Heckstall & Davila bring top prelim times into 100 & 400-meter hurdle finals;
Jeremiah betters own school record in shot put
MEET: AAC Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships
WHEN: Sunday, May 16 (2:30 p.m.)
WHERE: USF Track and Field Stadium, Tampa
TAMPA, MAY 15, 2021 – Tampa native Shaniya Benjamin (Alonso HS) leapt into history Saturday on the second day of the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the USF Track and Field Stadium
The Bulls’ freshman flew to a school-record tying mark of 21-4 on her second attempt in the long jump to win the event by half a foot and become the first USF women to claim an outdoor conference title since Courtney Anderson won the high jump in 2014.
Benjamin passed on her last four attempts, saving her energy for three more event finals she will compete in on Sunday’s last day of competition.
Sunday will see a full slate of track and field events from 2:30 to 7:55 p.m., highlighted by the 4X100-meter relays at 4:30 p.m. and the 4X400-meter relays at 7:45 p.m. Events are being broadcast on ESPN+.
Both USF men’s and women’s relay teams will be among the favorites to claim the crown in the 4X100 and 4X400 events.
Benjamin will compete on both women’s relays and also reached the finals of the 200 meters with a preliminary time of 23.80, which was just off her season-best. Teammate Gabrielle DesRosiers also reached the 200 meters finals with a prelim time of 23.80 while also reaching the 400-meter finals with a time of 54.36, which stands as the third-best in program history. She is also slated to compete on both relays.
The Bulls women also got points on Saturday from Stephanie Lambeth who placed fourth in the pole vault with a height of 21-10.25.
On Friday’s first day of competition, hurdlers Jae’Nisa Heckstall and Shaneylix Davila looked poised to challenge for conference titles. Heckstall posted the top prelim time in the 400-meter hurdles with a conference meet record 57.36. Meanwhile, Davila had the second-best prelim time with a 58.93. They flipped positions in the 100-meters with Davila posting the top prelim time of 13.33 and Heckstall the fourth-best with a 13.39. They will be favorites in both event finals Sunday.
Three Bulls’ men picked up points in the long jump with David Ajama (23-9.5), Victor Steiner (23-6.25) and Akeem Bradshaw (23-3.25) finishing fifth, sixth and seventh. Johann Jeremiah also scored in the shot put, finishing fourth with a throw of 57-1, which bettered his own school record.
On the track, Stefone Moore-Green (47.67) and Monte Parker (47.68) both reached Sunday’s 400-meter finals. They both will also be key pieces of the 4X400-meter relay and Parker is slated to compete on the 4X100 relay as well.
Meanwhile, Duncan Agyemang posted a time of 51.29 to advance to the 400-meter hurdle finals.
The Bulls also have numerous field event contenders competing on Sunday, the final day of the championships. The USF men currently stand sixth in the team standings, while the women are 10th.
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About USF Track and Field
The USF track and field team has produced 22 All-America selections since 2008 and at least one All-American in nine of the last 11 years. 2016 graduate Matthew O’Neal is USF’s first six-time NCAA All-American. USF has posted two NCAA runner-up finishes since 2013 – O’Neal (triple jump, 2016) and Courtney Anderson (high jump, 2013). The Bulls hosted the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary at the USF Track and Field Stadium and will host the 2021 AAC Outdoor Championships.
– #GoBulls –
