The USF track and field teams faced problems from the beginning at the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta last weekend.

“Administratively, it was a really poorly ran meet,” said coach Greg Thiel. ” It was a horrible situation. We didn’t know when the events were going to be run, and that makes it very hard for the athletes to warm up and get ready.”

Events were two hours behind schedule, so Thiel decided to pull out of many events, such as the 4×400 meter relays. About half of the field withdrew from events due to continual delays. According to Thiel, the team did not get back to Tampa until 4 a.m. Sunday, and it would have been much later if they had stayed and competed in all the events.

Despite the problems with scheduling, some of the Bulls were still able to post good performances.

Chandra Brewer continued to dominate the field events as she took first place in the shot put (15.32m) and second in the discus throw (44.99m).

“Chandra is on the verge of a big throw,” Thiel said.Bente General broke her own school record, finishing fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:07.88. She improved her previous record by two seconds. Her time is three-tenths of a second off the national qualifying mark.

Alexis McGaffagan tied the school record in the high jump (1.98m), finishing fourth. Christin Chandler placed third in the steeplechase, and Kristina West finished sixth in the pole vault. Erin Cecil placed sixth in the javelin throw.

Tara Quinn finished sixth in the 1,500 meters, while Kristy Fuller finished eighth, and Tiffany Quinn finished 11th. Andrew Smith finished fifth in the men’s 1,500 meters. The distance runners competed in shorter events this week to rest up for the remainder of the season.

“We ran in the 1,500 meters to get some good speed work,” said Tara Quinn. “It helps our legs recover to run the shorter distances.”

Stephan Ketterl finished seventh in the high jump, clearing a height of 1.98 meters, and Steve Lytle and Michael Woolfe finished eighth and ninth in the pole vault, respectively. Robert Fennel finished fourth in the shot put.

Jimmy Baxter and Dayana Octavien did not make the trip to Atlanta. Octavien did not make the trip due to illness, while Baxter missed the meet because he had to take a test on Saturday.

Amber Delpino will redshirt this season because of her shin injury.

This weekend the Bulls will travel to Coral Gables to compete in the Miami Gatorade Classic.

James Tai covers outdoor track and field and can be reached at oracletai@yahoo.com