April 15, 2006 - Burnett, Gaffney Break Records on Final Day of Sea Ray Relays

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ? Senior Beverly Burnett and sophomore Meg Gaffney each broke their own ASU records as the Appalachian State University men’s and women’s track and field teams completed competition Saturday at the Sea Ray Relays hosted by the University of Tennessee at Tom Black Track.

This season marks the 40th year of the Sea Ray Relays, pitting nearly 2,000 men’s and women’s collegiate and post-collegiate competitors from 119 teams/affiliations against one another.

For the fourth time this season, Burnett recorded a regional qualifying mark in the shot put as she finished third in the event with a toss of 52-02.75 Saturday. With the mark, Burnett broke her own school record set last season with a mark of 50-11.25.

Gaffney came just four seconds short of the NCAA regional qualifying mark in the 3,000m steeplechase as she finished eighth in a time of 10:54.03. Gaffney broke her own school record in the event, a time of 10:56.75 which she recorded earlier this season at the Raleigh Relays.

Sophomore Brittani Williams added a 26th-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 41-10.75, while classmate Vonteena Knotts placed 26th in the triple jump with a leap of 37-02.50. Senior Dan Queen placed 12th in the pole vault open event with a mark of 16-00.75.

The Mountaineers return to action as they host their lone home meet of the season, the Appalachian Spring Open, Saturday, April 22nd at Kid Brewer Stadium.

April 15, 2006 - Butler Sets Personal Record; Jenkins Sets Personal, School Record in 800m

Chapel Hill, N.C. - Marcus Butler and Megan Jenkins recorded a race for the record books Saturday as The Citadel track and field teams competed at the North Carolina Fast Times Invitational at Irwin Belk Track in Chapel Hill. Butler's time is his third consecutive personal best mark recorded in as many events while Jenkins' time also sets a new school record by more than two seconds. Sarah Strickland finished the day with the second best time in school history in the 3000m.

Marcus Butler set his third consecutive personal record in the 800m as he finished sixth overall in the race with a time of 1:53.44. In the past two attempts, Butler has set personal bests in the event but has been unable to crack the 1:55.00 barrier. Megan Jenkins followed Butler with a personal record of her own - as well as a school record - setting a new standard of 2:23.79 as she finished second in her section, placing 14th overall.

Sarah Strickland finished fifth in the 3000m with a time of 11:00.68, recording the second best time in school history. Erin Ritter finished 10th with a time of 11:21.04 and was followed immediately by Amanda Rawl, who finished 11th with a personal best time of 11:21.87.

Steven Craig ran most of the 3000m in ninth place but surged in the final 800m to finish sixth and set a new personal record with a time of 9:20.79. Finishing 11th, Charles Kutz ran the 3000m in 9:34.98. Jamel Brown continued the record-setting trend in the 400m hurdles as he set a new personal record with a time of 56.15, finishing 11th overall.

In the women's 400m, Jodi Whittle put on a late charge to finish third in her section, passing Cerina Buchanan of North Carolina in the final 25m as Whittle finished 11th overall with a time of 59.08. Tasha Sanders finished third in her section and 16th overall in the 100m hurdles, running 16.34 in the hurdles race.

The men's 4x100m relay team recorded a fourth place finish with a time of 42.58, the second best time posted by the relay team this season.

Will Wilson won his section of the 1500m with a time of 4:03.56 as he passed North Carolina A&T's Reshod Burnett as they came down the homestretch to edge Burnett by less than a second. Wilson finished 11th overall in the 1500m.

On the women's side of the 1500m, Megan Jenkins won her section of the race, decimating the competition with a time of 4:54.64. The closest runner to Jenkins was Erin Lord of UNC Greensboro, who ran almost four seconds slower. Jenkins' time placed her 12th overall in the 1500m.

In the women's javelin competition, Laura Phelan placed sixth with a throw of 113' 1", just besting two throwers from Syracuse University.

Rick Austin matched his seventh place finish in the hammer Friday with a seventh place finish in the shot put Saturday. Austin's throw of 44' 9.75 sets a new personal record for him as he beat his old personal best mark by three and a half feet as Austin topped Davidson's Will Funderburg by more than a foot. Also in the men's shot put, Alex Croskey placed ninth with a throw of 41' 4.25".

The Citadel returns to action in two weeks when they head to Statesboro, Ga., for the 2006 Southern Conference Championships, on April 29-30. The latest in The Citadel track and field, as well as full results for every meet, can be found at the official home of Bulldog Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

April 15, 2006 - Men's Track Team Places Seven in Top Ten at Carolina Fast Times

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Senior Austin Mercadante (Winter Park, Fla.) led seven Davidson men's track runners to top ten finishes when he earned first place in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:03.18 on Saturday, April 15 at the Carolina Fast Times. Mercadante's first place in the event was the first for Davidson this year.

Sophomore Ryan Hubbard (Charlotte, N.C.) scored two top ten finishes, earning a seventh place finish in the 100-meter dash (11.23) and a tenth place finish in the 200-meter dash (22.30). Close behind him was freshman JinHan Justin Song (Seoul, Korea) with a time of 11.51 in the 100-meter and a time of 22.84 in the 200-meter.

In the 800-meter dash, junior Douglas Noreen (Apex, N.C.) was only eight-tenths of a second off the first place runner as he finished with a time of 1:52.91, good for second place in the event. Then in the 3000-meter, sophomore Sam Morris (Seattle, Wash.) crossed the finish line with a team-best time of 8:57.33, which placed him in second among 16 runners.

Junior Jim Walter (Solon, Ohio) and freshman Will Funderburg (Buford, Ga.) led the way in the field events. Walters threw the discus 141' 07", which was good enough to place him fourth in the event. Funderburg did just as well in the shot put event, securing an eighth place finish with a throw of 43' 8.5".

Davidson is scheduled to next compete at the Murray Neely Invitational in Greensboro, N.C. as well as at the Appalachian Open in Boone, N.C. on Apr. 21-22.

April 15, 2006 - Furman Completes Day Two at Solid Orange Classic

Clemson, SC -- The Furman men's and women's outdoor track and field teams finished Day Two at the Solid Orange Classic at the Rock Norman Outdoor Track and Field Complex on Saturday afternoon. Furman claimed both the men's and women's 800 meter run medalist honors as McKenzie Sharpe won the women's event with a time of 2:15.23 and Patrick Morgan won the men's competition with a mark of 1:56.87.

Furman placed another runner in the top three of the women's 800 meter run as Lindsey Barker finished third with a time of 2:18.50. Brittnay Thompson finished second in the women's 1500 meter run with a time of 4:57.00.

Kristen Edgar placed fourth in the women's 400 meter hurdles with a final time of 1:05.43. The 4x100 relay team of Edgar, Sharpe, Mary Jo Handley, and Autumn Sullivan finished fourth with a time of 50.50. Edgar, Handley, Sharpe, and Rebecca Mullen finished third in the 4x400 relay with a final mark of 3:58.75. Chibuzo Aguocha finished second in the long jump with a leap of 18-04.50 feet.

Will Forrest placed eighth in the finals of the men's 100 meter dash with a time of 10.80. Freshman Zwide Stephenson placed seventh in the men's 200 meter dash with a final mark of 22.12. Andrew Mullen placed third in the men's 1500 meter run with a time of 4:12.93.

Furman's men's 4x100 relay team of Forrest, Stephenson, Andrew Thacker, and Keiron Williams placed second with a time of 42.69. Morgan, Stephenson, Forrest, and Luke Gittemeier finished third in the men's 4x400 relay with a final mark of 3:34.24. Steve Adams placed fourth in the men's shot put (41-08.75) and seventh in the men's discus (132-03).

Furman is back in action on April 29-30 at the Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held in Statesboro, Georgia.

April 15, 2006 - Williams, Rutz record wins at Carolina Fast Times

 

CHAPEL HILL, NC ? Jeff Williams won the 800 meters and Xavier Rutz won the 3000 meters to lead UNC Greensboro at the Carolina Fast Times meet hosted by North Carolina on Saturday afternoon.

 

Williams, a junior from South Plainsfield, NJ, won his race in 1:52.11, beating Davidson’s Douglass Noreen by eight-tenths of a second. Rutz, a sophomore from Cary, NC, won the 3000 meters with a time of 8:48.72, besting Davidson’s Sam Morris by nearly 10 seconds.

 

UNCG’s Nick Vaccaro also set a personal best in the 1500 meters, crossing the line seventh in a time of 3:59.91 to record his first sub-four minute time. Brandon Spencer also had a personal best, recording a distance of 43.48 meters (142 feet, eight inches) in the hammer throw, which was good for ninth place.

 

The Spartans’ Ryan Rodd also had an impressive debut in the 3000-meter steeplechase. In his first ever appearance in the event, he finished second with a time of 10:32.50.

 

On the women’s side, Jess Weber recorded a pair of eighth-place finishes in the 800 and 1500 meters.

 

UNCG returns to action in two weeks for the Southern Conference Track and Field Championship in Statesboro, GA.

 

April 16, 2006 - Wommack’s Record Performance Wins at Sea Ray Relays

 

Reports from KNOXVILLE and NASHVILLE--Shannon Wommack won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the University of Tennessee’s Sea Ray Relays with a meet record time of 10:21.49. Wommack’s time qualified her for the NCAA Regional Championships and was also a Tom Black Track record.

Wommack also won her section of the 1500m run late Friday to finish 11th overall with a time of 4:30.07.

The women’s Distance Medley Relay team finished in 11:51.22, good for seventh place, two spots ahead of the host Lady Vols.

Ellen Davis finished ninth in the 3000m run, finishing in 10:37.98.

Ian Mayne finished ninth in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase, while Linas Salkauskas was 12th.

The remainder of the men’s track team was in Nashville competing in the Boston-Moon Classic, hosted by Tennessee State.

Michael Mentz was the first of four Mocs in the top seven in the 1500 meter run, finishing second by a quarter of a second. His margin over teammate Colin Sullivan was even slimmer at five one hundredths of a second. Freshman Jordan Longstreth was fifth and Jeff Taylor was seventh.

Rookie Kevin Huwe was third in the 3000m, finishing in 9:02.14. Fellow freshman Michael Billingsley was third in the 800m.

The Mocs have one final tune-up prior to the Southern Conference Championships. That opportunity comes at the Vanderbilt Invitational next weekend.

 

April 15, 2006 - Tangelia Johnson, Lawrence Briscoe, & Asia Davis Hit NCAA Qualifying Marks at Sea Ray Relays

Knoxville, Tenn. - Three Catamounts hit NCAA qualifying minimums on Friday at the Sea Ray Relays, hosted by the University of Tennessee. Sophomore Tangelia Johnson joined the ranks of WCU women to qualify for the NCAA East Regional in the 100-meter dash, while junior Asia Davis (400m hurdles) and senior Lawrence Briscoe (110m hurdles) again came in under the mark in their respective events.

Johnson ran a WCU school record 11.63 in the 100-meter dash, beating the old mark by seven-hundreths of a second and whittling nearly two-full tenths off her previous best time of the season. She placed 11th overall in the event, and became the second Catamount woman to qualify for regionals. She joins Davis, who ran under the NCAA mark for the third-time this season in the 400-meter hurdles, recording a time of 59.56 to tie her WCU Invitational time which was the first-time she'd qualified this season.

Also in women's action, sophomore Raquel Ramseur rank 18th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.80. Her classmate, Kerrie Savery, ran 2:20.66 in the 800-meter run, while senior Deanna Kulesz posted a time of 19:43.49 in the 5,000-meter run, a WCU seasonal best and the first time she's run the event this season. In women's pole vault, Jessie Wilson cleared 3.05 meters (10-0) for the third-time this outdoor season.

On the men's side, Briscoe improved upon his best time of the outdoor season in the 110-meter hurdles, shaving four-hundredths off his best time to run 14.26 and place 18th at the relays. His mark continues to lead the Southern Conference.

Also highlighting the day on the men's side were sophomore Zeb Johnson, who just missed a seasonal-best in the men's 100-meter dash, running 10.58, six-hundreths slower than his 10.52 mark set back in the season opener. Defending SoCon track athlete of the week, senior Milton Bolton, finished 19th in a highly competitive field in the men's 400-meter dash with a time of 48.01.

Senior Adam Puett ran top 20 in the men's 1,500-meter run, finishing in 3:54.86 for his best showing this outdoor season, second to teammate Dan Fassinger by just over a second for Western's top time.