Scott Watkins
Staff Writer
The Troy track and field team competed at the Pepsi Florida Relays hosted by the University of Florida Thursday through Saturday, leaving with several strong performances.
Troy’s best finish of the day came from junior Michael Alvarnaz’s personal best 63.09-meter hammer throw. Alvarnaz finished second in a field of 18.
The women’s 1600-meter sprint medley team — of which three of the four runners were freshmen — finished sixth with a time of 3:59.57.
In the women’s 4×100-meter shuttle hurdle, the Trojans placed seventh with a 56.87-second time.
Thrower Jaevyn Wortham gave the women’s team another top-eight finish with a 46.63-meter discus toss.
On the men’s side, Troy finished in the top half for the 4×100 relay with a time of 40.95 seconds. The Trojans’ time was just over two seconds behind the USA red team, a group featuring reigning 100-meter world champion Justin Gatlin.
In the 4×400 preliminary, Troy garnered the top seed with a field-leading time of 3:09.50.
In the finals of that event, the Trojans finished fifth despite going in as the top seed. Hampton University, which finished fifth in the preliminary relay, placed first.
In the high jump, Troy sophomore Titus Sizemore tied for fourth with a 2.01-meter jump.
Sophomore Jess Jacobsen placed 10th out of 22 in the discus throw with a 45.62-meter toss.
Troy will travel to Greenville, North Carolina, to take part in the Bill Carson Invitational this weekend as it continues to prepare for the Sun Belt outdoor championships in May.
