April 14, 2007

OXFORD, Miss. - For the third time in her career, senior sprinter Gloria Asumnu was named Conference USA Athlete of the Week. Asumnu made a compelling case for retaining the award with two individual championships Saturday as the Green Wave women's track and field team competed in a waterlogged Mississippi Open at the Ole Miss Track and Field Complex.

Asumnu's times in the 100-meter dash (11.39 seconds) and 200-meter dash (23.56 seconds) also were provisional qualifying times for the NCAA Mideast Regionals held May 25 and 26 in Columbia, Mo. The marks were her fifth and sixth qualifying times of the outdoor track season in individual events; Asumnu has also posted qualifying marks as part of Tulane's 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relay teams.

Junior sprinter Andrea Rosemond also shone for the Wave in her second meet of the season. Rosemond set personal bests in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash with times of 12.48 seconds and 25.98 seconds. Sophomore Shaina Pelham set a season best in the 200-meter dash, finishing 12th with a time of 25.35 seconds.

Freshman Nicolette Taku continued her training for the Conference USA heptathlon, competing in both the shot put and javelin throw and setting personal bests in both. Taku's mark of 9.93 meters in the shot put earned her ninth place in the event. And despite a throw of 20.18 meters in the javelin, Taku finished one place behind teammate and fellow heptathlete Arielle Minor with a throw of 21.16 meters.

The Green Wave distance runners excelled in the 5,000-meter run, claiming three of the top four in the event. Junior Aubrey Phillips notched her third win of the season and second straight in this event with a time of 17:46.38. Junior Keriann Langley (18:18.52) and sophomore Cecelia Clarke (18:18.84) both set personal bests in the event, with Langley edging Clarke for third place by less than one second.

With the season entering the final stretch, the Green Wave track team travels to Baton Rouge for the fourth time in as many months to compete in the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational. Tulane will then travel to Philadelphia to compete in the historic Penn Relays the following weekend.

Here are the results from the meet:

100-METER DASH
1. Gloria Asumnu, 11.39 (Regional Qualifying)
15. Andrea Rosemond, 12.48 (Personal Best)

200-METER DASH
1. Gloria Asumnu, 23.56 (Regional Qualifying)
12. Shaina Pelham, 25.35 (Season Best)
20. Andrea Rosemond, 25.98 (Personal Best)

400-METER DASH
11. Olivia Kizzee, 58.88

800-METER RUN
4. Whitney Hampton, 2:18.07

1,500-METER RUN
19. Lauren Swenson, 5:53.05

5,000-METER RUN
1. Aubrey Phillips, 17:46.38
3. Keriann Langley, 18:18.52 (Personal Best)
4. Cecelia Clarke, 18:18.84 (Personal Best)

100-METER HURDLES
13. Arielle Minor, 19.30

LONG JUMP
19. Christina Tegbe, 5.00m (16-05.00)

TRIPLE JUMP
9. Christina Tegbe, 11.05m (36-03.00)

SHOT PUT
9. Nicolette Taku, 9.93m (32-07.00) (Personal Best)

JAVELIN
15. Arielle Minor, 21.16m (69-05)
16. Nicolette Taku, 20.18m (66-02) (Personal Best)

For full results from the Mississippi Open, click here.

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