May 31, 2006 - Track & Field Adds More Records At NCAA East Regional
Greensboro, N.C. - In the finale to an outstanding 2006 season, seven athletes from the Track & Field team represented Georgia Southern at the NCAA East Regional Championships, hosted by North Carolina A&T University last Friday and Saturday (May 26 & 27).
Seniors Rashedah Arnold and Mandi Phillips, juniors Brittany Chase, Nicole Brown, and Lauren Jacobs, sophomore Dominique Thurman, and freshman Tierra Watts took part in five total events for the Eagles. Qualifying for the Regional meet was done throughout the season, with the majority of finishes coming in the Southern Conference Championships. The Eagles captured second place for the fourth straight time at this year’s SoCon Championship meet, which the school also hosted.
Chase provided a major highlight in Regional action as she rewrote her 100 hurdle school record for an astonishing fifth time this year. After running 13.79 seconds at Georgia Tech two weeks ago, the Lawrenceville, Ga. native destroyed that record with 13.65 seconds to finish third in her heat and 10th overall. Chase’s record at the beginning of the year stood at 14.00 seconds and had previously been broken by her with times of 13.99, 13.95, 13.91, and the aforementioned 13.79.
Brown, who qualified for the triple jump, long jump and as the anchor of the 4x100 relay team, cleared 41 feet for the second time this season in the triple jump with a leap of 41’00.25”. She finished fifth in her heat and 23rd overall. Phillips, the Southern Conference champion in the event, took second in her heat and 26th overall with a leap of 40’06”. The mark is the first in her career to clear the 40 foot barrier and improves on her third-best school mark.
In the long jump, Brown followed her Southern Conference record setting performance of 20’07.25” with a jump of 20’00.25” for 14th overall. Teammate Jacobs placed second in her heat with a distance of 18’10” for 28th overall.
The 4x100 relay team of Thurman, Arnold, Watts and Brown ran a season best 45.97 seconds to place 13th overall.
May 30, 2006 - Western Carolina's Asia Davis Earns an At-Large Bid to the NCAA National Championships
Cullowhee, N.C. - On the heels of breaking her own school-record in the women's 400-meter hurdles last Friday, Western Carolina junior Asia Davis today earned an at-large bid to the NCAA National Championships, which will be held June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif. Davis, who finished seventh in the regional competition, becomes the eighth Catamount all-time to earn a berth in the national meet and is the first since Virginia LaCombe went in the high jump back in 2002.
"It is an outstanding honor to receive an at-large bid to the nationals for both Asia and Western Carolina University," said track & field head coach Danny Williamson. "We felt that she had earned it last Friday with her showing in the preliminary rounds and had hoped she could have improved upon that performance in the finals to get an automatic bid, but it just did not work out on Saturday."
Davis, who won the Southern Conference championship in the event, has eclipsed the 60-second barrier five times this season, including her school-record time of 58.05 turned in during the preliminary rounds at last weekend's NCAA East Regional. Her time, which won her heat in the 400-meter hurdles, was the third-best on the opening day and ended up being the sixth-quickest time recorded at the meet. She enters the national competition ranked 14th in the nation and was the third individual chosen at-large, with her time ranking ahead of nine automatic qualifiers.
Competing on a national level is nothing new to the Charlotte, N.C., native. In 2004, as a freshman, Davis placed seventh in the United States Junior Nationals - an event open to American qualifiers under the age of 20 - earning the title Junior All-American. Only six Catamounts all-time have competed in that event with three garnering All-American status. In addition to Davis, Caleb Bailey (1,500-meter run, 2000) and Ryan Lewis (pole vault, 1999) each earned the distinction. Williamson commented that at the NCAA championship, Davis will be competing against several individuals whom she raced at that meet two years ago.
"Following the junior nationals, we talked about wanting to compare two years down the line where she would rank against the competitors at her level. By her moving on to the NCAA Championships, this will allow us to make that comparison and to see where she ranks now," said Williamson.
Including Western's Davis, only four individuals from the SoCon - all women - will compete at the NCAA Nationals in California. Davis will be joined by Shannon Wommack and Lanni Marchant from Chattanooga in distance events and Beverly Burnett from Appalachian State in the shot put.
The Catamounts, however, were very close to garnering at-large bids in two other events. According to Williamson, both the men's and women's 4x400-meter relay teams missed earning berths by just four positions after their seasonal and regional performances.
"It hurts to be that close without earning the bid, especially as well as our teams ran this season," added Williamson. "But competing at that high of a level and experiencing some success gives us something to build upon and to shoot for next season."
May 30, 2006 - Marchant Earns At-Large Bid to NCAA Outdoor Track Championships
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Chattanooga distance runner Lanni Marchant received an at-large bid to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships to be held June 7-10 in Sacramento, Calif.
The London, Ontario native outran 29 other competitors to win Section 2 of the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational with an NCAA Championship provisional time of 34:16.36. Marchant was more than 22 seconds faster than runner-up Ana Gjesdal of Michigan. The Stanford Invitational was Marchant’s only attempt at the 10,000 meters this season.
Marchant is a 3-time Southern Conference champion after winning the 3000 meter steeplechase crown in 2003 and the 5000m championship in 2004 and 2006.
She will join teammate Shannon Wommack at the championships. Wommack advanced to the regional meet by virtue of her record-setting 3000m steeplechase victory at the Southern Conference Championships. At the region meet, Wommack narrowly missed breaking her own school record finishing second overall for an automatic bid to the nationals. Wommack earned All-American honors with her fifth place finish at the National Championships last year.
The pair will depart for Sacramento Tuesday. The 3000 meter steeplechase preliminaries will be Wednesday evening and the 10,000 meter finals on Thursday.. The steeplechase finals will take place Friday.
May 29, 2006 - Davis Places Seventh; WCU Sets Pair of School Records at NCAA Track & Field East Regional
Cullowhee, N.C. - Junior Asia Davis led a good Western Carolina showing at the 2006 NCAA Track & Field East Regional in Greensboro over the weekend, setting a school record during preliminaries and placing fourth in the women's 400-meter hurdles. In addition to Davis, the 11 Catamount student-athletes combined to set a pair of school records, also raising the bar in the women's 4x400-meter relay.
While no Catamounts received automatic bids to the NCAA National Championships in Sacramento, Calif., June 7-10, Western will now await word on whether or not any of its student-athletes will receive at-large bids, with Davis holding the best opportunity.
Davis won the most competitive heat during Friday's preliminaries as three individuals made it to the finals from the first flight. She posted the third-fastest time of the day at 58.05, which was nearly seven-tenths of a second faster than her previous school-record time of 58.73 set last year at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Davis also posted WCU's seasonal-best time in the event by nearly a full second and a half over her SoCon preliminary time set three weeks ago (59.53).
In the finals, Davis ran 59.73 to eclipse the 60-second mark for the fifth-time this season to move from her 12th-place pre-regional ranking to finish seventh.
Running in a heat which turned the second-quickest time of the meet, sophomore Tangelia Johnson posted a mark of 11.71 in the 100-meter dash to finish fourth behind eventual event champion, Shalonda Solomon from South Carolina. Johnson entered the meet ranked 16th, duplicating that on the track with the 16th-best time out of the 27 competitors and just eight, one-hundreths of a second off her seasonal-best time.
Her classmate, sophomore Raquel Ramseur, also posted the 16th-best time out of the 27 entered in the women's 400-meter dash at 54.80, just over half a second slower than her Southern Conference Championship time of 54.15. Ramseur finished third overall in her heat behind two runners that finished fourth and eighth in the finals.
Davis, Johnson, Ramseur, and freshman Anesha Lane also combined to set a school record in the women's 4x400-meter relay on Saturday. The Catamount women won their six-team section with a time of 3:39.36, which was 1.2 seconds quicker than the previous mark -- 3:40.55 -- set at last year's Georgia Tech Invitational. Ramseur and Davis were both a part of the previous record and the new mark turned in over the weekend. Overall, Western, which ranked 17th in the region entering the event, posted the 10th-best time during the competition.
Western Carolina's men's squad entered the event having already established a trio of school records this season, including the 200-meter dash and in both the 400- and 1,600-meter relays. Two Catamounts took aim at the 200-meter regional championship as sophomore Zeb Johnson and freshman Manteo Mitchell both qualified on time this season. At the meet, Johnson finished fourth in his heat while Mitchell was fifth with times of 21.25 and 21.45, respectively. Johnson's time was the 14th-best in the region while Mitchell was 16th during the preliminary rounds.
Senior Milton Bolton, who was WCU's first to qualify for the regionals as well as the SoCon champion at the 400-meter distance, ran 48.36 during the preliminary competition. His time was nearly a second and a half off his seasonal-best, but was just a little over two seconds off the top time run during the opening round placing him 20th. His classmate, senior Adam Puett, who qualified for the regional by winning the SoCon 1,500-meter championship, posted a time of 3:56.19 to also finish 20th, three-positions higher than his pre-regional ranking of 23rd.
A third senior, Lawrence Briscoe, finished fourth in his preliminary heat of the men's 110-meter hurdles, but managed to turn in his best-time of the season after negotiating the hurdles in 14.18, tied for 18th out of 30 competitors. The top two from Briscoe's heat went on to finish first and third in the regional finals.
Zeb Johnson and Bolton teamed with Mike Malone and freshman Kevin Johnson in the men's 4x100-meter relay to run 40.88, which was a little over half a second slower than their previous seasonal-best -- and school-record -- time of 40.23 turned in at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Western finished fourth in its heat but managed the 12th-best time in the region.
Like the women, the men's 4x400-meter relay team posted the 10th quickest time on Saturday as Bolton, Mitchell, Malone, and Johnson passed the baton in 3:09.88 to finish sixth in their heat. Six of the top eight finishers came from the Catamounts' heat including the regional champion, South Carolina, and runner-up, Wake Forest.
May 28, 2006 - Walter Places 18th at Track and Field NCAA Regionals in Discus
GREENSBORO, N.C ? Junior Jim Walter (Solon, Ohio), in his first season on Davidson's men's track and field team, represented the Wildcats at the NCAA Regionals and earned an 18th place finish in the discus event on May 27. Walters earned a trip to the regionals after setting a school record at the Southern Conference outdoor Championships with a first place throw of 153' 7".
The junior competed in flight No. 1 at the NCAA regionals and came in eighth with a throw of 139" 9", and that distance was good enough for 18th place overall out of the two flights of throwers.
The Wildcats had one of their most successful year's in recent history. Head coach Gary Andrew earned SoCon Co-coach of the Year after guiding the men’s team to a third place showing at the SoCon Championships. The 84 team points scored topped the previous highest total of 43 points set in 1978 when the Wildcats finished 6th that year.
The third-place showing also was the highest finish ever for the program and topped the fifth place showing the Wildcats had back in 1957, ’69 and ’72. Added to the third place accomplishment was the fact that the Wildcats set six school records during the season.
May 27, 2006 - Wommack Advances to NCAA Championships
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--Chattanooga distance specialist Shannon Wommack has secured a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase by finishing second in the event at the Mideast Regional meet held Saturday at the University of Tennessee.
Wommack finished behind Toledo’s Ebba Stenbeck who established a new Tom Black track record with a time of 10:04.30. Wommack set the previous track record earlier this year at the Sea Ray Relays at 10:21.49. The top four finishers in today’s regional final all eclipsed the old mark.
"She did exactly what she wanted to do" remarked Chattanooga head coach Bill Gautier. "The top five advance to the NCAA's and halfway through the race, the front pack of four had broken away."
Wommack passed Illinois’ Cassie Hunt at the start of the final lap to move into second place. Hunt has the nation’s fastest time in the 3000m steeplechase this season. Wommack has faced Hunt twice this season and bested her both times.
Wommack finished fourth in the 2005 Mideast Regional and was fifth in the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors in the event.
The senior from Conyers, Ga. is also qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 10,000 meters, but will only run in the steeplechase. "She has a chance to be a national champion in the steeplechase" said Gautier. "That is where she will put her focus, and I guarantee you she will put her head down in that race."
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 7-10 in Sacramento.
Chattanooga’s Sabrina Lefort finished 21st in her first Regional meet. The eight points earned by Wommack's finish put Chattanooga in 24th position of the 40 teams represented at the Regional.
May 27, 2006 - Jones 11th in triple jump at NCAA East Regional meet
GREENSBORO, NC ? UNC Greensboro’s Charles Jones won his individual flight in the preliminary round, but would up in 11th place in the triple jump Saturday evening at the 2006 NCAA East Regional Track and Field Meet.
The top five finishers in the regional receive automatic bids to the NCAA National Championship meet. By finishing 11th, Jones’ has likely no more than an outside shot of an at-large bid to make the national meet in Sacramento next month.
Jones won his preliminary triple jump heat with a leap of 15.21 meters, a mark that he attained on his final attempt. However, it was not enough to advance to the final round and have a shot at the national meet.
Jones had been hampered by injury during the latter part of the season. After reaching a qualifying mark for the NCAA Regional Meet early in the outdoor season, he did not compete at the Southern Conference Championship Meet in late April. He returned to compete at the North Carolina A&T last chance meet in mid-May.
At-large bids to the national meet will be awarded on Monday.
May 27, 2006 - Terrier school record falls at NCAA East Regional
Wofford senior Katon Bethay broke his own school record in the shot put Saturday as the Terriers' male outdoor track & field representative at the NCAA East Regional Meet at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
Bethay, a Milton, Wis., native, surpassed the previous Wofford mark with a throw of 53'7-1/2" (16.34m) to finish fourth out of 12 participants in his flight. He placed 16th out of 24 overall.
He had set the Terrier standard of 52'11" (16.13m) on his Southern Conference-winning heave at the league meet in Statesboro, Ga., April 30, on his way to being named the league's men's outdoor field performer of the year.
The only multi-sport All-Southern Conference selection in school history, Bethay set the mark on his final throw. He attained a mark of 15.80m on his second attempt after a foul on his first throw.
Florida State's Garrett Johnson captured the title at the regional with a mark of 66'10-3/4" (20.39m).
May 27, 2006 - Furman Completes Competition at NCAA East Regional
Greensboro, NC - Three Furman track and field athletes completed competition at the NCAA East Regional meet held in Greensboro, NC this weekend.
Senior Tyler Johnson led the way for the Paladins finishing in 16th place in the men's 3000 meter steeplechase with a final time of 9:14.65. Johnson captured the Southern Conference crown in the event at the conference championship meet earlier this month.
McKenzie Sharpe finished the women's 800 meter run in 25th place with a mark of 2:12.00. Sharpe won the event and set a new Furman record at the conference meet
David Moseley, the Furman-record holder in the men's javelin, finished 25th in the event with a long toss of 184-04 feet. Moseley set the school record of 201-1.75 feet this season at the USC Weems Baskin Sprint Relays.
May 27, 2006 - Clendenning Concludes Season at NCAA East Regional
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Elon pole vaulter Jessica Clendenning (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) capped her junior campaign with a 3.66-meter leap Saturday afternoon, tying for 16th place out of 31 athletes at the 2006 NCAA East Regional Track and Field Championship at the Irwin Belk Track on the North Carolina A&T campus.
Clendenning qualified for regional competition at the 2006 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship last month at the Georgia Southern Track/Soccer Complex in Statesboro, Ga.
Clendenning vaulted 3.65 meters at the league meet, earning an automatic trip to the NCAA East Regional by claiming the SoCon pole vault title. In the process, she became Elon's first individual SoCon champion in any sport since the Phoenix began competition in the conference in the fall of 2003.
May 27, 2006 - CofC’s Lance Competes At NCAA Regional
GREENSBORO, N.C. - College of Charleston Outdoor Track and Field’s Kosha Lance competed at the NCAA Regional in the Hammer Throw today at Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
Lance threw a distance of 50.94 meters (167 feet, one inch) finishing 20th in her flight as she competed against athletes from all over the Eastern Region.
This was Lance’s second trip to the NCAA tournament, having become the first CofC Track and Field student-athlete to qualify back in 2004. That year she placed 24th in the hammer throw.
May 26, 2006 - NCAA Mideast Regional Day One
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Day One of the NCAA Mideast Regional Track and Field Championships concluded at Tom Black Track at the University of Tennessee.
Seniors Lanni Marchant and Colin Sullivan competed for the Mocs in the 5000m on Friday night.
Marchant finished in 17:09.15, good for 15th place behind Notre Dame senior Molly Huddle who won her third Region 5000m crown in four years.
This was Marchant’s third trip to the Mideast Regional, having qualified in the 5000m in 2004 and the 3000m steeplechase in 2003. Marchant qualified by winning the Southern Conference 5000m title with a record performance of 16:45.22.
Sullivan, also competing in his third Mideast Regional, finished 13th with a time of 14:51.60. Sullivan has battled injuries this spring and won the SoCon 5000m title in his only outdoor competition with a personal-best time of 14:42.18. Sullivan qualified for the Mideast regional in the 1500m in 2003 and 2004.
Shannon Wommack and Sabrina Lefort will run the 3000m steeplechase on Saturday night.
Wommack has already qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 10,000 meters. The NCAA Championships will be held June 7-10 in Sacramento.
May 26, 2006 - Williams finishes 21st in 800 meters at NCAA Regional meet
GREENSBORO, NC ? UNC Greensboro’s Jeff Williams recorded a time of 1:54.19 in his 800 meter preliminary heat, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the final round Friday evening at the 2006 NCAA East Regional Track and Field Meet.
Williams, a junior from South Plainfield, NJ, placed 21st in the race overall and seventh in his individually heat. The top two runners in each heat and the next two fastest times advanced to Saturday’s finals.
UNCG’s Charles Jones will compete in the triple jump on Saturday. Jones finished fifth at the East Regional last year to become the first Spartan to ever qualify for the national meet.
May 26, 2006 - Black Competes at NCAA East Regional
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Elon senior Alana Black (Ellicott City, Md./Wilde Lake) concluded her career by finishing 23rd in the 1500-meter run preliminaries at the 2006 NCAA East Regional Track and Field Championship Friday afternoon at the Irwin Belk Track on the North Carolina A&T campus.
With a time of 4:37.13, Black finished well ahead of Cornell's Aeriel Emig (4:39.07), Army's Ashley Urick (4:42.15), Florida State's Susan Kuijken (4:44.45) and Coastal Carolina's Saskia Janssen (4:47.69).
Black qualified for regional competition by racing to an Elon-record time of 4:26.60 on her way to league runner-up honors at the 2006 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship last month at the Georgia Southern Track/Soccer Complex in Statesboro, Ga.
Phoenix junior Jessica Clendenning (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) ? the 2006 Southern Conference pole vault champion ? will participate in the NCAA East Regional pole vault competition at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Black and Clendenning are the second and third Elon athletes to ever qualify for an NCAA track and field regional. Teammate Alice Turner represented the Phoenix in NCAA Regional action last season, competing in the 400-meter hurdles on May 27, 2005 in New York, N.Y.
May 26, 2006 - McNeill Wins Flight, Finishes 15th Overall in Shot Put at NCAA East Regional Championships
Greensboro, N.C. - Junior Stephanie McNeill became the first female in The Citadel's history to compete in an NCAA Championship event Friday afternoon as she won her flight in the women's shot put with a throw of 46' 10.25". McNeill placed 15th overall in the most competitive, dense region in the country as she competed in the NCAA East Regional Championships.
McNeill's throw won her flight of nine competitors and her 15th place finish put her two spots ahead of South Carolina's prodigious Precious Akins, beating Akins by more than four inches. North Carolina's Kelly Fazekas edged McNeill for 14th place with a throw of 47' 2.25".
McNeill's performance in the NCAA East Regional Championships marks the first time a female cadet has competed in an NCAA Championship event in any sport in the school's 184 year history. McNeill, a junior from Ladson, S.C., will return for her senior season in 2007. She led the Bulldogs to their most successful year in history in 2006.
For more information on The Citadel track and field program, visit the official home of Bulldog athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
May 25, 2006 - Mountaineers Head to NCAA East Regional
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Nine members of the Appalachian State University men’s and women’s track and field teams will head to Greensboro, N.C. to compete in the NCAA East Regional Championship hosted by North Carolina A&T at Irwin Belk Track May 26-27.
Five Appalachian women and four men qualified for regionals in eight different events by either posting NCAA qualifying marks during the outdoor season or claiming an individual title at the Southern Conference championship meet.
Senior Beverly Burnett (Graham, N.C.) returns to the regional championships to compete in the shot put for the second-straight year. Last season, Burnett was ASU’s lone representative at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she placed 22nd as a junior. This season, Burnett enters the competition with the third-best mark in the region, having recorded a school-record toss of 16.20m at the Clemson Relays March 24. Burnett also captured her third-consecutive SoCon outdoor shot put title in April.
Sophomore Brittani Williams (Charlotte, N.C.) joins Burnett in the shot put for the second time. Williams recorded her NCAA regional qualifying mark of 14.46 at the Winthrop Invitational April 31.
Also returning to the regional championships for the women is senior Nikole Simmons (Charlotte, N.C.) who will compete in the hammer throw for the second-straight season. Simmons’ school-record mark of 58.04m, which she recorded at the Winthrop Invitational April 31, ranks 10th in the field. This season’s SoCon hammer throw champion, Simmons placed eighth at the regional meet last season.
Making their first appearances in regional competition are sophomores Meg Gaffney (Pompton Lakes, N.J.) and Vonteena Knotts (Charlotte, N.C.). The school record-holder, Gaffney will compete in the 3,000m steeple chase after recording her qualifying time of 10:44.09 at the Raleigh Relays March 24. Knotts captured her first conference outdoor long jump title and reached the qualifying mark with a leap of 6.05m to advance to the regional championships.
On the men’s side, three sophomores and a freshman make up the group of Mountaineer competitors, all making their first appearance at regionals. Freshman Charles Derrickson (Spring Lake, N.C.) ran a time of 14.17 in the 110m hurdles at the SoCon Championships to claim the individual title and reach qualifying standard.
In the field, sophomores Ricky Harris (Durham, N.C.), Grant Haun (Charlotte, N.C.) and Barron Shell (Hays, N.C.) each earned their way into regional competition by capturing individual titles at the SoCon Championships. Harris, with a season-best leap of 7.13m, will represent the Mountaineers in the long jump, Haun will compete in the hammer throw with a season-best throw of 50.91m and Shell will look for success in the pole vault, bringing in a season-best mark of 4.75m.
May 13, 2006 - Cougar Angie Hill Breaks School Record to Close out NCAA Regional
Browns Summit, N.C. - Angie Hill shot a tournament low and College of Charleston record 67 in the third round to lead the Cougars to a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Women's Golf East Regional held at Bryan Park Golf Course in Browns Summit, N.C. Tennessee won the tournament with an 864 to advance along with the other top eight schools to the NCAA Championship.
Tennessee's Marci Turner won individual medalist honors. The Cougars totaled 899 in three rounds which was a school record.
Hill jumped 40 spots with her 54-hole total of 218 to tie for 15th. Megan Miller tied for 61st with her 227 and tied for 69th was Jenn Bellso with a 228. Gretchen Zoeller finished with a 232 to tie for 86 and Julia von Rohrscheidt's 234 put her tied for 92nd.