March 26, 2007 Release
Appalachian State Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Distance Runners Help Lead ASU Men at Wake Forest Open
by Appalachian Sports Information
March 24, 2007 - WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? Senior Adam Van Nortiwck won the 1,500 meter run as the Appalachian State University men’s distance runners led the track and field team at the Wake Forest Open at Kentner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University.
The Mountaineers competed against several strong teams, including Virginia, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia and Southern Conference rival Western Carolina.
Van Nortwick ran the 1,500 meter run in a time of 3:47.97 for the victory. Freshman Josh Houser added a 13th-place finish in the event with a time of 3:56.65.
Sophomore Phil Mitchell placed sixth in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 14:52.33. He was followed by Ryan O’Keefe in 11th with a time of 15:03.45 and Asmeron Desta in 12th in a time of 15:03.82.
In the shorter races, sophomore Charles Derrickson came in third in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.25.
ASU also found success in the field events as senior Anthony Greer placed third in the shot put with a throw of 17.48 meters. Junior Joel Gaddy came in 11th in the long jump with a leap of 6.96 meters, while sophomore Ricky Harris placed 10th in the triple jump with a mark of 14.96 meters.
The Mountaineers will be back in action as they head to SoCon country for the Western Carolina Invitational in Cullowhee, N.C. on March 31.
Appalachian State Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Knotts Paces Mountaineer Women at Wake Forest Open
by Appalachian Sports Information
March 24, 2007 - WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? Junior Vonteena Knotts recorded two top-10 finishes to lead the Appalachian State University women’s track and field team at the Wake Forest Open at Kentner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University.
The Mountaineers competed against several strong teams, including Tennessee, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia and Southern Conference rival Western Carolina.
Knotts recorded the team’s top finish of the day as she placed fourth in the long jump with a personal best leap of 11.97 meters. She added a sixth-place finish with a jump of 5.80 meters in the long jump.
Fellow junior Brittani Williams placed ninth in the shot put with a mark of 14.34 meters. Also in the field events, Shea Snow, Julie Ward, Kaitlyn Heeke and Megan Robertson all finished in the top-10 of the pole vault, section B. Snow placed second with a mark of 3.50, Ward came in 8th (3.20 meters), Heeke in 9th (3.20 meters) and Robertson in 10th (3.05 meters).
On the track, senior Kasey Smith placed 8th in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 17:39.33. Junior Meghan Gaffney came in 10th in the event at 17:47.30, while senior Jenna Wriden placed 11th with a time of 18:02.91.
The Mountaineers will be back in action as they head to SoCon country for the Western Carolina Invitational in Cullowhee, N.C. on March 31.
The Citadel Outdoor Track & Field
The Citadel Dominates at Bagwell-Settle Relays
Ladson, S.C. ? The Citadel track and field teams competed at the Bagwell-Settle Relays at Charleston Southern University Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs dominated the competition and set a handful of records in the midweek event, including junior Laura Phelan setting the SoCon’s top javelin mark of the season.
Phelan set a new school record in the javelin, winning the event with a throw of 124’ 9”. That breaks the record of 124’ 6”, set by Martha Skinner in 2004. That mark is the top javelin mark to date in the Southern Conference this year, putting herself ahead of teammate Allison Taylor, who previously held the SoCon lead with a throw of 122’ 1” set on March 3. This is the first time in school history The Citadel has the top two women’s javelin marks in the Southern Conference. Taylor finished second in the event with a throw of 117’ 1”.
Senior Alex Croskey set a personal record in the discus as he won the event with a throw of 144’ 3”. Croskey also won the shot put with a throw of 46’ 2” and finished second in the hammer with a mark of 134’ 7”.
Croskey was not the only Bulldog fall just short of a title trifecta on the day as senior Stephanie McNeill also paced the competition. McNeill won the discus with a season-best throw of 133’ 0”, following by throwing 45’ 7” to win the shot put. Like Croskey, McNeill’s trifecta fell short as she placed second in the hammer with a throw of 162’ 2”.
Seniors Amanda Rawl and Charles Kutz swept the 1,500m races, both setting records. Rawl set a personal record in the 1,500m as she won with a time of 5:16.25. That is the sixth-best 1,500m mark in school history. Meanwhile, Kutz won the 1,500m with a season-best time of 4:06.38.
The women brought home a pair of relays victories on the day, beginning with a 4:08.51 winning time in the 4x400m relay. Junior Jodi Whittle, sophomore Megan Jenkins and freshmen Katheryn Gatewood and Heather Harris came together to run the second-fastest 4x400m relay time in school history.
Following the victorious 4x400m relay race, The Citadel triumphed again in the 4x800m relay. The young pair of Gatewood and Jenkins teamed with sophomore Erin Ritter and freshman Natalie Wolin to win the relay with a time of 9:46.93. That tops the school record time of 11:39.71, ran in Columbia, S.C. in 2003.
Senior Charles Kutz brought home another Bulldog victory, winning the 1,500m with a season-best time of 4:06.38.
The Citadel returns to action on Saturday, March 31 as the Bulldogs head to Lexington, Va. and VMI for the first-ever Military Track Classic. For complete coverage of Bulldog Track and Field, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.
College of Charleston Outdoor Track & Field
Two New School Records Set at Clemson Relays
Karen Corson’s first place finish in 5,000 meter run and two new school records being set were highlights for the College of Charleston’s women’s track and field team at the Clemson Relays at Rock Norman Track on Saturday in Clemson, S.C.
“The team continues to show character, despite the adversity they faced today,” said head coach Amy Schuckert about the team’s willingness to perform and their tenacity.
Corson clocked an 18:45.24 time, while Katie Hedley had a 19:41.35 time for her Top 10 finish in the 5,000 meter run.
In the relay events, the Cougars placed seventh in the 4x100 with a time of :50.09, placed ninth in the 4x200 with a time of 1:47.46 and ninth in the 4x400 with a time of 4:03.47 ? a new College of Charleston record. The previous mark of 4:04.72 was set last season at the Asics Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C.
The distance medley relay team picked up a Top 3 finish with a time of 13:04.59.
Heather Collier, a member of the 4x400 relay team, had a Top 5 finish in the high jump with a mark of 5-03 to set a new school record. The previous mark of 5-02 ? was set by Dominique Boone at the Buc Invitational last season.
Summer Chambless recorded a 10-11 ? mark for first place in the pole vault. Boone had a mark of 36-02 ? in the triple jump for the Top 10 finish, and Chambless had a mark of 102-03 in the javelin.
The Cougars will join the field at the Weems Baskins Relay on Mar. 31 in Columbia.
Davidson Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Funderburg Scores Two First Place Showings at Emory Invitational for Men’s Track & Field
ATLANTA, Ga.? Sophomore Will Funderburg (Buford, Ga.) led four individuals with top-five finishes by earning two first-place showings of his own in the shot put and the discus events at the Emory Invitational on Saturday, Mar. 24. The Wildcats as a team finished sixth out of 23 teams that competed over the weekend, scoring 55.5 points.
Fresh off earning the Southern Conference Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Week for the week ending on Mar. 21, Funderburg picked up a Davidson Top-Ten Performance throw in the shot put with a throw of 48' 3/4" for the first of his two first place showings. Just last week at the Charlotte 49er Classic, he was just 1-3/4 inches from the school record in the same event.
The sophomore capped off his strong weekend with another first-place in the discus earning a throw of 139' 7".
Funderburg was not alone in scoring top-five finishes. Fellow sophomore Kwame Som-Pimpong (Greensboro, N.C.) had a jump of 43' 1-1/4" in the triple jump to place fourth out of 15 jumpers.
The freshmen duo of Peter Bruton (Bronxville, N.Y.) and Tom Divinnie (Brentwood, Tenn.) registered fourth and second place finishes in their respective events. Bruton paced the Wildcats with a time of 4:05.63 in the 1500-meter for his fourth-place mark. He also competed in the 800-meter event and earned the ninth fastest time, and best among three 'Cats, in the event with a time of 1:58.53.
Divinnie, who was a SoCon Athlete of the Week during the indoor season, led three Wildcats in the 5000-meter with a time of 15:24.97 to earn his second-place finish. Also competing in the event and scoring an 11th place showing was junior Sam Morris (Seattle, Wash.), who ran a time of 16:07.54.
Finishing things off for the Wildcats was the team of seniors John Bialas (Auburn, Mass.) and Cisco Morales (Santiago, Chile), along with junior Brad Troxell (Fort Collins, Colo.) and sophomore Justin Song (Seoul, Korea) as they led Davidson to a first-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:20.65, good enough for a spot on the Davidson Top-Ten Performance List.
The Wildcats close out the month of March when they travel to Charlotte, N.C. to compete in the Charlotte Invitational hosted by the Charlotte 49ers on Mar. 31.
Davidson Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Burns and Meister Smash Records, Again, at Wake Forest Open
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Junior captain Brenna Burns and freshman Kristen Meister continued their record-setting ways, smashing school records in the 5,000 meters and high jump, respectively, to pace the Wildcat women tracksters at the Wake Forest Open on Friday and Saturday.
Burns finished second a strong field of 56 runners with a time of 17:03.89 in the 5,000, breaking the old Wildcat standard of 17:45.13 set by sophomore Caroline Sanker last season. Burns, Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Runner of the Year, also broke the record for the indoor version of the event earlier this year with a time of 17:08.63.
Meister, Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Freshman Runner of the Year, placed fourth in the high jump with a mark of 1.75 meters (5-8.75), besting Venessa Sims’ jump of 1.70 meters (5-7) from 1996. Meister also set the mark in the indoor event with a jump of 1.81m (5-11.25) at the Indoor SoCons.
Sophomore Kim Colley finished with a time of 12.83 in the 100 meters, and freshman Allison Ruhe ran a 2.28 in the 800 meters. Sophomore Emily King also ran well, finishing 15th in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:24.42.
The women’s track team will return to action next Sat., March 31 at the Charlotte Invitational.
Furman Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Furman Track & Field Competes at Clemson Relays
Clemson, S.C. - The Furman men's and women's track and field teams were in action at the Clemson Relays on Saturday afternoon at Rock Norman Track on the campus of Clemson University. Patrick Morgan, Joseph Tenini and David Moseley all earned first-place finishes.
Morgan crossed the finish line first in the 1500m run with a time of 4:01.03, followed closely by teammate Jed Wilkerson who took third in the event with a mark of 4:08.48. In the 10,000m run, two Paladins finished in the top five, with Tenini's time of 32:38.65 topping the charts. Alex Plasencia took fourth place with a time of 33:35.78. In the field events, defending Southern Conference champion Moseley won the javelin throw with a mark of 52.08.
On the women's side, three Lady Paladins finished in the top 12 in the 5,000m run, led by Guinn Garrett's fifth-place time of 19:22.71. Holly Stewart crossed the finish line at 20:57.60, good for 10th place. With a mark of 21:10.84, Megan Lordi finished in 12th place. Mo Campbell was the top Furman women's finisher with her second place time of 41:09.16 in the 10,000m run.
The Paladins travel to the West Coast next week where they will compete at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday, March 31.
Georgia Southern Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
GSU Continues the Outdoor Season at the Springtime Invitational
AUBURN, Ala. ? Georgia Southern’s track and field team traveled to Auburn, Ala. to compete in the one-day Springtime Invitational this past Saturday, Mar. 24.
Three Eagles competed for third place finishes over the course of the meet. Senior Rashedah Arnold (College Park, Ga./Landmark Christian) ran the 400M in 56.38, while fellow senior Brittany Chase (Lawrenceville, Ga./Berkmar) clocked in at 14.19 in the 100M Hurdles.
Freshman Demetrise Anthony (Manchester, Ga./Manchester) claimed the final third place finish, achieving a Triple Jump distance of 40’4”, nearly a two foot improvement from her previous outdoor mark of 38’6.75” (Coastal Carolina Classic). The measurement ranks fourth on GSU’s all-time list.
In the 800M, newcomers Shauntel Jennings (Stone Mountain, Ga./Lithonia) and Kellie Wesson (Douglasville, Ga./Chapel Hill) both achieved personal best times. Jennings finished in 2:21.23 and rewrote her fifth in school history mark of 2:22.88. Wesson’s time of 2:22.14 was over ten seconds faster than her previous best of 2:32.47 (achieved at Costal Carolina).
All three Eagles that competed in the Hammer Throw finished within the top ten. Senior Emily Greeson (Calhoun, Ga./Gordon Central) and junior Monique Pitts (Lilburn, Ga./Brookwood) finished back-to-back claiming seventh (150’10”) and eighth (148’5”), respectively. Freshman Jessica Irizarry (Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) came in tenth with a distance of 144’09”.
Also highlighting the weekend was junior Shamyria Ortiz’s (Newnan, Ga./Rowlett) improved career best time in the 200M from 25.35 (2006) to 24.99, coming in 13th of 46.
Next Saturday (Mar. 31) Georgia Southern will take the road once again, traveling to Columbia, S.C. to compete in the Weems Baskins Relays.
UNCG Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
UNCG’s Vaccaro sets 1500 record at Wake Forest Open
WINSTON-SALEM, NC ? UNC Greensboro’s Nicolas Vaccaro broke a six-year-old school record in the 1500 meters to highlight the Spartans’ second day of competition at the Wake Forest Open.
Competing against some of the top runners in the nation, Vaccaro crossed the line in 3:57.20 to finish in 18th place and set a new UNCG mark. He bettered the mark set by Leonard Mitchell on April 21, 2001 at the Southern Conference Championships meet. Mitchell ran a 3:58.01 back then and the record has held up ever since.
Jess Weber, UNCG’s women’s record holder in the 1500 meters, was the top finisher on the women’s side on Saturday. In the 1500, Weber cross the line in 4:50.87, five seconds behind her record time set at last year’s SoCon Championships meet.
The Spartans return to action next weekend at the UNC Invitational in Chapel Hill, NC.
Western Carolina Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Catamount Track & Field from the Wake Forest Open
Complete results from the outdoor meet - check back later for a full recap
Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's and women's outdoor track & field team competed in the Wake Forest Open in Winston-Salem, N.C., over the weekend.
Highlights for the women included top 12 runs by junior Raquel Ramseur in the 200 and 400-meter dash events, a seventh-place run by junior Kerrie Savery in the 800-meter and Brittany Whitaker winning her section of the women's high jump.
For the men, freshman Dominique Young edged sophomore teammate Manteo Mitchell in the 200-meter dash.
Please check catamountssports.cstv.com later for a full recap from the Wake Forest Open.
Wofford Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
3/25/2007
Smith sets school record at Wake Forest Open
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. ? Brian Smith set a new Wofford outdoor track and field record in the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.91 at the Wake Forest Open on Friday, March 23, of the three-day competition.
Smith, a sophomore from Perry, Ohio (Perry HS), finished 57th out of 96 runners in the event.
WOFFORD MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS
Wake ForestOpen
3000m run
35 Tommy Weber 10:23.10
36 Justin Hunter 10:29.34
1500m run
109 Brian Smith 4:36.98
200m dash
91 Colin Riddle 24.72
400m dash
57 Brian Smith 50.91
3000m steeple chase
36 Justin Hunter 11:28.33
WOFFORD WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD RESULTS
Wake Forest Open
200m dash
106 Megan Klipfel 29.84
3000m run
37 Justina Oliva 12:04.62
42 Kari Harris 13:08.24