April 4, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz.: April 3, 2009 - Senior Gayle Hunter (Riverside, Calif.) started her outdoor season with a bang on Friday, scoring an NCAA automatic-qualifying 5564 points in the heptathlon at the Jim Click Shootout at the University of Arizona. Freshman Anya Uzoh (Laurel, Md.) was also in on the action, scoring 6364 in the men's decathlon, taking sixth overall.
Hunter's two-day competition began on Thursday, as she opened with a solid 13.74 in the 100-meter hurdles - the fastest mark in the 11 women field, and worth a total of 1015 points. The senior continued with a clearance of 5-3 (1.60) in the high jump, and a toss of 38-2.75 (11.65) in the shot put. The Riverside, Calif., native closed out the opening day with a 24.44-second 200-meter dash - once again, the best of the competition.
Hunter continued to roll on day two, beginning with a leap of 19-8.25 (6.00) in the long jump. Next up was the javelin, where Hunter posted a throw of 117-9 (35.89). The senior finished off the two-day event running 2:21.95 for the 800-meters, recording the best mark in the field for the third time in seven events. Hunter finished second behind conference rival Liz Roehrig of Minnesota, who scored 5857. Nebraska's Megan Wheatley placed third with 5360.
Uzoh started off well on Thursday, clocking 11.16 for 100-meters - the fourth-fastest in the competition. The freshman continued to hold his own amongst a talented field, posting a leap of 22-3.50 (6.79) in the long jump, and recording a toss of 33-09.50 (10.30) in the shot put. After clearing 6-02.75 (1.90) in the high jump, Uzoh posted a personal-best and field-leading 48.90 for 400-meters. On day two, Uzoh cleared a career-best 13-07.25 (4.15) in the pole vault, highlighting a successful second day of action.
The rest of the Nittany Lions are set to compete at Jim Click on Saturday, beginning with the women's hammer at 9 a.m. Log onto www.GoPSUsports.com for full results and Nittany Lion recaps at the conclusion of the meet.