February 18, 2006 - Shot put win by Bethay sparks Terriers in Columbia
Senior Katon Bethay won the shot put competition for the second-straight week as the Wofford indoor track & field team participated in the Gamecock Indoor Open Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
Bethay bettered his previous season-best mark with a throw of 53'5" (16.28m) to top the eight-person event. He had registered a heave of 53'3" (16.23m) at last week's Valentine Open in Boone, N.C.
Michael Lance ran to a second-place time of 55.34 in the 400-meters, one-tenth of a second behind Claflin's Marquise Mack.
Also on the men's side, Andrew Powell registered a seventh-place result in the mile with a time of 4:53.00, Alex Love posted an eighth-place time of 7.96 in the 55 hurdles and the 4x400 relay earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 4:06.88.
Jaya Abraham paced the women's competitors with her second-place time of 5:46.99 in the mile. She also competed in the 800, finishing seventh with a time of 2:41.64.
Three other Terriers ran the mile, led by Justina Oliva's fifth-place 6:06.69. Ashley Adamson finished sixth (6:33.00) and Katie Isbell earned an eighth-place result at 6:43.71.
In the 3,000, Rachel Smithson posted a sixth-place time of 12:18.73, while Sarah Whitener notched a seventh-place finish with a time of 12:26.55.
Crystal Belcher was the lone Wofford women's field event participant, as she garnered a seventh-place throw of 34'9-3/4" (10.61m) in the shot put.
The Terriers will conclude their indoor campaign Friday and Saturday at the Southern Conference Championship in Clemson, S.C.
February 18, 2006 - Mountaineers Conclude Final Tune-Up For SoCon Championships
BLACKSBURG, Va. ? Sophomore Vonteena Knotts finished third in the long jump and junior Charles White placed fourth in the 60m dash to lead the Appalachian State University men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams on the final day of the Virginia Tech Challenge.
Knotts recorded a mark of 18-9.75 in the long jump for the highest ASU finish of the day. White recorded the school’s fourth-best time in the 60m dash with a time of 6.92 to place fourth.
After a fourth place finish in the weight throw Friday, senior Beverly Burnett placed fourth in the shot put Saturday with a toss of 49-10.0. Fellow senior Nikole Simmons finished 13th in the event with a throw of 43-5.75.
Freshman Charles Derrickson had a solid day for the Mountaineers, finishing sixth in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.13. He added a 13th-place finish in the 200m dash with a time of 22.24 and 23rd place in the 400m with a time of 50.49.
Joining Derrickson in the 200m were fellow freshman Daniel Neal in 16th with a time of 22.38 and White in 23rd with a time of 22.66.
Sophomore Anna Baker added a 15th-place finish in the mile with a time of 5:15.67, while junior Wes Kiser came in 17th with a toss of 45-10.5 in the shot put.
The Mountaineers travel to Clemson, S.C., for the 2006 Southern Conference Indoor Championships Feb. 24-25. The women are in search of their sixth-straight championship, while men are defending last year’s crown.
February 19, 2006 - Spartans set two records at Virginia Tech Challenge
BLACKSBURG, VA ? Nick Vaccaro set a school-record in the mile and Jeff Williams broke his own mark in the 800 meters to highlight UNC Greensboro’s performances at the Virginia Tech Challenge this past weekend.
Vaccaro ran a time of 4:16.32, breaking the previous record by more than two seconds. Vaccaro bested the mark of 4:18.82 that was held by C.R. Thomas at the 2004 Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. Vaccaro finished 14th in the meet.
“This was a good final tune up meet for us before the SoCon Championships next weekend,” said UNCG coach Rachelle Roberts. “Several of our student-athletes stepped up and recorded personal-best performances. It was especially great to see Nick break the school record in the mile. He said at the beginning of the season he wanted to break it at Virginia Tech and he really came through and ran an outstanding race.”
Also breaking a school mark was Jeff Williams in the 800 meters. He clipped nearly a second off of his own record he set a month ago, finishing seventh with a time of 1:54.21.
On the women’s side, Jess Weber and Kathy Oldham recorded career-bests in the mile, while Erin Lord did the same in the 800 meters.
UNCG goes to Clemson, SC for the Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships next weekend.