Furman ? Rod McCravey Memorial Track & Field Meet
LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Furman senior Patrick Morgan won the Bill Lee Memorial Mile at the Rod McCravey Memorial Track & Field Meet hosted by the University of Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. Morgan crossed the finish line in 4:05.90, breaking the previous school record set 31 years ago by two seconds.
The previous best indoor mile time was 4:07.90, set by Wayne Coley in 1978. In breaking the record, Morgan also bested his own personal record of 4:15.94 set last year at the ETSU Invitational.
Morgan faced a challenging field in Saturday's meet, including runner-up finisher Festus Chemaoi. Chemaoi, a native of Ainobkoi, Kenya and sophomore at Middle Tennessee State, is the reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in both Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field.
Morgan is closing in on a NCAA provisional qualifying time in the mile, needing a time of 4:04.00. He will continue his quest when the Paladin track & field teams compete at the Tiger Invitational on the campus of Clemson University on February 13-14.
Samford ? Tiger Invitational
SEWANEE, Tenn. ? Chinedu Amah set a school record in the triple jump Saturday at the Tiger Invitational in the first competition for the freshman this season. The Bulldog men took first place in the team competition while the women placed second at the meet hosted by Sewanee: The University of the South.
“I think we had another great meet and it shows that everyone is rounding into shape,” Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. “We are excited to have the help from Coach Sullivan’s football guys and they have added a new aspect to our team. I really like where we are right now in our training and performance. I am really proud of our effort and the commitment of our athletes.”
Amah charted a leap of 43’9” to take second place and break the school record for the triple jump which was previously set by Ty Weaver in 1993 (42’6). In the women’s triple jump Morgan Tyler took second place with a new personal best of 38’10.5”
Tyler also took third place in the women’s long jump with a leap of 17’11.50”. Elyse Rippe placed seventh (16’00.75”) and Christian McGuire placed 12th (15’1.50”).
Three Samford men placed in the shot put competition as Kyle Brown (41’8.50”) took second, Jason Gaines (36’5.75”) took sixth and Kyle Kirby (35’9.25”) took seventh. Brown also won the weight throw with a toss of 49’7” while Ryan Fee placed seventh with a throw of 41’11.25”.
Donald Cooper was second in the high jump (6’5”) while Chas Keithan (5’10”) and Asa Ackerson (5’5.75”) took sixth and seventh, respectively. Christy Myers placed second in the women’s high jump with a leap of 4’11.75.
Mary Barron grabbed third place in the pole vault (10’6”) while five Samford men placed in the men’s pole vault competition. Patrick Wells (14’11”) and Zac Epperson (14’11”) tied for the top spot, with Epperson vaulting a personal best. David Polstra came in third (13’11.25”), Keithan ninth (12’11.50”) and Donald Cooper (11’11.75”) took 11th place.
In the running events, Tyler took third place in the 55-meter hurdles (8.72) while McGuire took fifth place (9.02). Cavan Corcoran placed third in the men’s event running the course in eight seconds flat in the finals. Cooper just missed qualifying for the finals of the event by 17 tenths of a second with a time of 8.27.
Riley Hawkins earned fourth place in the men’s 55 dash with a time of 6.62 while Mitch Galloway (53.86) and Jordan Cole (54.12) took fourth and fifth places, respectively in the men’s 400-meter dash. Brian Post (56.91) took 12th place in that same event.
Sarah McGough (1:04.44) placed fourth in the women’s 400-meter dash while Marissa Brokaw (2:24.06) placed third in the 800-meter run. Scott Cope (1:59.67) took second place in the men’s 800 run while Will Denton (2:00.53) placed fourth.
“Our women’s team was led by Hillary Neal and Morgan Tyler once again and the ladies’ undersized group continues to impress me,” Tiffin said. “We may not have big numbers on our women’s team but we have had a lot of quality performances from the small group.”
Neal (5:02.90) and Jessica Van Ausdall (5:12.07) took the top two spots in the women’s mile. Neal’s time made her an NCAA provisional qualifier while Van Ausdall’s time was a personal best. Patrick Ollinger (4:33.29) placed fourth in the men’s mile while Matt Bryson (4:46.30) placed tenth and Joel Rogers (4:52.79) took 13th place.
Three freshmen and a senior placed in the women’s 3000-meters ? Andrea Seccafien (10:38.28, 2nd), Deanna Zidar (11:09.05, 4th), Alli Keithan (12:07.14, 10th) and Katie Almand (11:39.81, 8th). Justin Rogers placed fourth in the men’s 3000 with a time of 9:22.51 while Ollinger placed sixth (9:27.98) and Jay Maservy placed 15th (9:52.37).
In the relays, the Samford women and men took second in the 4x400-meter run while the women took first and third and the men took first in the distance medley.
The Samford track and field teams will be back in action next weekend at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, S.C. The all day competition will be held at the Clemson Indoor Track and Field Complex.
Chattanooga - Rod McCravey Memorial Track & Field Meet
LEXINGTON, Ky. --- At the Nutter Fieldhouse in Lexington, Ky., redshirt freshman Chris Berry broke the UTC school record in the 3,000-meter run and just missed an automatic qualification to the NCAA National Championship.
Berry finished third in the 3000 with a school-record time of 8:10.28, breaking the previous best by three seconds set by Steven Kocsis in 2005. He just missed qualifying for the NCAA National Championships by four seconds.
“That’s outstanding,” UTC head coach Bill Gautier said. “It was definitely one of the highlights of the meet. His last lap was incredible. Wow. That’s all I can say.”
Several of the Mocs runners set personal bests in the meet and improved their Southern Conference standings.
Michael Danehy bested his personal record in the men’s 800-meter run with a time of 1:53.20, while Josh Vasquez did the same in the Bill Lee Mile Run with a time of 4:24.67. He was followed by Blake Ketron with a time of 4:25.27 and Matt Baltimore at 4:26.24.
In the women’s events, Anneli Uys finished sixth in the Bill Lee Mile Run with a time of 4:57.41 and Lauren Anderson was fifth in the women’s 800 with a time of 2:14.29. In the women’s 3000, Sabrina Lefort posted a 10:08.95 followed by Tara Gietema who posted a time of 10:10.60.
“There were a lot of very strong performances for us today,” Gautier said. “We accomplished what we came here to accomplish.”
Event 18: Men 60 Meter Dash
Preliminaries
23 Skrine, Buster 7.03
27 Sutherland, Brian 7.08
Event 19: Men 1 Mile Run BILL LEE
15 Vasquez, Josh 4:24.67
16 Ketron, Blake 4:25.27
18 Balltimore, Matt 4:26.24
23 Thurman, Allen 4:33.44
Event 20: Women 1 Mile Run BILL LEE
6 Uys, Annelia 4:57.41
23 White, Meredith 5:24.84
Event 22: Men 400 Meter Dash
22 George, Stephen 51.39 5
Event 23: Women 800 Meter Run
5 Anderson, Lauren 2:14.29
20 Groppe, Monika 2:22.56
Event 24: Men 800 Meter Run
12 Danehy, Michael 1:53.20
29 Balltimore, Matt 2:00.49
34 Highlander, Andy 2:05.19
Event 27: Women 3000 Meter Run
11 Sabrina Lefort 10:08.95
13 Gietema, Tara 10:10.60
19 Radke, Jordyn 10:30.17
25 Taylor, Shelly 10:38.91
Event 28: Men 3000 Meter Run
3 Berry, Chris 8:10.28
20 Kirwa, Emmanuel 8:39.87
22 Moore, David 8:40.58
Western Carolina ? Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup
UNVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Western Carolina's track & field teams earned one victory and five podium finishes Saturday afternoon in the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup, at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. Mitchell takes first place finish in the 400-meter run.
Senior Manteo Mitchell got the Catamounts up and running by placing first in the 400 with a 48.02 time. WCU had three runners in the top ten with senior Thomas Funderburk finishing in sixth and teammate freshman Benny Davis placing in eighth.
Junior Dominique Young placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.51 falling just short of winner from Auburn Marcus Rowland's time of 21.10.
Sophomore Janet Carothers came in third in the 400 with a time of 55.14 losing out to Auburn's Joanna Atkins and host Penn State's Fawn Dorr.
WCU's men 4x400-meter relay team finished in third with a time of 3:14.38. The team is composed of seniors Thomas Funderburk, Manteo Mitchell, freshman Benny Davis, and anchoring the final leg is junior Dominique Young.
The Catamounts return to action next weekend to participate in the Tiger Paw Invitational being held in Clemson, S.C.
Elon ? New Balance Collegiate
NEW YORK, N.Y. ? The Phoenix shattered four Elon women’s indoor track and field records over the weekend while competing at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the New York City Armory. The two-day event included teams from all over the country such as UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon and many other elite programs, giving the Phoenix experience against the nation’s best athletes.
Sophomore Emily Fournier began the competition for Elon by setting a new school record in the 3,000-meter run with time of 10:13.77, eclipsing the previous milestone by nearly six seconds. Freshman Amy Salek followed by smashing her own Phoenix top mark in the 400-meter dash by crossing the finish line in 56.29 seconds ? nearly a second-and-a-half less than her old record of the previous weekend.
Freshman Madisson Russo established a new Elon standard in the 1,000-meter run, covering the distance in 3:05.90. The 4x400-meter relay team ? sophomore Sarah Skogen, freshman Lauren Wilmer, sophomore Melissa Turowski and Salek ? sprinted past its own Phoenix record from the previous weekend by nearly four seconds, soaring to a time of 3:54.41.
Elon will continue its indoor season this coming Friday at the Liberty Quad Meet in Lynchburg, Va., before competing in the Southern Conference Championships being held at Clemson on Feb.28 - March 1.
Appalachian State ? State Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup
Women
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Appalachian State University women's track and field continued with their impressive performances over the weekend as the Mountaineers competed at the Penn State Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup.
In Friday's action, Ashley McKiver and Crystal Dukes each had a strong outing in the 60-meter dash, with McKiver finishing 13th in 7.76, the best time in the event she has recorded all season, and Dukes taking home 16th, running the race in 7.81. Dukes time was good enough to move her into 9th on ASU's all-time list in the event. McKiver also finished 14th in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.25.
Nadia Liriano led the way for ASU in the 400-meter run, finishing 15th overall with a time of 58.24 while Asia Dunlap was not too far behind placing 17th.
Michelle Brutus and Kiara Crutchfield led the Black and Gold in the 60m hurdles. Both qualified for the finals and Crutchfield placed tied for sixth with a time of 9.06, a new personal best, putting her at sixth on ASU's all-time list. Brutus also recorded a new pr and moved into seventh all-time with her time of 9.15, finishing eighth overall.
Ashley Beale had a record day in the pole vault, finishing first for the Apps and tied for ninth, vaulting 11-7.75. The vault set a new PR, and put her into third on Appalachian's all-time list in the event. Shea Snow and Julie Ward finished 11th and tied for 15th.
In the long jump, Danielle Thorpe continued with her strong showings, taking home third place, jumping 19-00.75, while Crutchfield finished seventh, leaping 17-9. Thorpe also captured the triple jump title, leaping 40-6.25.
Whitney Smyre paced ASU in the weight throw, placing fifth overall with a throw of 56-1, moving her into fifth on ASU's all-time list in the event. Lily Tallent finished 11th in event with a throw of 47-1, while Carla Durham placed tied for 13th.
In the distance events Jen Povick had an impressive showing in the mile run, finishing fifth with a time of 4:58.90. Teammate Hannah Parks placed 11th in the event. Meghan Gaffney continued with her dominance in the 3000-meter run, narrowly taking home the runner-up spot, running the race in 9:39.84. Gaffney's time broke a school record crushing Whitney Ball's previous time of 9:48.6 that was set in 1989.
In the high jump, Rebecca Hazeltine jumped a season best 5-9.25 and just narrowly missed the NCAA provisional mark, but finished second overall at the meet and tied Cindy Miner for the school record in the high jump. Miner has held ASU's school mark in the event since 1995.
The Apps have a short break, then return to action Thursday February 12 to host the Valentine Open in the Holmes Center.
Men
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Appalachian State University men's track and field had yet another solid showing at the Penn State Sykes Sabock Challenge Cup over the weekend.
In Friday's action freshman Dennis Moore finished 16th in the 60-meter dash, running the race in 7.04.
Phillip Bush qualified for the finals of the 60 hurdles and took home eighth place with a time of 8.42. The sophomore also notched the 11th place spots in the long jump, with a leap of 21-3.25.
In the distance events, Phil Mitchell paced the Black and Gold in the 5000-meter run, taking home 11th with a time of 15:34.58.
Malcolm Styers was impressive in the weight throw, recording a new personal best throw of 57-2, good enough to move him into eighth on ASU's all-time list in the event. Teammate Jerod Gardner finished 12th in the event, with a throw of 52-00.50.
On day two of action, Mark Sturgis and John Svoboda paced ASU in the 200-meter run, placing eighth and ninth overall, while Svoboda also finished ninth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.45.
Chris Moen and Josh Houser were strong in the 800-meter run finishing 10th and 11th, while Houser also notched a fourth-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:11. 40.
Asmeron Desta came in sixth in the 5000-meter run finishing the race in 8:28.54.
Capping off Saturday's action, Sturgis took home fourth in the triple jump, leaping 49-6.50.
ASU returns to action Thursday February 12 as they host the Valentine Open in the Holmes Center.
The Citadel
Lexington, Va. ? The Bulldog track and field throwers competed at the VMI Winter Relays on Feb. 7 in Lexington, Va.
Emily Green, Kasandra Polson, Mia Trevino, Theresa Johansen and Matt Earls all threw to break The Citadel's all-time records.
Green finished second in the 20-lb. weight throw with her personal best mark of 44’ 4.25” improving her to fourth all-time in The Citadel’s record books. Green also broke the tie breaker with Eastern Mennonit’s Brittany Burke in the shot put earning a mark of 34’ 5.75”, good for fourth place.
Polson threw her personal best in the shot put with a 32” 3.00” mark, putting her seventh all-time. Also in the shot put, Mia Trevino added her name to the record books for 10th all-time with her 31’ 3.25” mark, placing ninth.
Johansen finished eight in the weight throw with a mark of 35’ 6.75”. This mark puts her at sixth all-time.
For the men’s team, Earls recorded his personal best in the 35-lb. weight throw with a mark of 47’ 0.25” finishing third overall. Earl’s mark improves his sixth place spot in the all-time record books.
Quintin Turner finished fourth in the 35-lb. weight throw with a mark of 44’ 6.75”. Turner came back to win the shot put with a throw of 46’ 2.5”.
Corey Robinson threw his personal best in the shot put with a mark of 42’ 11.75” for fourth place and Christopher Castagno placed seventh in the 35-lb. weight throw with a mark of 40’ 11.50”.