July 24, 2007

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Former Auburn All-American Maurice Smith won the decathlon with a new meet record to highlight the second full day of action Tuesday at 15th Pan American Games. Smith scored 8278 points to beat runner-up Yordan Garcia of Cuba by 165 points and earn the first medal for the 14 current and former Auburn track and field athletes scheduled to compete at the Games.

Smith, competing for his native Jamaica, held a lead of just nine points after five events entering the final day of competition. He finished second in the 110m hurdles in 14.06 seconds to widen his lead, then pushed it to 324 points with the top mark in the discus of 53.24m.

Smith placed seventh in the pole vault (4.40m) and ninth in the javelin (50.23m) as his lead dwindled to just 93 points entering the final event, but he recorded the third-best mark in the 1500m with a time of 4:40.12 to finish with 8278 points, breaking the old record of 8170 set by Chris Huffins of the United States in 1999.

Also on Tuesday, rising senior Tracy Ann Rowe of Jamaica finished eighth in the finals of the women's 100m dash. Rowe, who had recorded times of 11.37 and 11.44 in the first two rounds Monday, finished in 11.56 seconds Tuesday. Mikele Barber of the U.S. won the event with a new Pan American Games record time of 11.02 seconds.

Former Tiger Vonette Dixon, also competing for Jamaica, reached the finals of the women's 100m hurdles. Dixon finshed second in her heat and fifth overall in the semifinals with a time of 12.86 seconds, and will run in the finals on Wednesday.

Former Tiger Avard Moncur of the Bahamas also reached a final, qualifying third in the semifinals of the men's 400m dash. Moncur, who posted a time of 45.27 in the prelims Monday, was slightly slower at 45.44 seconds, but it was more than enough to advance him to Wednesday's finals.

Track and field competition will continue at the Pan Am Games through Saturday. In addition to Dixon and Moncur, former Auburn athletes scheduled to compete Wednesday include Dean Griffiths in the men's 400m hurdles, Elva Goulbourne and Michelle Vaughn in the long jump and Michelle Williamson in the high jump.