Sutej second, team scores 18 points
DES MOINES, Iowa – The No. 4 University of Arkansas women’s track and field team scored 18 points Friday on day three of the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The Razorbacks had a runner-up performance in the pole vault from Tina Sutej, two top-six finishes in the 400 meters from Shelise Williams and Regina George and a seventh-place result in the 400-meter hurdles by Brittany Hyter.
Sutej tied the NCAA Championship meet record with a clearance of 4.45m in the pole vault. She tied with Melissa Gergel of Oregon at that height but the Razorback junior finished second overall with more misses throughout the competition. Sutej used two third-attempt clearances at 4.20m and 4.45m to stay alive in the event. This marks the second runner-up finish at the national outdoor meet for Sutej, matching her effort from last year’s championship.
The loss marks the first setback of the 2011 season for Sutej but she ends the collegiate season with an NCAA record in the pole vault with her clearance of 15-1.5 at the SEC Championships. Sutej is now the owner of the top five jumps in school history, three of which came this season.
The Razorbacks collected eight points in the 400 meters by way of a fourth-place finish by Williams and a sixth-place result by George. Running out of lane seven in the final, Williams capped her collegiate career with a time of 51.94. She now has three of the four fastest times in school history. George, out of lane eight, crossed the line in 52.53 to round out Arkansas’ duo performance in the 400 meters.
Arkansas collected its first points of the weekend with a seventh-place finish by Hyter in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles. Running in the first national final of her career, the Razorback junior crossed in a time of 58.21. Hyter advanced to the final by winning Wednesday’s semifinal in a school-record time of 56.46, an improvement of more than a second over her previous best.
In the first event on day two of the heptathlon, Makeba Alcide had a best attempt of 5.31m (17-5.25) in the long jump. The mark was good for 645 points toward her overall total. The heptathlon then moved on to the javelin where Alcide let go of a day’s best throw of 35.15m (115-4) on her second throw of the event; a mark worth 575 points. She closed out the two-day competition with a 2:25.74 run in the 800 meters which added 747 points to her final total.
The Razorbacks will close out the 2011 NCAA Championships with Kristen Gillespie competing in the finals of the 1,500 meters. Saturday’s championship race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (CT). Day four will be televised by CBS, beginning at noon (CT) and streamed lived at NCAA.com. Log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com for more information and continued meet coverage, including live results and interactive blog.
NCAA Championships – Day 3 Results
Heptathlon14. Makeba Alcide – 5,245 points 11. 100mH – 14.08, 967 points 9. High Jump – 1.69m, 842 points 15. Shot Put – 11.36m, 619 points 12. 200m – 25.41, 850 points 18. Long Jump – 5.31m, 645 points 14. Javelin – 35.15m, 575 points 16. 800m – 2:25.74, 747 points
Pole Vault2. Tina Sutej – 4.45mTara Diebold – NH
400M Hurdles7. Brittany Hyter – 58.21
400 Meters4. Shelise Williams – 51.946. Regina George – 52.53
