March 30, 2014
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - WKU seniors David Mokone and Jessica Ramsey led the Hilltopper and Lady Topper track and field teams Saturday at the Vanderbilt Track Complex, registering two individual wins apiece to headline an eight-win day for WKU at the Vanderbilt Black and Gold Invitational.
Mokone won the 800 meter and 1,500-meter runs with Sun Belt leading times in both events. The two-time All-American clocked his 800-meter win in 1:52.77 while finishing his 1,500 in 4:48.48. Both marks lead the conference three weeks into the outdoor season.
Ramsey was the top collegiate finisher in the shot put after a heave of 51-feet-5 ½ inches, which ranks second in school history behind her own school record of 52-feet-4 ½ inches. Ramsey also claimed top honors in the discus with a toss of 145-feet-4 ¾ inches. Fellow senior thrower Lexia Robinson finished runner up in the discus after her launch of 141-feet-8 ¼ inches.
Sophomore sprinter Ja'Karyus Redwine won the 400-meter dash with a time of 47.95 seconds, which was a new personal record. Freshman Emmanuel Dasor wasn't far behind in the 400, finishing third with a time of 48.81 seconds. Redwine and Dsaor also made up two legs of WKU's victorious 4X100-meter relay that clocked in at 41.28 seconds.
The Lady Toppers' 4x100-meter relay also walked away with a win, using the quartet of Sandra Akachukwu, Chioma Agwunobi, Sherria Hester and Carrol Hardy to finish in 47.41 seconds.
Junior jumper Cyrus Johnson won his first event of the young season with a 6-foot-10 ¾ inch leap in the high jump. Johnson's jump was just a quarter of an inch of his personal best. Junior Travis Gerding picked up a pair of runner-up finishes in the shot put and discus, heaving the shot 53-feet-6 ½ inches and the discus 146-feet-3 ½ inches.
Freshman thrower Antonia Susnjar captured second-place honors for the second-straight week in the javelin with a toss of 127-feet-10 ½ inches.
The WKU track and field teams continue their season next weekend at the Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla. For more information on WKU Track and Field, visit WKUSports.com.
