No. 23 SMU Finishes 2nd At C-USA Outdoor Track Championshis

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From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 23 Track And Field Finished Second At The C-USA Outdoor Championships
du Toit three-peats in discus and shot put; Evans sets school record in 400-meter

May 15, 2011

HOUSTON, Texas (SMU) - The SMU women's track and field team, ranked No. 23 in the nation, entered the last day of the Conference USA Outdoor Championships with an 11-point advantage, but couldn't maintain the lead despite school records and personal bests. The Mustangs finished with 119 points, taking second behind No. 17 UCF's 157 points.

"We had a perfect meet. We fought hard, fought as a team and fought for our school. We just ended up a little bit short," head coach Dave Wollman explained. "I am so proud of these girls, my coaching staff and our trainer. They set their sights on winning this meet all year long and did everything possible to achieve this goal. The Mustangs leave the 2011 C-USA Championships with no regrets, and we turn our attention to the national meet."

One day after becoming only the second student-athlete to win the C-USA shot put crown at least three times, junior Simone du Toit became the first to earn three straight C-USA discus titles with a throw of 54.27 meters, nearly seven meters longer than the second-place throw.

"It is nice to have someone like Simone on the team," Wollman stated. "I can count on her to lead the way for the team with her performance."

Minutes prior to du Toit's first-place discus throw, Kristine Eikrem-Engeset led the Mustangs to a 2-3-4 finish in the 1500-meter run. Her time of 4:23.50 was less than three-tenths of a second behind the first-place finisher.

Mary Allenbratt took third in 4:24.44 and Silje Fjortoft took third with a personal-best time of 4:26.17 just one day after finishing second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The trio earned 19 points in the event for the Mustangs.






"I am very proud of all three of our girls. They ran their hearts out for the red and blue. I am especially happy for Kristine, as this makes all the heartache (of dealing with injuries) worth it," Wollman said after the event.
Just over an hour later, Allenbratt competed in the 800-meter run, attempting the double for the first time, and took second with a season best 2:09.03. SMU freshman Lovisa Lindh won the event in 2:08.50, completing the indoor-outdoor sweep in the event.

Junior Amber Evans set a school-record in the 400-meter dash, climbing to 13th in the NCAA with a time of 52.87 to finish second, less than one second out of first. Evans shaved 1.4 seconds off her previous best time to set the record.

"Amber made a statement this weekend with this performance. She declared herself a 400-meter runner to be reckoned with, and I am very proud of her," assistant coach Tony Miller said.

In all, SMU student-athletes claimed four titles, with du Toit winning the shot put and discus, Klara Bodinson winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Lindh winning the 800-meter run. The Mustangs also combined to take 12 medal positions.

Based on their performances at the C-USA Championships, 10 Mustangs earned All-Conference USA honors. du Toit led SMU with two First Team awards, while Allenbratt picked up a Second Team and Third Team award. Lindh and Klara Bodinson also earned First Team honors, while Eikrem-Engeset, Fjortoft, Evans, Lisa Egarter, Viktoria Leks and Helena Perez all earned Second Team accolades.

The Mustangs next competition is the NCAA West Preliminary Round, held May 26-28 in Eugene, Ore.