STATESBORO, GA ? Appalachian State concluded the first day of the 2006 Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field championships in first place overall as a team on the men’s and women’s side at the championship being held at the Georgia Southern Track/Soccer Complex. The Mountaineers enter the final day of competition on Sunday with sizable advantages and looking to solidify their sixth consecutive men’s crown and their fourth straight women’s title.
Appalachian State on the women’s side was led on the day by senior Nikole Simmons, who backed up her SoCon record-setting performance in the 2005 SoCon Outdoor Track and Field championships in the hammer throw by once again setting a new standard.
The senior improved on her previous record of 55.27 meters in 2005 by almost two meters, setting the new mark at 57.65 meters. The mark was also an NCAA regional qualifying mark.
On the men’s side, Ricky Harris of Appalachian State commandeered the first SoCon championship of his outdoor career in the men’s long jump, as the sophomore’s winning jump of 7.13 meters proved to be the only jump to surpass seven meters.
Appalachian State sophomore Grant Haun improved on his fifth place performance in 2005 to acquire his first SoCon championship in the hammer throw. Haun threw for a mark of 50.91 meters.
Women’s second-place squad Chattanooga was paced on the first day by Shannon Wommack, who continued her league dominance in the 3,000 meter steeplechase by winning her third straight championship in the event and smashing her previous SoCon record in the process. The time was almost 16 seconds faster than her record-setting time of 10:34.87 at the 2005 championship.
Wommack’s time of 10:07.54 in the steeplechase also qualified her for the NCAA regional.
Furman, in second place after day one of the event on the men’s side of things won its first event of the day when David Moseley picked up his first SoCon championship in the javelin throw. The sophomore threw for a mark of 193 feet to best second-place finisher Josh Lee (187) of Western Carolina by six feet.
Teammate Tyler Johnson won his first SoCon title in the 3,000 meter Steeplechase and in doing so defeated the past two winners of the event, including the two-time defending champion. Johnson put in a late charge to inch past two-time champ Ian Mayne of Chattanooga and garner the victory with a time of 9:09.22.
The Davidson Wildcats commenced the championship early Saturday morning by sweeping the 10,000 meters on the men’s and the women’s side.
In the first final of the day on Saturday, Davidson’s Jonathan Baker with a time of 31:54.27 came away the victor, besting teammate and second-place finisher Lance Harden (32:04.77).
Davidson freshman Emily King procured her first SoCon title with a victory in the women’s 10,000 meters. King led for the majority of the event, finishing with a time of 38:04.10.
Elon’s Jessica Clendenning picked up the Phoenix’s lone individual title of the day, vaulting 3.65 meters to claim her first SoCon championship in the pole vault.
Wofford chalked up its lone victory of the day in the women’s javelin throw. Nola Belcher took the title, throwing the javelin 127 feet into the wind.
Georgia Southern’s Nicole Brown acquired a SoCon record of her own in the women’s long jump, tallying a jump of 20-07.25 to pick up the victory in the event and set the new record in the event. Melissa Morrison held the previous record of 20-05.25 in 1993.
One record was broken on the day in the preliminaries when in the women’s 400 meter hurdles Western Carolina’s Asia Davis ran for a new standard of 59.53, eradicating the previous mark of 59.72 set in 2004 by Marlo Mincey of Georgia Southern.
2006 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Women - Team Rankings - 6 Events Scored
1) Appalachian State 81
2) Georgia Southern 33
3) Chattanooga 24
4) Elon 21
5) The Citadel 18
6) Western Carolina 15
7) Davidson 11
7) C. of Charleston 11
9) Wofford 10
9) Furman 10
Men - Team Rankings - 6 Events Scored
1) Appalachian State 97
2) Western Carolina 52
3) Furman 25
4) Davidson 22
5) The Citadel 18
6) Chattanooga 16
7) UNC- Greensboro 4