University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Track and Field Turns in Stellar Saturday Showing
03.21.2015 | Track and Field
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The second day of action in the 49er Classic on Saturday saw nearly all of the UNC Asheville distance runners compete in their first outdoor action of the season as well as an afternoon full of personal bests for many Bulldogs.
In the women's 800-meter finals, the Bulldogs saw five runners place within 26 seconds of the top pace, as Alyssa Lashway (11th, 2:17.94) and Kelsie Rubino (17th, 2:20.24) each finished less than ten seconds off the winner's pace. Lashway's time gave her a new personal-best time in the event.
The men's 800-meter finals featured seven Asheville runners, all within 17 seconds of the top pace. Patrick Osborne (11th, 1:56.09) and Chase Stevens (22nd, 1:57.39) both finished less than five seconds off the winner's pace. The finishes by Osborne and Stevens gave both new personal-best times in the event. Jacob Fink (2:08.80) finished first in his 800-meter heat.
Both Bulldog 4x400-meter relay teams also posted excellent times on Saturday. The Asheville men's 4x400-meter team of Sergeneno Rankin, Chase Stevens, Jason Perry and Osborne posted a time of 3:24.27 to finish fourth in the third heat, giving them a 12th place finish overall in the event. The pace was the third-fastest all-time in UNC Asheville history in the 4x400-meters.
Kassandra Pierre finished less than two seconds off the pace in the 400-meter hurdles with her time of 1:02.33, a time that finishes just off the Asheville record in the event. She finished in third place in the event against a strong field.
The women's team of Zoe Hickey, Anna Gelbach, Pierre and Lashway posted a time of 4:01.43 to finish third in the second heat, giving them ninth place overall in the event.
The Bulldogs continue the outdoor season next weekend at the Raleigh Relays hosted by N.C. State.
