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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 3:48 p.m., Sunday, April 15, 2007

UH track and field athletes excel on Mainland

Advertiser Staff

Three University of Hawaii women's track and field athletes posted NCAA regional standard marks today at the Mt. SAC Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Walnut, Calif.

Sophomore Thalia Amanakis, a Sydney, Australia, native, broke her own personal best in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.86 seconds.

She becomes just the third Rainbow Wahine in school history to post a sub-one minute lap.

Sophomore Emily Sheppard captured the university/open division title of the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 10 inches (1.78m). The Vancouver, British Columbia native has eclipsed the regional standard in the event six times this season. Senior Mallory Gilbert finished in a three-way tie for third at 5-7 (1.70m).

Senior Novelle Murray took top honors in the invitational section of the discus after a throw of 176-2 (53.69m). Two days earlier, the senior captured the discus individual title at the Azusa Pacific Invitational. Murray, who is the two-time Western Athletic Conference discus champion, has already qualified for both the discus and hammer events at this year's NCAA West Regional.

Two Rainbow Wahine competed in different shot put competitions. Meghan Weaver finished with a throw of 45-7.75 (13.91m) in the invitational section. Junior Annett Wichmann took sixth place in the university/open division with a throw of 42-0 (12.80m).

The Rainbow Wahine capped a weeklong schedule that included four meets in five days. Two more UH athletes qualifed for the NCAA West Regionals, tying the school record of qualifiers set in 2005.

UH returns to Honolulu before departing again to California for its final Mainland competition, the Triton Invitational, April 20-21, in San Diego, Calif.