SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The 2009 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships are under way at Georgia Southern University's Eagle Field in Statesboro, Ga. Today is day 1 of the two-day event.

The championships will begin Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. ET and run through Sunday, with the awards ceremony tentatively scheduled for 5:45 p.m. ET. The championships will be making just its second appearance at Georgia Southern and first since 2006.

The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the returning champions on the men’s side while the Western Carolina Catamounts are the defending champions on the women’s side.

Returning champions on the men’s side include Appalachian State’s Daniel Neal (110-meter hurdles) and Ryan Twiford (pole vault), The Citadel’s Jamel Brown (400-meter hurdles), Furman’s Patrick Morgan (800-meters) and Western Carolina’s Dominique Young (100-meters), Manteo Mitchell (200-meters and 400-meters), Matt Evans (high jump) and David Gift (decathlon).

Returning champions on the women’s side include Appalachian State’s Shea Snow (pole vault), Danielle Thorpe (triple jump) and Kiara Crutchfield (heptathlon), Georgia Southern’s Melanie Trumbo (high jump), Shaunta Hamilton (long jump) and Western Carolina’s Felicia Paulding (100-meters) and Rashanda Simmons (100-meter hurdles). 

The event is free to the public. Daily recaps can be found at the Southern Conference website.