March 26, 2006
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The George Mason women's track and field team wrapped up the final day of competition on Saturday at the Aggie Relays, held at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
Mason's 4x100-meter relay team finished in second place, crossing the finish line in 47.20 seconds, topping the ECAC qualifying mark of 48.34 seconds. The team, which already qualified for the ECAC Championships in the event last weekend at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla., finished behind Charlotte, which posted a time of 46.87 seconds.
Sophomore Misti Turner and freshman Ryann Hendricks both qualified for the finals in the 100-meter dash. In the finals, Turner finished in eighth place with a time of 12.50 seconds, while Hendricks finished 11th with a time of 12.63 seconds. Hendricks also competed in the long jump, finishing fifth with a leap of 5.48 meters (17 ft. 11.75 in.).
Freshman Brittanie Williams qualified for the 100-meter hurdle finals and finished in third place with a time of 14.61 seconds. Williams competed in the long jump as well, placing 15th with a jump of 5.09 meters (16 ft. 8.50 in.).
A trio of distance runners finished in the top 10 in the 800 meter run. Sophomore Melissa Ferry crossed the finish line in fifth place with a time of 2:21.99, and teammates Stephanie Gunter (2:25.02) and Alicia York (2:25.04) finished right behind Ferry in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Ferry and York also competed in the 1500 meter run, with Ferry finishing third with a time of 5:02.30 and York placing fourth at 5:07.65.
Senior Ashley Ackerley finished in the top five in two throwing events, the discus throw and the hammer throw. She was fourth with a toss of 38.21 meters (125 ft. 4 in.) in the discus throw and fifth with a mark of 39.85 meters (130 ft. 9 in.) in the hammer throw.
The women's track and field team hosts its first home meet of the outdoor track and field season, the Mason Spring Open Invitational, on Saturday, April 1 at George Mason Stadium. The meet begins at 10 a.m. with the women's hammer throw, men's javelin throw and men's pole vault. Track events start at 11 a.m. with the women's 5000-meter run.
