BOSTON, Mass. - Towson had its first Eastern College Athletic Conference track & field champion crowned in the program's history Saturday afternoon in a big way when senior Ashley Adams (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield H.S.) won the coveted pentathlon title symbolic of the ECAC's best all around female indoor track athlete.
"She won it going away," said Tiger coach Roger Erricker. "What really put her over the top was the long jump. She scored almost 200 points more than the second place finisher. It was a great performance."
Adams rolled up 3,858 total points in the five events to easily outdistance second place Kalyn Sheehan of Rhode Island who was runner up with 3,693 points.
Since she arrived at Towson two years ago Adams had been chasing the long jump record. She finally caught it and established a new mark with her leap of 19' 5.5", erasing the old record of 18' 11.75" held by Stephanie Rathbauer set in 2007.
Adams finished first in the pentathlon 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.72 seconds. She was third in the shot put (35'8") and third in the 800 meter run (2:20.31). Her 5'1.25" high jump placed her 14th.
Following the pentathlon competition Adams finished fourth in the 60 meter hurdle prelims in a time of 8.54 seconds to earn a spot in Sunday's finals at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.
"She ran the hurdles 30 minutes after running in the 800 for the pentathlon," said Erricker. "That's why her time is not her best. With the rest that she'll get until tomorrow she should post a better time."
Junior Katie Ogden was also a qualifier and ran the 5,000-meter run, finishing 16th in a time of 17:42.60.
Juniors Shianna Smith and Shannel Shivers are Towson's other ECAC qualifiers. Both will compete in the 20lb. weight throw on Sunday. Smith's third place in this event last year marked the highest finish for a Towson track & field athlete in the ECAC indoor championships until Adams's pentathlon championship.
The Tigers are tied for fourth with New Hampshire and Monmouth in the teams standings with the 10 points earned from Adams' first place in the pentathlon. Connecticut leads the Division I field with 35.50 points.
