty will now prepare to host its first meet at the newly-renovated Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex. The Liberty Collegiate Invitational will christen the new-look facility, with action scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
