Smith finishes second in the triple jump

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., January 31, 2009 – Calesio Newman began his sprint toward national prominence with a first-place finish in the 60 meter dash at the Penn State National Invitational over the weekend.

Newman, who will be vying for his first MEAC indoor title in a few weeks, finished just tenths of a second faster than Syracuse’s Michael LeBlanc. Newman finished with a time of 6.7124, while LeBlanc’s time was 6.7193. Newman had the best qualifying time in the preliminaries with a time of 6.74 over LeBlanc’s 6.77. In the semifinals of the 60 meters, Newman placed second behind Hampton’s Reggie Dixon.

Newman also competed in the 200 meter dash invitational, where he finished sixth with a time of 21.93. Newman who proved to be the fastest man in the MEAC last season by winning the 100 meters during the outdoor season, looks to also sprint his way to MEC gold during the MEAC indoor championships Feb. 13-14.

David McFadgen also looked strong as heads toward the conference’s indoor championships. McFadgen finished second behind Penn State’s Clarence Smith with a jump of 50-feet, 7 ½ inches in the men’s triple jump. On the women’s side, junior standout Kimona Smith also finished second with a jump of 40-feet, 8 ¾ inches. Smith looks to defend her indoor triple jump title in two weeks.

The other top five finishes for the Aggies included a third place finishes by Alexandria Spruiel in the women’s 400 meter dash (54.21). Krystin Lawson had a third-place finish in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.68. Jumper Tarrish Alexander finished fifth in the men’s long jump with a jump of 24-feet, 2 ¼ inches.