Middle-distance runner Angelina Blackmon and thrower Lawanda Henry both set school records at the 2009 Reebok Raleigh Relays during the weekend.
The Raleigh Relays, one of the largest meets in the South for the outdoor season, had athletes competing from colleges, organizations, and high schools from across the region. Rain poured down on the athletes as they jumped, threw, and ran during the soggy weekend.
Blackmon, a redshirt senior, finished second in the 800m behind Aja Jackson of Charlotte to reach an NCAA regional qualifying mark. Her time of 2:07.58 allowed her to climb to first in the school record books by surpassing Mary Ann Carraher’s time of 2:07.66 in 1989.
Blackmon’s younger sister, Tiayonna, also competed in the 800m and finished 13th with a career-best time of 2:13.87.
Freshman Lawanda Henry, who already shattered the school record in the shot put in the indoor season, wasted no time doing the same for outdoor. Henry threw a distance of 51’10.00″ in the rain Friday to finish first among collegiate athletes and second behind Adrianne Blewitt of Second Sole (55’03.75″).
A pair of distance runners also hit NCAA regional qualifying marks to start off the meet Friday. Redshirt junior Brittany Tinsley and redshirt sophomore Kara McKenna completed the 5K race in fifth (16:34.4) and seventh (16:40.69), respectively.
On the men’s side, redshirt freshman Bobby Moldovan finished fourth in the 5,000m behind Tim Ritchie of Boston College (14:09.63.) His 14:10.39 was a personal-best and good enough for a regional qualifying mark. Moldovan won the 3,000m at the ACC Championships during the indoor season.
Running unattached, former State athlete Stephen Furst won the event, beating his nearest competitor by more than seven seconds.
Despite the rain, junior thrower Jason Jones also hit an NCAA regional qualifying mark with a throw of 55’06.50″ in the shot put. The hit was his second in as many throws this outdoor season.
Junior thrower Charles Weinfeld also made his presence felt, as he placed seventh in the javelin with a 166’11” throw, one foot shy of his career-best.
Freshman jumper Kwame Boatwright finished eight in the triple jump with a distance of 45’06.50″.
