Senior sprinter and jumper David Schulte finished in third place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.16 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday, April 18. Courtesy: APU Sports Information
Athletes from across the country came to compete and showcase their abilities on Friday, April 18, but the headliner of the day was 2012 Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton, who opened the meet on the track.
In front of a packed crowd, Eaton competed for the first time this year in the 110-meter hurdles event and faced stiff competition, including World Indoor Champion Omo Osaghae. After a thrilling race, Osaghae came out victorious, tying the stadium record and breaking the Clay Invitational mark with a time of 13.49 seconds. Eaton, who also broke the meet record with a time of 13.54 seconds, came in second.
“In the first meet of the season, you’re looking for some kind of rhythm
and competition,” Eaton said. “We knew this meet draws a lot of names
and would be good competition. Coming here and seeing Bryan [Clay] made me feel
very welcome. Knowing the place a little bit and having Bryan’s backing
is special. I looked up to Bryan when I was coming up and I still do,
so to have him cheer me on while I’m still competing is special.”
Not long after the finish of that race, unattached runner LaKeisha Lawson stole the show by claiming the meet record in the women’s 100-meter dash with a time of 11.17 seconds, and coming five-hundredths of a second off the 200-meter dash meet record with a time of 23.09.
During the men’s 4×400 relay race, the meet record was broken by three different teams as they gave the crowd a memorable performance on the track. Fellow PacWest rival Academy of Art led the way, coming in first with a time of 3:11.81 seconds, which is a top-10 NCAA qualifying mark. The Alaska Anchorage team finished second with a time of 3:12.22 and Chadron State finished third, clocking at 3:13.07.
Among Azusa Pacific’s top performers was sophomore javelin thrower Allison Updike, who came in first with the best throw of the meet at 151 feet 11 inches. The men’s 4×100 relay team of senior sprinter, hurdler and jumper Sameer Sedam, junior hurdler Tanner Henry, junior sprinter Brennan May and sophomore sprinter Ronald Douglas placed second with a time of 41.81 seconds. Senior sprinter and jumper David Schulte placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.16.
Azusa Pacific’s focus now shifts to next week’s PacWest Conference Track and Field Championships, which will be held at Fresno Pacific University before closing the 2014 season with the NCCAA Outdoor Championships Thursday, May 1.