Pierre shines in outdoor track season debut

Senior Kevon Pierre broke two school records and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Regional Track & Field Championships in two events in the 2005 outdoor season debut for the FIU men’s and women’s track & field teams at the Hurricane Invitational at Cobb Stadium.

Pierre won the men’s 100-meter dash in 10.44 seconds, breaking the seven-year-old FIU school record of 10.45 seconds set by Chris Butler in 1998. The senior also broke his own year-old record in the 200-meter dash, winning the event in 20.95 seconds. Both performances were personal bests for Pierre and qualified him for the NCAA Outdoor Regional Championships in both events.

Junior Yandiel Muniz secured a win in the high jump, leaping 6 feet, 6.25 inches, as freshman Adam Cole placed runner-up with the same mark.

On the track, senior Jeremy Swift led four Golden Panthers to top-10 finishes in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Swift placed third in 14.70 seconds, followed by freshman Andre Reid in fourth in 14.72 seconds, senior T-Rah Dardy in sixth in 14.90 seconds and sophomore Ronald Forbes in seventh in 14.91 seconds. Forbes also tied for fourth in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking in at 54.78 seconds.

Other members of the men’s team who turned in top-five individual performances include junior Larry Blash, who tied for fourth in the 100 meters in 10.72 seconds; freshman Jerod Wims, who placed fifth among collegians in the 200 meters in 21.80 seconds; Cole, who placed second in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 11.75 inches; freshman Michael Weber, who came in fourth in the pole vault with a performance of 14 feet, 6.75 inches; and junior Michael Letterlough, who finished fourth among collegians in the hammer with a throw of 143 feet, 5.5 inches and fifth among collegians in the discus with a 137-foot, 11-inch performance.

The men’s 4x100-meter relay of Blash, Pierre, sophomore Ronie Alphonse and Wims finished third among collegians in 41.13 seconds, while the men’s 4x400-meter relay of Dardy, Muniz, Forbes and Wims also placed third in 3:21.65.

Junior transfer Elisa Dieme-Erlich led FIU’s women’s track & field team with a third-place performance in the long jump of 19 feet, 5 inches. Freshman India George turned in solid performances in the long and triple jumps – placing third in the triple (37 feet, 4 inches) and fifth in the long jump (18 feet, 0.5 inches).

Senior Linda Louissaint finished in a five-way tie for fourth place among collegians in the high jump in her return to competition for FIU. She posted a height of 5 feet, 4.5 inches. The eight-time All-Sun Belt Conference honoree sat out the 2005 indoor season and wraps up her collegiate eligibility this season.

Senior Alexia Dean, also returning to the Golden Panthers for her final outdoor season, placed third in the heptathlon with 4,621 points while sophomore Kyra Kasprzyk finished fifth with 4,242 points.

Freshman Naim Yisrael also performed well in her collegiate outdoor debut, placing fourth among collegians in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:03.84.

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