Wildcats solid in first meet

Wildcats solid in first indoor meet

ACU qualifies six athletes, two relays for indoor meet

LUBBOCK -- The ACU men's and women's track and field teams got the 2006 indoor season started Friday at the Wes Kittley Invitational, and the teams combined to post six individual provisional qualifiers for the NCAA Division II indoor championship meet in March.

The ACU women were the most successful of the two teams, provisionally qualifying four athletes in four different events, as well as the 4x400 relay team. The men's team provisionally qualified two individual athletes and the 4x400 relay team.

On the women's side, the Wildcats won three individual events, and all three winners met the provisional qualifying standard for the indoor championships. Senior Trina Cox won the mile with a provisional time of 4:59.81, while Keva Wilkins won the 400 meters with a provisional time of 57.00. Sophomore Shawna-Kaye Thompson had an impressive season-opening run through the 55-meter hurdles, winning the event with a provisional qualifying time of 8.15.

Also posting a provisional qualifying mark for the indoor championship meet was junior pole vaulter Angie Aguilar, who cleared 11-5.75 to meet the provisional standard. The ACU women took the top two spots in the 4x400 relay with the "A" team of Brooklyn Hunt, Azraa Rounds, Thompson and Wilkins posting a winning and provisional qualifying time of 3:56.34.

On the men's side, junior sprinter Marvin Bien-Aime -- who finished second in the 200 meters at last year's indoor championship meet before winning the event at the outdoor meet -- won the 200 meters with a provisional qualifying time of 21.56. And in the long jump, sophomore Vladyslav Gorbenko finished third with a provisional qualifying mark of 23-6.00.

The men's 4x400 relay team cruised to a win in the event with Montez Pride, Bien-Aime, Elton Garus-Oab and Delt Cockrell posting a provisional qualifying time of 3:17.10.

Selected ACU men's and women's pole vaulters will be in action next weekend at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev., before both teams return to action in two weeks at the Frank Sevigne Classic in Lincoln, Neb.