MIAMI (April 7, 2017) – Senior
Chris Sullivan set a school record in the high jump during the men's decathlon, and senior
Tetisheri Menna posted the fifth-best throw in school history in the hammer throw, as the duo led a total of six student-athletes with top three finishes on day one of the University of Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables.
Sullivan posted a record-setting jump of 2.12m surpassing the old mark of 2.10m held by Kevin Medina (2006), Yandiel Muniz (2004) and Adam Cole (2008). In addition, Sullivan recorded 4,012 points which puts him in first after the first day of events in the decathlon. He sits 122 points ahead of the second place competitor.
In addition to his record-setting performance in the high jump, Sullivan took first in the shot put (13.87m) and in the 400m (50.15), third in the 100m (11.14) and fourth in the long jump (6.68m). He will compete in the final five events of the decathlon on Saturday: the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.
Andrew Samuels took third in the men's high jump event with a height of 2.00m good enough for a personal record.
On the women's side, Menna finished second in the hammer throw with a toss of 54.50m. That mark is the fifth-best in school history, moving past Chelsea Gobourne's distance of 54.20m set in 2014.
Sophomore
Kenflore Atilus also finished second in the high jump with a height of 1.65m.
In the women's javelin, the Panthers placed two competitors in the top three. Sophomore
Jasmine Banks took second with a throw of 32.18m and freshman
Nadja Radovic took the third spot with a mark of 24.10m; both personal bests.
FIU returns to Cobb Stadium on Saturday for the second and final day of competition, beginning at 2:15 p.m. and running all day. Admission to the Hurricane Alumni Invitational is free.
Fans are encouraged to follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUTrackXC) for all the latest FIU Track and Cross Country news.
Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 56,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
