Villanova's Shappert advances to NCAA finals in 1,500

VILLANOVA senior Stephanie Shappert advanced to Saturday's final in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. She finished fifth in the semifinals Thursday with a time of 4 minutes, 17.31 seconds.

Graduate student Blanca Fernandez, Temple's first female runner at the nationals in 28 years, finished 15th in the event, with a time of 4:19.62.

Penn junior Kelsey Hay finished 13th in the javelin, with a distance of 157 feet.

Friday night, Villanova junior Jordy Williamsz and senior Rob Denault will run in the 1,500-meter finals. Wildcats junior Patrick Tiernan and Penn junior Tom Awad are in the 5,000.

Also Friday night, Quakers junior Sam Mattis and sophomore Noah Kennedy-White will compete in the discus, and freshman Mike Monroe is in the high jump.

Akela Jones, of Kansas State, won the collegiate title in just the second heptathlon of her career, and DeAnna Price, of Southern Illinois, set a meet record in winning the hammer.

Jones, from Barbados, held a big lead after the first day and stayed there throughout yesterday's final three events in the seven-event competition, finishing with 6,371 points. Defending champion Kendell Williams, of Georgia, was second at 6,223. Williams' teammate Quintunya Chapman was third at 6,147.

Jones is the first athlete from Barbados to win an NCAA title since Obedele Thompson took the 100 and 200 meters in 1997.

Price, who entered the meet with the fourth-best mark of the season, already had clinched the competition when she uncorked her big throw of 234-6, her first time over 70 meters.

Morolake Akinosun, of Texas, had the fastest 100-meter qualifying time in 10.96 seconds, followed by Dezerea Bryant, of Kentucky, at 10.99. Third-fastest was Oregon's Jenna Prandini at 11.03. Prandini had to take a break from long jump competition to run the race. She's also entered in the 200.