Day Two Women's Results

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Records continued to fall Saturday as the Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships completed its second day at the Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The mid-afternoon was highlighted by a facility record-breaking leap by Western Kentucky's Mandhla Mgijima in the long jump. He saved his best jump for last, earning a 25-11 (7.90m) mark to move into third on the NCAA list and 15th on the world wind-assisted chart for 2009. His distance was more than eight inches more than second-place Luther Ambrose of Louisiana-Monroe and third-place Carl Morgan of Middle Tennessee.

In the women's long jump, the Blue Raiders' Sarah Nambawa captured the crown with another stadium standard of 20-10 (6.35m) in just her third time competing in the event outdoors this season. India George of FIU claimed second, while Western Kentucky's Sharika Smith placed third.

Host Middle Tennessee picked up its second event win earlier in the afternoon as junior Brittany Cox captured the shot put with a heave of 50-0.75 (15.26m) to set yet another facility record, the third Blue Raider to do so in two days. She attained the distance on her third of six tosses and held off second-place Felicia Yearwood of Western Kentucky to place for the second time over the weekend following her third-place result in Friday's discus.

The women's high jump went to Louisiana-Monroe's Heather Davis with a height of 5-8.75 (1.75m), while WKU earned the top-two spots in the men's shot put with Matt Taitt edging teammate Brian Soverns with a 55-2.25 (16.82m) toss.

The morning began with the final events of the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. In the decathlon, Louisiana-Monroe's Isaac Combs won with 6,944 points with the North Texas pairing of Andrew Turner (6,711 points) and Jordan Wehr (6,710) coming in second and third, respectively. Arkansas State's Amy Bowman garnered the heptathlon victory with 4,958 points. Florida International's Laurenie Louissaint (4,843 points) and Jantelle McNeil of Western Kentucky (4,679) were next on the leaderboard.

The night session featured seven different running events holding preliminaries for Sunday's finals. Among the Blue Raiders who will compete in the finals Sunday include Roscoe Payne (men's 110m and 400m hurdles), TraMayne Gillyard (women's 400m), Nyeisha Wright and Kiara Henry (women's 100m), Greg Franklin and Curtis King (men's 100m and 200m), Zamzam Sangau (women's 800m), Festus Chemaoi and David Emery (men's 800m) and Wright (women's 200m).

Of the MT runners advancing, Payne (400m hurdles), Sangau (women's 800m) and Chemaoi (men's 800m) did so by leading the qualifiers after the preliminary heats.

The night closed with the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Florida International registered the first and second finishes in the women's event, as Paola Reategui crossing the finish line ahead of teammate Daniela Espino with a time of 11:14.13. The fourth stadium record of the day fell when the men hit the track for the final time as UALR's Johnathon Cherono set the pace in the event with a time of 9:09.69.

The Sun Belt Championships will conclude with events all day Sunday, beginning in the field at 10 a.m. with the men's hammer throw. The running events will get underway at 6 p.m. with the women's 4x100m relay.

Men's Team Standings (6 events scored):
1. Western Kentucky, 58
2. Louisiana-Monroe, 41
3. Middle Tennessee, 28
3. UALR, 28
5. Arkansas State, 24
6. North Texas, 19
7. Troy, 12
8. South Alabama, 10
9. Florida International, 8
10. Louisiana-Lafayette, 6

Women's Team Standings (8 events scored):
1. Florida International, 62.60
2. Arkansas State, 54
2. Western Kentucky, 54
4. Louisiana-Monroe, 35.20
5. Middle Tennessee, 30.60
6. Troy, 27.60
7. South Alabama, 21
8. North Texas, 14
9. Louisiana-Lafayette, 6
10. UALR, 5
11. Florida Atlantic, 2

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