Women's Outdoor Track and Field Southern Conference

Appalachian State Women, VMI Men Win Indoor Track and Field Championships

JOHNSON CITY, TN -- The Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships concluded this afternoon in Johnson City, TN with two new team champions. Appalachian States women edged Western Carolina for the womens crown and VMI downed ASU for the mens title.

ASUs women finished the meet with 130 points, just beating out defending champion Western Carolina, who finished with 128. The title is the programs eighth and first since 1994. Chattanooga finished third with 101 points, followed by ETSU (52), Furman (36), Georgia Southern (19), VMI (16), UNCG (8), The Citadel (4), and Davidson (2).

The Keydets won the mens title with 146 points, followed by defending champion Appalachian State with 130. VMIs win is its 14th title, the most by any conference school, and first since 1996. Western Carolina took third with 74 points and ETSU fourth was with 53 points. Chattanooga (52), The Citadel (25), Davidson (14) and UNCG (1) rounded out the field.

On the womens side, ASU senior Shonte Pinkston repeated as the 55-meter champion in an NCAA championship provisional qualifying time of 6.90 and won her first 200 meter dash with a time of 24.63. Roseline Addo, a junior from ETSU, successfully defended her title in the 400-meters (56.92). Furmans Jill Braley won her second event of the meet, taking the 5,000-meters with a time of 17:33.06. Chattanooga senior Marna Moore regained her 55-meter hurdle title with a time of 8.05. Moore won the event in 1999. Mountaineer senior Kristen Bowden won the triple jump with a mark of 4102.25" after finishing second in 2000.

Three conference records were broken on the womens side. ASU senior Mary Jane Harrelson recorded an NCAA championship provisional qualifying time of 2:08.40 in the 800-meters, smashing the conference record of 2:12.96 set by Lauren Campbell of ETSU in 2000 and beating the field by seven seconds. Harrelson also won the mile with a time of 4:59.20. La Shanna Poole of ASU won her first title in the weight throw with a conference record of 5503.75" after finishing third in 2000. The ETSU 4x400-meter relay team also broke a conference record with a time of 3:49.11 with the team of Jennifer Howard, Natasha Payton, Keith Nelson and Addo.

VMI junior Marcus Lynch started the day for the Keydets with a win in the 55-meters (6.49), his second title of the meet. Lynch finished fifth in the event in 2000. ETSU senior Evan Hawkins won his first 200-meter title with a time of 21.55 and WCU sophomore Derrick High took the 400-meter title with a time of 47.53. VMI sophomore Michael Lokale took the 800-meters with a time of 1:53.43. Sophomore Catamount Caleb Bailey won the mile with a time of 4:15.59. The 55-meter hurdles also saw the crowning of a new champion as sophomore Keydet Jeff Foy won with a time of 7.62. ETSU senior Jason Farr won the mens high jump with his mark of 609.00" and VMI freshman J.B. Rosson won the pole vault with a jump of 1505.50". The triple jump title went to Mountaineer sophomore Keith Jenkins, who recorded a mark of 4803.50". The Keydet team of Kenny Carmichael, Michael Kirk, Chris Green and Lokale won the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:16.23.

VMI senior John Chisholm broke the only mens conference record of the meet, taking the mens weight throw with a mark of 6108.50". His throw broke a 17-year record, set by fellow Keydet Shedon Johnson in 1984.

Lynch of VMI was named the mens Most Outstanding Performer and teammate Rosson was named Freshman of the Year. VMI head coach Mike Bozeman was named the mens Coach of the Year. Chattanoogas Tyleanna Hanner was named the womens Most Outstanding Performer and fellow Lady Moc Oddbjorg Haugen was named the Freshman of the Year. ASUs John Weaver was named the womens Coach of the Year. The All-Conference Team consists of the top three finishers in each event.