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Team USA picks up 4 more medals at Pan Am Games

Posted July 28th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

2007 Pan American Games Logo Rio De Janeiro Brazil Mary Jane Harrelson and Catherine “Cack” Ferrell each claimed a silver medal and LaRon Bennett and Rubin Williams each picked up a bronze Friday at the 2007 Pan American Games at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The 2003 Pan Am silver medalist in Santo Domingo, Harrleson (Knoxville, Tenn.) once again won silver in the women’s 1,500 meters finishing in 4 mintues 15.24 seconds. Harrelson had hung on 2006 U.S. Outdoor runner-up Lindsay Gallo’s (Freehold, N.J.) shoulder through most of the race. Gallo, who led the race through 1,300m, finished sixth in 4:18.87.

2007 World Cross Country team member Catherine “Cack” Ferrell (St. Paul, Minn.) went out strong in the women’s 5,000m and held on at the end to bring home the silver medal, crossing the line in 15:42.01. Ferrell had led the race through 11 laps, but when Megan Metcalfe of Canada kicked with 550m to, she was unable to hang on. 2007 NCAA DII 3,000 and 5,000m champion Mandi Zemba (Menominee, Mich.) took eighth in 16:08.09.

With the fastest time heading into Friday night’s final, LaRon Bennett (Athens, Ga.) claimed the bronze medal in 49.07. Bennett, who stuttered over hurdles two through five, surged coming off the final curve and moved from fourth place into third place to win the bronze medal.

In the final event of the night on the track, 2007 NCAA 200m runner-up Rubin Williams (San Jose, Calif.) brought home the bronze medal in the men’s 200m, finishing in 20.57. Jordan Vaden (Chatham, Va.) did not start the race.

The women’s triple jump final saw two-time U.S. Indoor and Outdoor champion Shani Marks (Apple Valley, Minn.) place fifth with a leap of 13.92 meters/45 feet 8 inches 2007 NCAA champion Yvette Lewis (Menchville, Va.) took sixth in 13.49m/44-3.25. Three-time U.S Indoor champion Jillian Camarena (Woodland, Calif.) placed fourth in the women’s shot put with a heave of 18.11m/59-5 while three-time U.S. Outdoor champion Kristin Heaston (Walnut Creek, Calif.) was fifth with 17.88m/58-8.

Also on the track, the men’s 10,000m final saw 2006 U.S. Outdoor champion Jorge Torres (Wheeling, Ill.) come through the 5,000m mark with the lead pack in 14:20.94 before finishing fourth in 28:28.48. 2006 U.S. Half Marathon runner-up Jason Hartmann (Boulder, Colo.) was sixth in 29:02.89. Shareese Woods (Fort Lee, Va.) took seventh in the women’s 200m final, crossing the line in 23.34 while Latonia Wilson (Amite, La.) was eighth in 23.50.

2007 U.S. Outdoor champion Dana Pounds (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) ended up fourth in the women’s javelin throw with a mark of 58.00m/190-3. Pounds had been sitting in third after three rounds but was unable to answer when Laverne Eve launched a throw of 58.10m/190-7 to overtake her in the standings. 2006 U.S. Indoor champion Adam Shunk (Muncie, Ind.) placed sixth in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.24m/7-4.25 while 2004 Olympian Jamie Nieto (Sacramento, Calif.) tied for seventh at 2.21m/7-3.

The Ironman Award goes to Bashir Ramzy (Dallas, Texas), who competed in two events within an hour of each other, just two days after winning the bronze medal in the men’s long jump. Ramzy first competed in the men’s 110m hurdle semifinals, taking fourth in his heat in 13.61 and qualifying for Saturday’s final. Thirty minutes later, he ran the anchor leg of the men’s 4×400m relay. The team of David Neville (Bloomington, Ind.), Jamaal Torrance (Orlando, Fla.), Greg Nixon (Mesa, Ariz.) and Ramzy finished third in semifinal heat 1 in 3:05.01 and will move on to the final. David Payne (Cincinnati, Ohio) won heat 3 of the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.77. Payne will face Ramzy in the final.

The women’s 4×100m relay team of Shareese Woods, Mechelle Lewis (Fort Washington, Md.), Alexis Weatherspoon (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Miki Barber (Montclair, N.J.) got the baton around the track in 43.07 to win their heat and qualify for the final. The men’s 4×100m relay of J-Mee Samuels (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Rae Edwards (Kansas City, Kansas), Rubin Williams and Darvis Patton (Dallas, Texas) won their semifinal heat in 38.93 and will move on to the final.

2006 NACAC U23 champion Duane Solomon (Lompoc, Calif.) took fourth in semifinal heat 3 of the men’s 800m in 1:47.73 and did not advance to the final.

Athletics action continues on Saturday, beginning at 7:00 at Flamengo Park with the men’s 50km race walk.

Team USA Athletics medal tally as of July 28 - Gold (4) Sara Slattery (Phoenix, Ariz.), W10,000: 32:54.51; Ed Moran (Dayton, N.J.) M5,000: 13:25.60; Miki Barber (Montclair, N.J.) W100: 11.02; Sheena Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) W400mH: 54.64 Silver (6) April Steiner (Mesa, Ariz.) WPV: 4.40m/14-5.25; Mechelle Lewis (Fort Washington, Md.) W100: 11.24; Darvis Patton (Dallas, Texas) M100: 10.17; Kibwe Johnson (Ashland, Ohio) MHT: 73.23m/240-3; Mary Jane Harrelson (Knoxville, Tenn.) W1500: 4:15.24; Catherine Ferrell (Eugene, Ore.) W5,000: 15:42.01Bronze (4) Bashir Ramzy (Dallas, Texas) MLJ: 7.90m/25-11; Nicole Leach (Philadelphia, Penn.) W400mH: 54.97; LaRon Bennett (Athens, Ga.) M400mH: 49.07; Rubin Williams (San Jose, Calif.) M200m: 20.57

For more information and complete results on the 2007 Pan American Games, visit www.rio2007.org.br.

Written by: Vicky Oddi
Via: USA Track & Field