CLEMSON, S.C. – Amy Salek sprinted to a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash as Elon concluded the two-day event in seventh place out of the 12 women’s teams at the 2009 Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship Sunday afternoon at the Clemson Indoor Track.
Salek, only a freshman, sprinted to a time of 56.85 seconds and finished just shy of the Western Carolina duo of Jane’t Carothers (56.06) and Shalyn McMichael (56.48) and just ahead of Georgia Southern senior Ashley Bush-Hardy (56.87). Salek joined Phoenix thrower Justine Robertson – third in the shot put Saturday – on the All-SoCon team.
Appalachian State (211 points) claimed the championship, followed by Western Carolina (135), Georgia Southern (93), Samford (78), College of Charleston (44), Chattanooga (42), Elon (36), Furman (11), Davidson (8), The Citadel (3), UNC Greensboro (1) and Wofford (0).
Despite being ranked ninth in the league entering the event, Robertson earned a fifth-place showing out of 16 participants in the weight throw, winning the first flight with a school-record toss of 47-10.00 (14.58 meters). Elon's Alyssa Girvin turned in a season-best performance of 44-10.75 to place eighth in the weight throw.
Phoenix harrier Emily Fournier scurried to seventh place out of 29 athletes in the one mile run, crossing the finish line in 5:13.11. Fournier (18:17.28) scrambled her way to a sixth-place finish and teammate Allyson Costa (18:23.04) placed eighth in the 24-athlete field of the 5,000-meter run. Fournier ended up fourth in the 3,000-meter run Saturday, narrowly missing all-conference accolades.
The Elon jumping duo of Lauren Hawkesworth (a school-record 37-06.00/11.43 meters) and Veronica Day (36-10.25/11.23 meters) seized seventh place and ninth place out of 16 competitors in the triple jump. Hawkesworth's performance marked one of four new Elon records set over the weekend.
Costa (5,000-meter run), Girvin (shot put, weight throw) and Salek (400-meter dash) all represented the Phoenix on the league’s first-ever Southern Conference All-Freshman Team.
–ELON–
