HOUSTON – Junior Dana Mecke and senior Ashley Jackson posted top-six finishes to help lead the UTSA women’s track and field team to 11th place at the season-opening Leonard Hilton Memorial held Friday at Bill Yeoman Fieldhouse.

Mecke finished fourth in the mile with a career performance, clocking a 4:58.26 to make her the school’s No. 4 all-time performer in the event. She bettered her previous PR of 5:02.52 in a runner-up showing at the 2008 Southland Conference Championships on this same track.

A pair of Rice runners – Nicole Mericle (4:55.81) and Britany Williams (4:57.78) – finished just ahead of Mecke in the tight race won by Rice’s Lennie Waite in an NCAA provisional qualifying 4:48.00. Freshman teammate Kayla Pratt won her section and was 13th overall in the field of 45 milers with a time of 5:16.70.

Jackson won her heat of the 200 meters and finished sixth overall in a field of 48 sprinters, crossing in 26.15.

A trio of Roadrunners moved onto the school’s top-five performers lists.

Freshman Lindsey Ngyuen, believed to be the first indoor female pole vaulter at UTSA, established a school record with a 10-4 clearance to tie for 13th place.

Sophomore Taelor Wilson became the program’s No. 2 performer in the weight throw with a 10th-place measure of 47-5 1/4.

Freshman Amber Byars had a memorable UTSA debut with a 42-1 1/2 mark to finish 18th in the weight throw and move into the No. 4 spot on the school’s all-time list.

Junior Jessica Jones nearly matched her career best in the 60m hurdles, as she peeled off an 8.76 to win her preliminary heat. That effort, the fifth fastest in the first round, was just one one-hundredth of a second shy of her personal-best posted last season, but she did not race in the final.

In other action, sophomore Jayde James placed ninth in the 800m in 2:21.50, while fellow sophomore Shavonne Armbrister won her 400m heat and was 13th overall in 1:00.93. The distance medley relay team was ninth with a 13:23.33 clocking.

The Roadrunners tied with Texas Southern for 11th with 11 points in the team standings. Rice tallied 117 points to edge Texas (101) for the team title.

UTSA returns to action next Saturday, Jan. 24, when it competes at the Cherry & Silver Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.

Upcoming Events

Saturday Jan. 31: Houston Invitational @ Houston

Saturday Feb. 7: Houston All-Comers @ Houston

Friday Feb. 20 and Saturday Feb. 21: Southland Conference Championships

Source: GoUTSA.com