by Benny Benton
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Junior Andrea Roca set a new personal record in the mile run, and sophomore Amber Wilson recorded Barton College's first indoor mark in the shot put as the Lady Bulldogs opened their 2014 indoor track and field season Sunday at the Winston-Salem State Open.
Roca posted a time of 6:21.32 in the mile to place eighth in a field of 13. In doing so, she eclipsed six seconds off of her previous best, which came in last year's Gene Anderson Invitational. Wilson, making her first career appearance for Barton, established an initial school record in the shot put of 6.02 meters.
Sophomore Alexandria Robinson and junior Zorayda Rodriguez both approached their school records in the 400-meter run and the long jump, respectively.
Robinson finished in the top half of the 400-meter field with a time of 1:02.67, which is just six-tenths of a second off the school record she set last year at the Gene Anderson meet. Rodriguez began her 2014 season with an effort of 4.80 meters in the long jump, which was also among the top half of the field. She missed surpassing the school record she set at last year's indoor conference meet by less than two-tenths of a meter.
Barton participated in a total of eight different events Sunday at JDL Fast Track, which will also serve as the site for both the Conference Carolinas (Indoor) Championships and the 2014 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The Lady Bulldogs return to action on Saturday, Feb. 8, in the Vince Brown Invitational in Newport News, Va., which will be hosted by Christopher Newport University.
