By
Francisco Merced
Arizona Daily Wildcat
At the beginning of Spring Break, UA sent four athletes to represent the women's team in the NCAA Indoor Championships in Little Rock, Ark.
They competed in four events and finished third - the highest for any Wildcat team at a national meet.
The effort was led by junior Brianna Glenn, who earned All-American honors in two events - the 60-meter dash and long jump.
Heading into the event with the top time in the country, Glenn finished in 7.35 seconds to come in third place, two spots better than she did last season.
The junior also finished fourth in the long jump with a jump of 21 feet, 1 1/4 inches.
The women's pole vault event was highlighted by two competitors, senior Andrea Dutoit and freshman Amy Linnen.
Both vaulters set a school record of 13 feet, 9 1/4 inches and will be co-holders of the title.
Dutoit finished second at the meet, while Linnen placed fifth. The places were determined by the number of tries taken by an athlete to clear a set height, and Dutoit didn't miss until after setting the new record.
"I was just really glad that we were just both jumping that well," she said. "It just goes to show you how strong our program is."
Junior Tara Chaplin - one of Arizona's top long-distance runners - finished second in the 5,000m with a time of 16 minutes, 13.58 seconds. The event was won by Colorado junior Jodie Hughes.
For the men, senior Patrick Nduwimana ended his collegiate career in style.
The native of Burundi finished his already storied career by winning the national title in the 800m, setting a new school and collegiate record in the process. His time of one minute, 45.33 seconds marked the first men's title in school history.
Junior Mike Kenyon competed in the other individual event for UA, finishing 11th and garnering All-American honors in the 400m.
The men's 4x400m relay - juniors Matt Lea, Jules Doumbia, Kenyon and Nduwimana - came up big with a fourth-place finish, smashing the UA record with a time of three minutes, 6.5 seconds in the process.
"(UA associate head coach Fred) Harvey said it was our time to earn respect," Kenyon said. "To put Arizona on the map like that felt good."
The Wildcats then continued their record-breaking ways with the start of the outdoor season at the annual Willie Williams Classic held at Drachman Stadium.
Continuing her effort from last week's Bill Sawyer Invitational, junior Angela Foster once again broke a school record in the hammer throw with a distance of 207 feet, 3 inches.
In the meet, Dutoit continued her winning ways, clearing the bar at 13 feet, 5 1/4 inches to win the women's pole vault.
"It's nice to have jumped an (automatic qualifier) again, so I can work on my technique and not worry about qualifying" Dutoit said.
