Adams Wins Long Jump at NCAA Indoor Championships
3/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
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| Houston's Jenny Adams participates in the long jump at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday, March 9, 2001. Adams won the event with a jump of 21 feet, 11 inches. (AP Photo/April L. Brown) |
Adams, who is competing in her final meet as a collegian, won the long jump with a career-best leap of 21 feet, 11 inches. She outdistanced Elisha Williams of Mississippi State, who finished second with a mark of 21 feet, 7 1/2 inches and Alice Falaiye of Rice, who was third with a mark of 21 feet, 4 1/4 inches.
In addition to winning the long jump, Adams finished third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.16 seconds on Friday night. Donica Merriman of Ohio State won the hurdles race with a time of 7.95 seconds, while Big 10 Freshman of the Year Perdita Felicien of Illinois was second with 8.00 seconds.
Adams edged Nicole Hoxie of Texas, who finished fourth with a time of 8.17 seconds and Michelle Perry of UCLA who was fifth with 8.25 seconds.
She qualified for the finals in addition to winning the long jump earlier Friday afternoon. She had a time of 8.17 seconds in the second heat of the preliminaries. Felicien had the fastest time in the prelims with 7.99, while Merriman won the second heat ahead of Adams in 8.09 seconds. Hoxie won the third heat with a time of 8.19 seconds.
By winning the long jump and finishing third in the 60-meter hurdles Adams scored 16 points for Houston in the team title competition.
The Lady Cougars are third behind UCLA, who has scored 22 1/2 points, and Clemson, which has 18 points through the first six events of the meet.
Houston was ranked 11th nationally by Trackwire heading into the NCAA Championships.
This marked the best finishes in both events at the NCAA Indoor meet for Adams. Last year, she finished fifth in the long jump and 60-meter hurdles. Adams recorded a mark of 20 feet, 11.25 inches in the long jump and posted a time of 8.15 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2000 NCAA Championships.
She also finished fourth in the long jump at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Championships with a leap of 20 feet, 10 inches.
Adams came into 2001 looking to complete her collegiate eligibility during the indoor season after winning the women's long jump title at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.
She was the Conference USA Indoor Athlete of the Year for the second straight year after winning the long jump and 60-meter hurdles titles at the 2001 C-USA Indoor Championships at Houston on February 23-24.
Junior Rhian Clarke will compete in the women's pole vault and Nick Decker will compete in the men's high jump for Houston on Saturday.