STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – A day after
resetting her school record in the 60m dash, UMBC sophomore
sprinter Mercedes Jackson (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown)
broke her own record in the 200m dash, Saturday afternoon at the
Penn State National Invitational.
Already holding the record, which she set at 24.00 at the 2012
America East Championships, Jackson won the 200m dash at the
national meet with a time of 23.98. In addition to her
indoor records, Jackson owns both the 100-meter and 200-meter
records in the outdoor events.
Jackson was not alone is setting new bests as six other
Retrievers set all-time bests in Pennsylvania.
For the women, sophomore Sarah
Daly (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) jumped to second
all-time in UMBC history in the 800m run. Daly finished second
in the event at Penn State and qualified for the ECAC meet with a
time of 2:14.32.
In the shot put, three-time America East indoor champion Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) upped her
career-best with a heave of 15.00m (49'2.50), which ranks as the
top throw in the conference this season. Deller ranks
second at UMBC in the weight throw as well, trailing only NCAA
champion and three-time Olympian Cleopatra Borel.
In the mid-distance runs, junior Kirsten
Jones (Brentwood, Tenn./M.L.K. Magnet) and
sophomore Paulette Fogle (Washington, D.C./Bishop
McNamara) each set season-best times on Saturday. Jones
finished 12th in the 400m run with a time of 57.32 and Fogle placed
third in the 500m run with a time of 1:14.98.
The Retriever men were not outdone, however, as four Retrievers
made a move in the school's all-time records.
In the sprints, senior Dennison
Long (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt/FIU) jumped up a
spot to fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 21.86 and
finished second in the event.
It was the distance runners, though, that made the biggest
moves. Freshman Andrew
Keresztes (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Port Jefferson) earned
third place in the 1,000m run and moves to seventh all-time with a
time of 2:29.76. Sophomore Eric
Schuler (Columbia, Md./Reservoir) and junior Jake
Albino (Hampton, N.Y./Minisink Valley) also had career
days, competing in the 3,000m run and mile run,
respectively. Schuler finished fourth and now ranks
fourth with a time of 8:30.37 while Albino took tenth place and
ranks sixth at UMBC with his time of 4:16.51.
Several Retrievers also competed at the Patriot Games held by
George Mason on Saturday, with personal and season-bests falling as
well.
Freshman Angel Bucci (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby)
continued the line of successful distance runners, placing 12th in
the mile at George Mason but with the fifth-fastest time in UMBC
history (5:11.01.)
Several throwers also had a successful day, with
freshman Nneoma Edokobi (Rockville, Md./Richard
Montgomery) taking tenth in the weight throw with a personal-best
toss of 13.15m (43'1.75").
UMBC returns to competition next week as the Retrievers head
back to New York for the New Balance Collegiate
Invitational. The two-day competition begins on Friday,
Feb. 1 and continues through Saturday.
