Auburn sprinters dominate at Joe Walker Invite

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Auburn sprinters dominate at Joe Walker InviteAuburn sprinters dominate at Joe Walker Invite

OXFORD, Miss. – Auburn track & field returns home after a successful weekend at the Joe Walker Invitational, a meet that included 17 career bests and six event wins.
 
 Four of the Tigers' six wins were pocketed by sprinters.
 
In the men's 100m dash, senior Christopher Grant turned in the meet's top time with a 10.38. Fellow seniors Brandon Smiley and Jason Reese finished third and fourth, respectively.  The trio joined forces with Jevony Murray to punch a 39.54 in the men's 4x100m relay to win another event title in the Tigers' first relay of the year.
 
The sprinting dominance was not limited to the men's side however, as senior Tylar Colbert and freshman Aalliyah Francis each picked up wins of their own.
 
Colbert and teammate Asia Jinks delivered the one-two punch in the women's 400m hurdles with times of 1:00.55 and 1:01.52 to claim the event's top two positions. The win was Colbert's fourth of her career and the second to come at the Ole Miss Track & Field Complex.
 
Francis, in her collegiate 400m debut, stole the show with a 54.07 to finish first in a field of 33 runners. The Darliston, Jamaica native was also just over a second shy of the program's 16-year-old freshman record.
 
Not to be outdone by their sprinting counterparts, the Auburn distance crew also continued its strong outdoor season showing by way of Ryan Kinnane and Carson Bedics. The sophomore duo shaved a combined 45 seconds off their previous bests for a pair of PRs that resulted in two top-three finishes.
 
A pair of Auburn jumpers, Dontavious Hill and Janaya Jones, collected the final two wins of the weekend for the Tigers. Hill won the high jump with 2.20m/7-2.50 clearance while Jones won the long jump by jumping 5.90m/19-4.25.

"Pretty solid weekend overall," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said. "We saw some underclassmen shine in the distance group, and then some upperclassmen shine with the sprints group. All in all, we got a good lay of the lay before we head back here later this season for SEC Championships, which is what we wanted to do. I think we're in a good place heading into the home meet next weekend."

UP NEXT
The Tigers return home for the final home meet of the season, the War Eagle Invitational, April 15-16. Fans are encouraged to attend as this year's senior class will be honored on Saturday.
 
JOE WALKER INVITATIONAL
Ole Miss Track & Field Complex
Oxford, Miss.
April 8-9, 2022

MEN'S 100m
1. Christopher Grant       10.38
3. Brandon Smiley            10.52
4. Jason Reese                  10.55
 
MEN'S 110m HURDLES
5. Oquendo Bernard       14.39
8. Tray Reynolds               14.68*
12. David Edmondson    15.49
13. John Murray               15.72
 
MEN'S 400m HURDLES
4. Luke Roberts                 54.38*
5. Caden Ciul                      54.52
 
MEN'S 800m
X. Cooper Atkins               DNF
 
MEN'S 1500m
11. Cooper Atkins            3:46.09
45. Benson Atkins            4:04.01
 
MEN'S 5000m
2. Ryan Kinnane                14:12.49*
3. Carson Bedics               14:13.69*
21. Jackson Thomas        14:41.20*
22. Tommy McDonough  14:42.20
 
MEN'S HIGH JUMP
1. Dontavious Hill             2.20m/7-2.50
6. Zach Marinko                1.96m/6-5*
9. TJ Funches                     1.91m/6-3.25
 
MEN'S JAVELIN
4. John Murray                  56.61m/185-08
 
MEN'S LONG JUMP
7. David Edmondson      6.72m/22-00.75*
 
MEN'S POLE VAULT
2. James Courson             5.17m/16-11.50
3. Matthew Asplund       4.77m/15-7.75
 
MEN'S 4x100m RELAY
1. Reese, Je. Murray, Smiley, Grant          39.54
 
MEN'S 4x400m RELAY
3. Jo. Murray, Edmondson, Roberts, Ciul                3:21.66
 
WOMEN'S 100m
12. Essence Thomas        12.47
 
WOMEN'S 400m
1. Aalliyah Francis            54.07*
15. Jen Dietrich                 57.66
20. Brittney Campbell     58.51*
 
WOMEN'S 400m HURDLES
1. Tylar Colbert                   1:00.55
2. Asia Jinks                        1:01.52
 
WOMEN'S 1500m
5. Joyce Kimeli                   4:19.92
 
WOMEN'S 5000m
21. Sara Pacer                    17:11.73*
28. Hallie Porterfield            17:33.31*
 
WOMEN'S HIGH JUMP
2. Kamiya Dendy              1.66m/5-5.25
 
WOMEN'S LONG JUMP
1. Janaya Jones                 5.90m/19-4.25
11. Megan Lonneman        5.03m/16-6
X. Imani Jones                   FOUL
 
WOMEN'S POLE VAULT
6. Lexie Leinneweber     3.73m/12-2.75
X. Rhiannon Held              NH
 
WOMEN'S HEPTATHLON
11. Elise Heddens            4.267 pts*
100m Hurdles                    14.96*
High Jump                          1.53m/5-00.25*
Shot Put                              9.70m/31-10*
200m                                   26.98
Long Jump                          5.16m/16-11.25
Javelin                                 18.89m/61-11*
800m                                    2:31.78*
 
*- Personal Best