ASU sophomore Kyle Long throws the hammer the Hammer Throw on Friday, March 20, 2015, at the Sun Angel Stadium in Tempe. Long placed fifth with a mark of 60.14 meters. (Krista Tillman/The State Press)The ASU track and field team completed its first home meet at the Baldy Castillo Invitational on Saturday. The Sun Devils had a strong outing on the men’s side finishing second behind No. 4 Texas A&M. The women also performed well, finishing in fifth.
“Overall I’m really pleased with where we are," ASU track and field coach Greg Kraft said. "It’s easy to measure the progress. It’s always nice to start the outdoor season here at the Baldy Castillo Invitational.”
Friday began the weekend’s action with the hammer throw and 1500 meter events. In the men’s hammer throw, sophomore Kyle Long had a significant personal record at 60.14 meters (197 feet 4 inches). His throw gave him a fifth place finish. Senior Kyle Lillie also set a personal record in the discus at 59.05 meters (193 feet 9 inches) and finished in sixth.
The women’s hammer throw was an overall success for the Sun Devils as well. Both freshman Maggie Ewen and junior Ginger Jarchow set new personal records, Ewen at 58.44 meters (191 feet 9 inches) and Jarchow at 56.86 meters (186 feet 6 inches). Ewen finished in fifth, Jarchow in sixth and senior Jessika Byrd finished in seventh.
In the men’s 1500, junior Ryan Herson finished in second place in 3:44.61. His time was just .48 seconds behind Jacob Burcham from Oklahoma. Sophomore Chelsey Totten finished fifth in the women’s 1500 in a time of 4:26.27.
Saturday was a huge day out on the field as well starting with senior Michael Ohakwe’s fourth-place finish in the men’s discus. Ohakwe was able to secure his place with a throw of 52.73 meters (173 feet). In the women’s discus, senior Alex Hartig finished in second place at 52.68 meters while Ewen took third with a throw of 51.06 meters.
The shot put was an event that served the Sun Devils well. Lillie finished in fourth place in the men’s shot put with a throw of 17.91 meters (58 feet 9.25 inches) while junior Ahmed Hassan finished in fifth with a 17.81 meter (58 feet 5.25 inch) throw.
Junior Tanner Greeley competing in the high jump for the Baldy Castillo Invitational at the Sun Angels Stadium in Tempe. (Gretchen Burnton/The State Press)Ewen came in third place in the women’s shot put at 15 meters (49 feet 2.5 inches) while sophomore Ashley Weber finished just behind her in fifth place with a toss of 14.90 meters (48 feet 10.75 inches).
Junior Tanner Greeley set an outdoor personal record in the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 5.05 meters (16 feet 6.75 inches). Greeley finished in seventh place.
Junior Jamol James had impressive performances in his first outdoor meet as a Sun Devil. James, a transfer from Tennessee, won the men’s 100 in a time of 10.47 seconds. He also went on to finish third in the men’s long jump with a distance of 7.44 meters (24 feet 0.5 inches), his personal record in the event. Senior Edmond Baker finished fourth with a jump of 7.36 meters (24 feet 1.75 inches).
Senior Bryan McBride had an excellent day in his premier event, the men’s high jump. McBride won the event with a height of 2.20 meters (7 feet 2.5 inches) while Baker finished in third in the event at 2.14 meters (7 feet 0.25 inches).
The team will stay home this week for the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Invitational in Tempe at Sun Angel Stadium next weekend. ASU will be teaming up with Arizona and UCLA to compete against Big Ten foes Nebraska, Michigan and Indiana.
Reach the reporter at tjwilkin@asu.edu or follow @Twilkins23 on Twitter.
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