ASU Track & Field looks solid in outdoor season opener

The Arizona State University track and field teams wrapped up the first weekend of the 2013 outdoor season on March 16, competing at home for the first time this season at the Baldy Castillo Invitational at Sun Angel Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

A week removed from the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Sun Devils used Saturday's competition as more of a tune-up to the long outdoor season than anything else many student-athletes didn't compete or competed in events outside their normal ones. Nevertheless, impressive performances were abundant throughout the day.

It was a good day for quarter-milers as the men's 4x400-meter relay clocked a solid time of 3:07.12 in a runner-up effort to Texas A&M. Though just the first week of outdoor track and field action, the time posted by Chris Burrows, Devan Spann, Darryl Morales and Will Henry is tentatively the second-fastest in the nation as well.

Additionally, Burrows won the open 400-meter dash by matching his career best with a time of 46.66 in a mark that ranks in the top-five nationally through the first weekend of competition.

Asiah Gooden clocked two personal records on the day, finishing second in the 400-meter dash in 56.18 before coming back about an hour later to take fourth in the 200-meter dash in a time of 23.48 that was only just outside ASU's all-time top-10 in the event.

Senior Eddie McClain wasted no time setting a new personal record in the men's javelin throw, doing so on his very first throw of 2013 with a mark of 66.64 (218-08) for a fourth-place finish in the competition. The throw was also good for the eighth-best throw in school history.

In the women's pole vault, the top-10 list will need a bit of re-writing after four women moved themselves into the record books on March 15.

Heather Arseneau set the sixth-best mark in school history with her winning leap of 3.97m (13-00.25) while Amber Pasternak, Andrea Kemmerrer and Kelli Gibson all moved into a tie for eighth all-time with clearances of 3.67m (12-00.50).

Alex Hartig set a new personal best in the women's discus throw with her mark of 50.51m (165-08) for a fourth-place finish while also setting a new best in the javelin with a mark of 42.84m (140-07) to move into sixth on ASU's all-time record books.

The Sun Devils return to action next week at home as the team hosts the annual ASU Invitational in Tempe, Ariz.