Feb. 17, 2007

Complete Results

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Sophomore Murielle Ahoure dominated the field in the 200-meter dash on the second and final day of the Virginia Tech Challenge on Saturday afternoon at Rector Field House in Blacksburg, Va., finishing with a top time of 23.93 seconds. The second-place finisher, Tyra Johnson of North Carolina, finished in 24.45 seconds. Mason freshman Tiara Swindell finished 14th with a time of 25.35 seconds.

Swindell also competed in the 400-meter dash, qualifying for the ECAC Championships with a seventh-place time of 56.79 seconds. The time is the fastest of Swindell's career in the event, besting her old mark of 57.62 seconds. The Hampton, Va. native has also qualified for the ECAC Championships in the 200-meter dash.

In the field events, sophomore Ryann Hendricks finished eighth in the triple jump with a mark of 11.81 meters (38 ft. 9 in.). The leap is Hendricks' best this indoor season. She previously jumped 11.75 meters at the Father Diamond Invitational on Jan. 6.

Two members of George Mason's men's track and field team finished in first place on the second day of action. Senior Ryan McCoy placed first in the triple jump, while freshman Michael Pachella finished with the top time in the 800-meter run.

McCoy outdistanced the triple jump field with a leap of 15.84 meters (51 ft. 11.75 in.), his top jump of the season, topping his previous high of 15.68 meters at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 3. Virginia Tech's Idi Eradiri finished second in the event with a mark of 15.80 meters (51 ft. 10 in.).

In the 800-meter run, Pachella crossed the finish line first with the best time of his young career, 1:51.04, beating Virginia's Jordan Orr, who finished in 1:51.50. Pachella's previous best was 1:51.36, set at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 3.

Both the men's and women's track and field teams return to action on Sunday, Feb. 25 when they host the Mason Last Chance meet at the George Mason Fieldhouse.