AU ROUNDUP: Rain halts NCAA meet

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Auburn men’s and women’s track and field teams began competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday, but the weather grabbed the spotlight as steady rains caused a lengthy delay that lasted until late into the night.

Officials were still hoping to resume competition late Wednesday night.

The Tigers did have one bright spot before the skies turned dark, reaching the semifinals of the men’s 4x100-meter relay. The team of sophomore Stephen Fly, senior Jerod Wims, sophomore Michael DeHaven and freshman Marcus Rowland clocked a season-best time of 39.31 seconds that ranked eighth-best in the prelims. It was also the fastest time by an Auburn 4x100-meter relay team since 1999 and tied for fourth best in school history.

The rest of those who were able to compete for Auburn prior to the rainfall on Wednesday were not as fortunate.

Junior Eric Werskey missed qualifying for the finals of the men’s shot put by just one centimeter, finishing 13th in the prelims with a top mark of 18.27 meters (59-11.25). Werskey, who entered the competition seeded 12th with a season-best of 18.58 meters (60-11.5) did improve from last year’s NCAA outdoor meet, when he finished 19th, but was one spot shy of making the finals.

Raevan Harris, the lone senior on the women’s squad to make the trip to Fayetteville, had her collegiate career come to a disappointing end as she did not qualify for the finals of the high jump, finishing tied for 16th in the prelims with a top mark of 1.74 meters (5-8.5). Harris, who was third at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships, finished her Auburn career as a three-time SEC Champion and an All-American.

Junior Danielle Gilchrist just missed getting one of the 18 spots in the semifinals of the women’s 400-meter hurdles, placing 20th in the first round with a time of 58.68. Gilchrist, who finished sixth at last year’s NCAA meet, was the SEC Champion and ranked 11th in the field entering the meet.

Auburn had three more athletes scheduled to compete Wednesday evening before the rains came. Sophomore Joanna Atkins was slated to run in the opening round of the 400 meters, junior Jean-Pierre Weerts was scheduled to run in the semifinals of the men’s 5000 meters and freshman Ryan Fleck was set to compete in the prelims of the men’s high jump.

Clanton, Schepperle named All-Americans
Following a season in which the Auburn women’s golf team won four tournaments, including the Southeastern Conference Championship, and finished with a No. 8 national ranking, the honors continue to roll in as junior Candace Schepperle and sophomore Cydney Clanton were named Golfweek All-Americans, the publication announced this week.

Schepperle, the SEC Golfer of the Year, was named to the 10-member Golfweek All-America First Team while Clanton, an All-SEC first team selection, was named honorable mention.

“We had a great season this year and the hard work and play of Candace and Cydney were very big parts of that success,” said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. “They are very deserving of this recognition and the best part is that they will both be back next season, so we have another year to look forward to.“

A junior from Birmingham, Schepperle finished in the top 10 of all 11 events she competed in this season. Among those were seven top-five finishes and two runner-up outings. She finished the season with a 72.00 stroke average, leading the team and the SEC.

Schepperle, the only SEC golfer on the first team, wrapped up her 2008-09 season at the NCAA East Regional Championship, where she finished tied for eighth with a 6-over-par 216.

The All-America honor is the second of the season for Schepperle, as she was also named to the Duramed NGCA All-America First Team earlier this month.

Clanton, a native of Concord, N.C., posted five top-10 finishes during the 2008-09 season and led Auburn at three of its tournaments, including a team-best tie for fourth at the SEC Championship.

She finished the season with a 74.23 stroke average, finishing second on the team to Schepperle. The All-America honor is the second for Clanton as she was named to the NGCA All-America First Team as a freshman.