DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Topping the field in her first collegiate 10,000m, Sharks freshman Ivanova Yanes headlined the performances for the Nova Southeastern women’s and men’s track and field teams on the opening day of competition at the Peach Belt Conference Championships, Friday at the Embry-Riddle Track Complex.
INSIDE THE MEET:
DAY 1 WOMEN’S RANKINGS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (5th, 17 points)
DAY 1 MEN’S RANKINGS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (6th, 6 points)
LOCATION: Embry-Riddle Track Complex | Daytona Beach, Fla.
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RUNNING EVENTS
A graduate of Hollywood’s Avant Garde Academy Broward, Yanes made a huge splash at the conference level for the second time in her rookie campaign. Taking on her first collegiate 10,000m run, Yanes was bouncing between second and third up until the final four laps. However, with a half-mile remaining, she took charge of the race, employing a kick that rushed her to the front and set up an 18-second win over Columbus State’s Alli Hay in 38:38.54. In the process, Yanes cut dangerously close for a debut performance to Annabel Knoll’s 2016 NSU event record, falling just 34.28 seconds shy. This is not the first time the two Shark runners have been mentioned together this year, as Yanes made her cross country debut at the Sunshine State Conference Championships, earning fourth place to become the SSC Freshman Runner of the Year – the first Shark to earn that honor since Knoll in 2015.
FIELD EVENTS
Senior long jumper Abdrrazek Azlag turned in the Sharks’ top field event finish of the opening day of competition, reaching fourth in the men’s event by raising his career best to 7.02m (23-2.5) with a 15-inch addition in the championships.
In the women’s javelin, sophomore Christina Adams boosted her career best by hitting a mark of 33.07m (108-6) on her final throw to garner fifth place – extending her career long by 3.13m (10 foot-3 inches) for the scoring performance.
The women’s and men’s hammer throw opened the day and were the first scoring events for the Sharks, as both seniors Jaylynne Thomas (36.68m/120-4) and Spencer Ochko (24.53m/80-06) earned eighth place in their respective events.
Senior Carly Rothert closed out the opening day field events with a seventh-place finish in the women’s high jump at 1.50m (4-11).
At the end of the first day of competition, the Sharks women rank fifth with 17 points, while the men are sixth with six points.
UP NEXT
Peach Belt Championships action resumes on Saturday with an 8:00 a.m. start for the women’s 5,000m and 10:00 a.m. opening throw for the women’s shot put. Following the 4x400m relays to finish off the meet, the closing ceremonies and awards presentations are set for 4:00 p.m.
To keep up with Sharks track and field, follow on Twitter @NSU_XCTF, on Instagram @NSU_XCTF and on Facebook /NSUXCTF.
