AUSTIN, Texas -- Sophomore Luther Ambrose claimed second-place in the 100-meter dash Saturday (April 3) as the ULM track and field team concluded competition at the Texas Relays. Ambrose’s second-place finish came in a field that featured many of the top sprinters in the country.
Ambrose clocked in with a time of 10.24 seconds in the 100 meter final, 0.07 seconds behind first-place Gerald Phiri of Texas A&M. Five of the sprinters among the nine-man field in the 100 dash final entered the weekend among the top-10 in the nation in the 100 meters this season. Ambrose entered the weekend as the second-ranked sprinter in the country.
“I felt pretty good about the race today,” said Ambrose. “I got out of the blocks fairly well and I’m happy with my performance overall. It’s great to have the opportunity to race against the best of the best, that always brings the best out of any competitor.”
In other action Saturday, junior Kyle Kent took eighth-place in the javelin throw with a best mark of 63.10m (207-0). Kent’s season-best throw came on his third attempt of the competition. Sophomore Richard McKay took 11th in the javelin with a throw of 60.59m (198-9). Sam Humphreys of Texas A&M won the event with a throw of 74.90m (245-9).
On Friday in the 100-meter dash prelims, Ambrose clocked in with a time of 10.22 seconds, winning the heat while also claiming the fastest time of the day. His time was also the second-quickest 100-meter dash in ULM history. Ambrose was the quickest of 55 runners in Friday’s heats and will lead the nine-man field in the Saturday final. Phiri posted the second-fastest time with a heat of 10.33 seconds.
In the women’s ‘B’ section shot put, junior Lakeitha Elmore took sixth with an effort of 14.36m (47-1 1/2). Elmore’s best throw of the competition came on her first of six tosses during the meet. Brittany Borman of Oklahoma claimed the top spot with a best throw of 14.99m (49-2 1/4).
Junior Marcie Richard earned a top-10 finish in the ‘B’ section of the women’s javelin with a throw of 42.79m (140-5). Richard hit her best mark with her second throw of the day. Hillary Pustka of Texas A&M claimed first-place with a throw of 49.00m (160-9).
Junior Moses Chelimo finished just outside the top-10 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing 11th. Chelimo clocked in with a time of 9:38.14 in his first steeplechase race of the season. Nicodemus Ng’etich of UTEP claimed first in the steeplechase with a time of 8:58.
ULM also had a pair of athletes compete on the first two days of the Texas Relays. Freshman Devin Caldwell ran in the 800 meters on Wednesday (March 31), finishing 16th, while freshman Chase Fulco competed in the 400-meter hurdle prelims on Thursday (April 1), he did not qualify for the final.
The Warhawks will return to action this week on Wednesday and Thursday (April 7-8) at the David Noble Multi-Event in San Angelo, Texas before travelling to the North Texas Spring Classic on Saturday (April 10).