Appalachian Invitational
Appalachian State Men
BOONE, N.C.- The Appalachian men's track and field team began the 2007-08 season off on a solid foot, as numerous athletes posted strong performances at the Appalachian Invitational. No team scoring took place, but the Mountaineers made marks in every event they took part in.
Junior Daniel Neal was a strong contributor for ASU throughout the day, as he took home a second place finish in the 55m hurdles, with a time of 7.56 and placed sixth in the 55m dash, running the race in 6.55.
Freshman Phillip Bush made a statement as a newcomer to the squad, earning the sixth spot in the 55m hurdles, with a time of 7.92. He also competed in the long jump, finishing seventh with a jump of 23’-5”.
In the 400m dash, senior Greg McCain grabbed the second place spot, with a time of 49.55. Western Carolina’s Manteo Mitchell came in first with a time of 48.10, breaking the previous Holmes Center record of 48.42, held by Otto Spain.
The Appalachian jumpers made their mark on the day as well, as Ricky Harris notched first place in the long jump, with a jump of 24’-10”. ASU jumps coach Damion McLean got in on the action as well, finishing right behind Harris, jumping 24’-3”. Mark Sturgis excelled in the triple jump posting a jump of 50’-2” and earning first place.
In the field events, senior Wes Kiser led the way, as he finished fifth in the shot put, and grabbed a second place finish in the weight throw, finishing behind former ASU throws standout Bob Smith. Kiser's performance in the weight throw moved him into fourth on ASU's top-ten list. Two newcomers to the squad also did well in both events. Freshman Jerod Gardner placed third in the shot put wiht a throw of 48'-9", and Tim Daly grabbed a fifth place finish in the weight throw.
Four Mountaineers had strong showings in the pole vault as Barron Shell, Ryan Twiford, Justin Hunnicut and Mike Wilson all earned the 5-8 spots.
The Apps will take a brief break for exams and the holidays, and return to action January 18, as they head to Johnson City, Tenn. to compete in the East Tennessee Niswonger Meet.
Appalachian State Women
BOONE, N.C. ? Vonteena Knotts jumped 20 feet 10.5 inches and Danielle Thorpe leapt 20-3.5 as the pair took first and second place in the long jump for the Appalachian State women’s track and field team. Knotts earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships with the jump, while Thorpe earned a provisional bid. Several
Mountaineers posted strong performances in the first indoor meet of the season. Knotts’ jump also set a new Holmes Center record.
Behind Knotts and Thorpe in the event, four other Mountaineers rounded out the top eight. Monica Johnson (19-02), Bianca Harvey (19-0.75), Crystal Dukes (18-8) and Kiara Crutchfield (18-4.5) finished fifth through eighth place, respectively. Porsha’ Evans-Hardy placed second in the 55-meter hurdles, with a time of 8.37, just one-hundredth of a second off the leader’s time. Crutchfield tied for third out of 16 runners with an 8.57 mark.
Ashley McKiver ran a 7.14 second time in the first heat of the 55-meter dash to tie for second place out of 31. Knotts ran a 7.17 to place seventh in the event. McKiver went on to finish sixth in the 200-meter dash as well, just one-hundredth of a second behind teammate Johnson at 25.67. The time was a personal record for Johnson, besting her previous top indoor time of 25.73.
Knotts and Thorpe also finished 1-2 in the triple jump. Knotts landed a 40 feet 9 inches while Thorpe was barely an inch behind at 40-7.75.
Behind a pair of unattached competitors, reigning Southern Conference Champion Brittani Williams threw 40 feet 7.25 inches for third place in the shot put. Former Mountaineer and Holmes Center record-holder Beverly Burnett won with a toss of 46-9.5.
Williams went on to take home first place in the weight throw with a mark of 53-5.75. Whitney Smyre threw for 50 feet 2 inches for fourth place in the event while sophomore Adrianne Alexander placed sixth with a mark of 45-3.5.
Ashley Beale jumped 11 feet 5.75 inches in the pole vault for a third-place finish. The jump was just a quarter of an inch off the freshman’s personal best. Senior Kaitlyn Heeke was right behind with a 10-11.75 mark, good for fifth in the competition.
Behind an unattached jumper, Bridgette Hills and Julie Ward tied for second in the high jump with a height of 5 feet 3.75 inches. Hills, a freshman, was 2.25 inches off a personal best.
The team has a long layoff before returning to competition at East Tennessee State on January 18, 2008.
Western Carolina
Boone, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's and women's track teams kicked off the 2007-2008 indoor season with an overwhelmingly dominant performance at the Appalachian Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C. The two teams combined to have ten winners, 50 top-ten performances and 19 podium finishes, including a 1-2-3 WCU finish in the men's 55-meter dash, led by junior Zeb Johnson's winning time of 6.25 seconds. Johnson's time also earned him a provisional bid to the NCAA Championships.
Western's men led the way with six of the ten individual first-place runs, including Manteo Mitchell's Holmes Center-record 48.10 time in the 400-meter dash. Dominique Young also took top honors for the Catamounts with a victory in the 200-meter dash. He was joined in the top ten by teammates Duke Craig, who finished fifth, and seventh-place finisher Kevin Johnson.
The Catamounts took top honors in the distance runs, with Jestin Jennings taking the 800-meter event with a time of 2:02.18, followed by WCU's Michael Robinson, who finished in fourth place in the event.
Freshman Matt Evans started his collegiate career with a first-place finish in the men's high jump, with a high mark of 6 feet, 9.75 inches, three inches in front of the second-place finisher.
In the first event of the day, Western started their winning ways when junior Shay McGriff took home first place in the 55-meter hurdles in a time of 8.36 seconds, and was joined on the podium by teammate and third-place finisher Rashanda Simmons. The Catamounts again placed two on the podium in the 400 meter dash, with Raquel Ramseur as the winner, and Shalyn McMichael taking home second place. Ramseur not only joined teammate Manteo Mitchell in the WCU sweep of the 400-meter dash, but her time of 55.71 was a mere .01 seconds off her own Holmes Center record of 55.70, which she set at last season's Appalachian Invitational.
Sophomore Annie Bailey took home the title in the women's 800-meter run, defeating her closest competitor by a full two seconds.
Kerri Savery, who took home All-Southern Conference honors in the outdoor cross country season, showed her ability to bring her successes indoors with a win in the one mile run.
All six of the WCU 4x400-meter relay teams took home top ten finishes, with the women's "A" team winning the event, and the "B" squad as the runners-up, and the men's "A" and "B" teams coming in third and fourth, respectively.
This was the only meet for the Catamounts in 2007, as the team will not compete again until they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the UNC Invitational on Jan. 12, 2008.
Davidson
BOONE, N.C. ? The Davidson Wildcat women’s track and field team opened the indoor track season at the Appalachian Invitational on Saturday morning.
Freshman Liz Crowley made her debut for the Wildcats, finishing with the team’s top times in the 55-meter dash and the 200 meters. She finished 21st in the 55 meters (7.52) and 18th in the 200 meters (28.12).
Senior team captain Amaka Obidegwu turned in the ?Cats top finish of the day, placing 15th in the 400 meters with a time of 61.23.
Clemson Opener
College of Charleston
Isabel Boersma and Saskia Kalmeijer set school records in the 60-meter hurdles and the triple-jump as the College of Charleston track and field team kicked off their season Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at the Clemson Opener in Clemson, S.C.
“I’m really proud of the way the team competed this weekend at the Clemson Opener,” said head coach Amy Schuckert. “We have a young team and by running a meet this early it gave us to get some of the jitters of the way. We set two school records and I am looking forward to seeing how this team progresses.”
Boersma clocked a 9.85 in the 60-meter hurdles for a 35th finish to set the school record and finished 25th in the shot put with a score of 25’49”.75. Kalmeijer finished eighth with a mark of 36’02” in the triple jump. Her eighth-place finish was the highest a member of the team finished at the Clemson Opener. Kalmeijer also placed 14th in the long jump with a distance of 5.28 meters and ran a 27.47 in the 200-meter dash.
Mary Zolga tied for 12th in the 800-meter run with a tie of 2:28.82, while Summer Chambless finished with a time of 8.30 in the 60-meter dash. Emily Jackson recorded a time of 8.48 in the 60-meter dash. Jackson also finished with a 27.99 in the 200-meter dash.
The team will return to action Jan. 19, 2008 when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C.
Georgia Southern
CLEMSON, S.C. - Georgia Southern sophomore Demetrise Anthony claimed first place honors in the triple jump on Saturday, to conclude the Clemson Opener officially beginning the 2007-08 indoor season.
The Manchester, Ga. native ended with a jump of 40'9” earning the first individual title for the Eagles on the young season. Anthony also had an 11th place finish in the 60m dash posting a time of 7.79. Anthony's teammate Shaunta Hamilton earned a seventh place finish in the triple jump leaping 37'5”.
Senior Shamyria Ortiz was 11th in the 200m finals on Saturday. She finished with a time of 25.68. A total of 57 participants competed in the 200m dash.
Eagles distance runner Shauntel Jennings finished the 800m run in fourth place, while teammate Abby Bloom ran strong to an 11th place finish. Jennings raced to a time of 2:22.15 and Bloom finished in 2:28.47. Jennings and teammates London Ryles, Kristin Olson and Ashley Bush-Hardy helped the 4x400m relay team score an 11th place finish with a time of 4:00.44.
Georgia Southern sophomore Melanie Trumbo cleared 5'4.25” in the high jump event propelling her to a fourth place finish. GSU senior Jennifer Charles completed the Clemson Opener with a third place finish in the shot put throwing a distance of 42'11.75”.
The Eagles return to action Friday, January 18, 2008 when they travel to Johnson City, Tenn. to compete in a meet hosted by East Tennessee State University. The meet is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
The Citadel
Early Beginnings
The Citadel Track and Field program gets off to an early start in the 2008 season by competing in 2007. The Bulldogs will head to the Clemson Opener on Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2007. The Citadel is kicking off its 22nd year under the guidance of head coach Jody Huddleston.
The Jamaican Connection
A pair of cadets on the track and field team at The Citadel have set several school records and have done so after coming to the Military College of South Carolina from an unlikely place. Junior Jodi Whittle and sophomore Monique Edwards both hail from Kingston, Jamaica and have already placed their names (several times) into The Citadel record books.
Whittle holds the indoor school records in the 60m (7.84), 200m (25.54) and 400m (58.73) and the outdoor school records in the 100m (12.32), the 200m (25.14) and the 400m (58.00).
Meanwhile, Edwards is following in the footsteps of Stephanie McNeill, setting top marks in the throwing events. Edwards has the school’s third best indoor weight throw mark (43’ 8”), the second best discus mark (131’ 0”) and the school record in the hammer (155’ 1”).
From Iowa, With Love
The Citadel might never have recruited Jodi Whittle and Monique Edwards if not for a friendly face from Iowa. Current Iowa assistant coach Layne Anderson ?89 keyed The Citadel coaching staff into the Jamaican pair. Anderson is a former Bulldog track standout himself and still holds four school records at the school.
First Football, Then Track & Field
The Citadel men’s track and field team has a trio of two-sport athletes highlighting its roster. Junior Shaquill Smith and sophomore Andre Roberts all are members of The Citadel football team, a team that had a historic season last fall. Smith was a starting cornerback on the team for the first half of the season before tearing his achilles tendon in the team’s dramatic 54-51 overtime victory over archrival Furman. Roberts led the team in receiving yards and became the first two-sport All-Conference honoree in at least five years for The Citadel, earning Second Team All-Conference honors in football after earning All-SoCon honors for his 4x100m relay performance last spring. Quintin Turner redshirted the 2007 football season and looks to be a prominent thrower in the Southern Conference this season.
For the latest in Bulldog Track & Field, including the most updated news, results, stats, photo galleries, mobile downloads and more, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com
Liberty Invitational
Elon
LYNCHBURG, Va. ? Sophomore Andrea March and freshman Krystal Paszkeicz ? making their first appearances in a Phoenix uniform ? broke a pair of program records at Liberty University’s Tolsma Indoor Track Center Saturday as Elon University opened its indoor slate at the Liberty Kickoff Invitational.
March made a 5-3 leap (1.60 meters) in the high jump, eclipsing the previous top Phoenix indoor performance of of 5-2.25 (1.58 meters) by Kimberly Adams in 2004. March placed fifth out of the 20 athletes in the event, following unattached athlete Kena Wilson (5-8.75), N.C. State duo Kayla Lawson (5-7) and Alesha Patterson (5-5) and Virginia State’s Emily Coopwood (5-3). Elon freshman Courtney Weathers (4-11/1.50 meters) finished eighth.
Paszkeicz launched the shot put 37-6 (11.43 meters) to surpass the previous Phoenix record of 37-2.5 (11.34 meters) by Angela Carlberg in 2006. Paszkeicz ended up in 10th place out of the 27 athletes in the event, won by William & Mary’s Carly Morse (41-5.25).
Elon senior Dominique Price qualified for the finals in both the 60-meter hurdles and the 60-meter dash. With a time of 8.92 seconds, Price emerged as the first collegiate finisher in the 60-meter hurdles ? and second overall behind Nike-sponsored athlete Ebony Foster (8.73) ? out of 29 total athletes. Clocked at 7.98 seconds in the 60-meter dash, Price finished 13th out of the 45 sprinters in the race.
In the long jump, Elon freshman Veronica Day made her college debut a memorable one by leaping 17-08.25 (5.39 meters) to end up fourth out of 32 competitors. James Madison trio Tanique Carter (17-11.75), Krissy Kline (17-10.75) and Candace Nelms (17-10.25) took the top three places. Phoenix sophomore Monique Vines (17-0.75/5.20 meters) placed eighth. Day (36-07.75/11.17 meters) finished eighth out of 24 athletes in the triple jump.
Phoenix sophomore Jennine Strange scurried to a sixth-place finish in the 29-competitor field of the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line in 2:25.63. Elon’s freshman Taylor Shaw (2:26.64) placed ninth and senior Jenny Pearce (2:27.32) finished 12th. Turning in a time of 4:08.35, the Phoenix 4x400-meter relay unit ? Strange, freshman Sarah Skogen, March and freshman Melissa Turowski ? placed sixth out of 17 teams.