Western Carolina - ETSU's Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Western Carolina men and women's indoor track team opened day one of the ETSU Niswonger Invitational on Friday with a strong showing as eight Catamounts advanced to the finals in their respective events. Freshman Cordell Livingston set a WCU school record and earned a NCAA provisional mark in the 60-meter hurdles.
Livingston ran the hurdles in 7.85 seconds, finishing first overall in the preliminaries while reaching under the NCAA provisional mark of 7.91. Alabama State's Beldon Ferguson also reached provisional status with a time of 7.90. The run for Livingston broke a previous Western Carolina school record of 8.05. The High Point, N.C., native will run in the finals on Saturday.
Seven others joined Livingston in either advancing to the finals or winning their respective event.
Junior Drew Tucker set a personal record and won section two of the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.54. The win on Friday marked Tucker's second victory of the season in the event.
Sprinter Dominique Young made a strong showing on Friday after qualifying for the finals in the 60-meter dash (6.86 seconds) and a spot in the 200-meter dash finals (21.73 seconds). Freshman Brandon Hairston qualified for the 400-meter dash finals after running a mark of 49.62.
Senior's Alex Dollard and Cale McDaniel both passed the preliminary stages in their events. Dollard set a season high 14.37 meters and earned a spot in the triple jump finals after earning a first place finish in his section. McDaniel earned a final invitation in the weight throw after tossing a distance of 17.78 meters.
On the women's side, Tiana Jones clinched a second place mark in the triple jump after scoring a distance of 12.14m in the third flight of the event. She will advance to the finals on Saturday. Janet Carothers, a native of Charlotte, N.C., earned a spot in the 400-meter dash finals with a time of 57.47.
Carlyn Wright led WCU in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.35, while distance runner Hannah Bowers ran the 800-meter run in 2:20.43 placing fifth in section one of the race.
Junior Zakiyyah Stewart led the Catamounts in the throws events with a sixth place finish of 14.75 meters in the weight throw and seventh in the shot put with a length of 12.09 meters.
Events at the Niswonger Invitational will continue all day on Saturday and wrap up around 7:00 pm in the evening. Live coverage of the meet can be accessed online at www.cfpitming.com. A recap of the day's action will be available at CatamountSports.com.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Western Carolina men and women's indoor track and field team concluded day two of the ETSU Niswonger Invitational on Saturday evening. The Catamounts finished with 10 podium finishes in their third indoor event of the season.
The WCU men picked up seven top-3 places, leading all 75 participating teams with most podium finishes. The Catamount women extended their win streak in the 4x400 with their fourth consecutive victory on Saturday.
The women's 'A' 4x400-relay team (Shalyn McMichael, Felicia Paulding, Felisha Garren, Janet Carothers) continued WCU's dominance by setting a school record time of 3:44.47 in the event. The result on Saturday was just four seconds shy of an NCAA provisional mark.
Tiana Jones managed a distance of 12.14-meters in the triple jump for a silver placing. The distance medley team of Jordan Gaddy, Emma Bowers, Hannah Bowers and Morgan Turner placed fourth in event. The 'A' crew ran the long distance event in 12:45.99 minutes.
Junior Jordan Gaddy led the Catamount women with third place finish in the 3,000 meter run with a time of 10:31.49. Sprinter Janet Carothers ran a season-best 56.88 seconds (fourth place) in the 400-meter dash.
Hannah Bowers (2:20.43 in the 800-meter run, 7th) and Felicia Paulding (7.80 in the 60-meter dash, 9th) both finished in the top-ten for Western Carolina.
Dominique Young started the rapid start for the WCU men with a second place mark in the 60-meter dash and a season-best time of 6.79 seconds.
Freshman Brandon Hairston placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.63. Drew Tucker, who won his section on Friday, finished fourth overall in the 800-meter run with a running time of 1:55.54. Senior distance runner Stephen Hammond placed third with a time of 4:29.97 in the mile run.
It was a great weekend for freshman Cordell Livingston, who set an NCAA provisional mark on Friday in the 60-meter dash, as he placed third in the finals with a time of 8.24 seconds.
The Catamount relay teams again ran strong as the men's 'A' team (Brandon Hairston, Dominique Young, Drew Tucker, Benny Davis) won the 4X400-meter relay with a time of 3:15.81.
The distance medley 'A' team (Garret West, Jestin Jennings, Stephen Hammond, and Drew Tucker) placed third with a time of 10:27.85.
Senior Matt Evans found the seventh Catamount podium spot with a high jump of 2.05 meters for a third place marking.
Another couple of close podium finishes were Alex Dollard (14.37m in the triple jump, 4th) and Cale McDaniel (17.78m in the weight throw, 4th).
"I am proud of what we were able to accomplish this weekend," said Catamounts coach Danny Williamson. "Obviously, we still need to improve, but we are beginning to set up the way we want. This is a great way to build up momentum and hopefully win a Southern Conference Championship."
The Catamounts will travel to the Clemson Games next weekend, January 29-30, in Clemson, S.C.
UNC Greensboro - ETSU's Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. - Just three Spartans competed for UNC Greensboro on Friday as the Spartans wrapped up day one of the 32nd annual Niswonger Invitational on the campus of East Tennessee State.
All three Spartans ran during the second section, with Terry Wyatt coming in second place in that section with a time of 1:56.10. His time was the seventh best overall after three sections.
Taylor Hurst and Andy Clyne crossed the finish line together in the second heat and their times were good enough for 21st and 22nd overall.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. for the final day of the Niswonger Invitational.
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. - Katie Hansen and Joey Thompson each set new school records in the 3,000 meters to lead UNC Greensboro during the second day of the 32nd annual Niswonger Invitational.
Hansen, a graduate student from Portland, Ore., shattered the previous school record in the 3,000 meters with her time of 10:05.98. That time broke the school record set in 2006 by over 25 seconds and was good enough for second place at the prestigious event.
Thompson, a sophomore from Columbia, Md., set a new school record with his seventh place finish in the 3,000 meters. He broke the school record he set last season as a freshman by just under two seconds with his time of 8:29.36.
Lamar Watkins also had a good day for the Spartans as his fifth-place time of 1:56.20 in the 800 meters was the second fastest in school history.
Chelsea Sumney ran well in the 3,000 meters as well as her time of 10:44.08 was the sixth fastest time in school history.
The Spartans return to action next weekend as they travel to the UNC Open on Friday and Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Samford - ETSU's Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Samford University track and field team finished up day one of the Niswonger Invitational Friday as the men highlighted the day. The event hosted by East Tennessee State will wrap up Saturday evening.
Chinedu Amah highlighted the night for the Samford men with a school record of 45'01.50" in the triple jump in only his second collegiate meet as a Bulldog. Cavan Corcoran also qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 8.11.
Two more Bulldog men added to the excitement for Samford in the weight throw as Chris Davis threw a personal best of 42'00.50", finishing sixth in flight one while Kyle Kirby tossed a personal best of 51'07.75", grabbing third place in flight two.
Riley Hawkins finished first in his heat of the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.12 while Donald Cooper won his heat in the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.42. However, both just missed qualifying for the finals of the event.
Freshmen Bobby Ellison, Chris Cephus and Bo Gilroy got their first taste of collegiate track Friday. Ellison ran a time of 7.37 in the 60-meter dash and 24.77 in the 200-meter dash to begin his collegiate career. Cephus recorded a time of 7.70 in the 60-meter dash while Gilroy ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.49.
No Samford women qualified for the finals of their events but several finished at the top of their heats or sections in their respective events. Senior Ashley Dance finished second in her heat in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.49 while Morgan Tyler finished first in the heat in the 60-meter dash (9.21) and first in her flight in the triple jump (38'07.50").
The rest of the Bulldog women who competed Friday were freshmen. Tatum Moffett finished first in her 200-meter dash heat with a time of 26.53 while Julie McDonald placed third in her heat of the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.86. Lauren D'Alessio took second in her heat of the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.56.
The Niswonger Invitational will conclude Saturday evening. A full recap and results of Samford's action will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the day's events.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Samford University track and field team rounded out day two of the Niswonger Invitational Saturday by breaking six school records to start off the 2010 season. Records were sit in the 3000 meters, pole vault, triple jump and weight throw by the men while eight women placed in the top 10 of their respective events.
"I think this weekend was a great start on what we want to accomplish by the conference meet," Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. "We had some people that picked up right where they left off last year and our freshmen were able to come in and make an immediate impact. To have six school records set in the first weekend makes it a special start but there is a lot we need to work on before the conference championship."
In the 3000 meters, Cameron Bean broke a three-year old record previous held by Drew Anderwald with a time of 8:26.02, earning fourth place in the event.
The Bulldogs also dominated the pole vault competition, taking the top three spots as well as seventh place while also smashing a school record. Zac Epperson cleared a height of 15'01.00", tying his personal best to take seventh place. Freshman Ryan Cook took third place with a vault of 15'07.00". Patrick Wells broke his own school record set last season with a height of 16'00.75 to take second place, but sophomore transfer Michael Seaman broke the record again with a winning vault of 16'06.75".
"I thought the men's pole vaulters really set the tone for the weekend by sweeping the top three spots," Tiffin said.
Chinedu Amah finished 12th in the triple jump with his school record mark of 45'01.50" while Kyle Kirby broke a five-year old record I the weight throw with a toss of 51'08.25", earning ninth place.
In the relays, the Samford men placed 16th in the 4x400-meter relay with a school record time of 3:24.29. The women placed 16th in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:02.84 while an all-freshman Bulldog relay team finished 20th with a time of 4:07.09.
Also in the throws, Chris Davis threw a personal best of 46'11.00" in the shot put, earning 13th place.
Bo Gilroy tied for sixth place in the high jump as he cleared a height of 6'04.75" while also taking 10th in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.59.
In the middle distance events, Blaise Carie placed sixth in the seeded mile with a time of 4:17.12. Scott Cope took 13th place in the unseeded 800-meter run with a time of 1:58.10 while Will Denton took 13th place in the seeded 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.15.
On the women's side, Jessica Van Ausdall won the unseeded 800 meters with a time of 2:19.42 while freshmen Lauren D'Alessio (2:18.56) and Holly Benson (2:20.62) placed fourth and eighth, respectively, in the seeded 800 meters.
Hillary Neal placed second in the mile invitational with a time of 5:06.00 while Ina Ables (10:29.55) and Deanna Zidar (11:15.08) placed seventh and 13th, respectively, in the 3000 meters invitational.
Morgan Tyler took sixth place in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.04 while also taking seventh in the triple jump with a jump of 38'07.50" and tying for 19th place in the seeded long jump with a leap of 17'06.00". Freshman Emily Allen took 17th in the triple jump with a distance of 36'07.50" while also tying for 34th place in the seeded long jump with a jump of 16'06.00".
Chenelle Terry tied for sixth place in the high jump, clearing a height of 5'03.25" while Mackenzie Wills tied for 12th place in the pole vault with a cleared height of 10'10.00". Mary Barron and Lauren Bedsole also cleared 10'10.00" but tied for 14th place.
Samford will be back in action two weeks, Feb. 6, as it travels back to Tennessee. This time, the Bulldogs will head to Mufreesboro, Tenn., to compete in the Middle Tennessee State Invitational.
Furman - ETSU's Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Furman women's and men's indoor track and field teams opened the 2010 season Friday at the Niswonger Foundation Track and Field Invitational, which is being held at East Tennessee State this weekend on the David E. Walker Track.
For the Paladin women's team, junior Monique Ositelu won her heat and placed second overall in the 800m with a time of 2:17.81. Junior Starr Belmont competed in the 60m dash preliminaries, turning in a time of 8.23, and posted a time of 27.98 in the qualifying round of the 200m. In the 400m dash qualifiying round, freshman Misha Holmes recorded a time of 63.65, and sophomore Erin McChristian posted a time of 73.13.
On the men's side, Furman junior Will Johnson posted a time of 9.91 in the qualifying round of the men's 60m hurdles, and freshman Cortez Johnson recorded a time of 7.04 in the 60m preliminaries. The Paladins had five athletes compete in the 200m dash preliminaries, with junior Sedderick Cunningham turning in a time of 23.35 and Johnson posting a time of 23.98. Freshman Richard Feacher had a time of 24.16 in the event, while fellow rookie Connor Halliday recorded a time of 24.59. Sophomore Brian Toney completed the event in 24.88.
Day two of the meet begins Saturday at 8 a.m. Over 1,500 athletes from 75 teams are competing in the two-day event, including Southern Conference foes Appalachian State, Samford and Western Carolina.
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. - Furman sophomore Lee Gilmer won the one mile run with a time of 4:24.48 to lead the Paladin women's and men's indoor track and field teams Saturday at the Niswonger Foundation Track and Field Invitational, which was held at East Tennessee State this weekend on the David E. Walker Track.
Paladin rookie Wilkerson Given placed 13th in the 3,000m with a time of 9:03.73, while fellow rookie Scott Des Marais won his flight and placed 20th overall with a throw of 40-11.75 in the shot put competition.
Junior Charlie McGoogan finished 17th in the 5,000m, recording a time of 16:27.51, while sophomore Chris Caldwell placed 21st in the event with a time of 15:36.79. Sophomore Jay Miller was 53rd, coming in at 16:59.19.
For the women's team, Paladin sophomore Chloe Kowalski placed third in the 5,000m with a time of 17:38.34. Senior Brittany Johnson was 15th, posting a time of 18:43.34, and sophomore Tricia Rosetti placed 28th after turning in a time of 19:25.10. Junior Shannon Cantwell posted a time of 2:41.70 for 50th place in the 800m.
In the women's 3,000m race, freshman Emily Wirzba was the Paladins' top finisher, posting a time of 11:00.91 for 16th place, while fellow rookie Haley Gray was 25th, turning in a time of 11:12.91. Sophomore Charlee Coggins finished in 11:16.15 for 28th place, and freshman Hannah Robinson was 30th with a time of 11:17.96. Sophomore Rebecca Shelton placed 37th with a time of 11:27.45, and junior Julia Bryan placed 43rd (11:34.33).
The Paladin indoor track and field teams will compete at Clemson next Friday and Saturday.
College of Charleston - UNC Classic
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Two members of the College of Charleston women's track & field team made their mark in the school history books as the team competed at the 2010 Kent Taylor UNC Classic on Saturday.
Freshman jumper Jelain McArthur (Laurens, S.C./Laurens District) set two school records in her second collegiate meet. After placing ninth in the preliminaries of the 60-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 9.14 seconds, she shaved another .18 second off her time to finish fifth in the finals (8.96 seconds). She now owns the two fastest times in CofC history, beating the previous record by .80 second.
Junior Brynne Johnson (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) also participated in the 60-meter hurdles, setting a personal-best time of 9.98 seconds. Her time was .16 second faster than her previous personal record and is the third-fastest time in school history, behind McArthur.
McArthur also broke the school record in the triple jump, coming in ninth with a distance of 37'8". Her mark is 1'6" farther than the previous record set by current Cougar Saskia Kalmeijer (Brussels, Belgium/Pope). Kalmeijer, who now owns the second-best jump in school history, also participated in the triple jump, where her distance of 34'1½" placed her eighth on CofC's all-time list.
Rookie pole vaulter Chelsea Taylor (Seneca, S.C./Seneca) placed second at the UNC Classic with a school-record jump of 11'5¾". She jumped ¾" higher than CofC's previous record-holder, Summer Chambless, who set the record in 2008. Chambless previously held nine of the top-10 performances by a Cougar.
Sophomore Emily Smith (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) continued to show her dominance in the high jump. Her height of 5'6" earned a third-place finish and was just two inches short of the champion.
In the track events, senior runner Emily Nagle (Annapolis, Md./Richmond) led the Cougars with a 14th-place finish in the 3,000-meters. Her time of 10:49.44 places her 10th on the school's all-time list. Junior Erin Stoddard (Mauldin, S.C./J.L. Mann) joined Nagle in the race, placing 22nd with a time of 11:13.97.
Junior Mary Zolga (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) also earned a top-20 finish, placing 17th in the 400-meters with a time of 1:01.31. Her time is the eighth-fastest in school history. Zolga already owns six of the top-10 performances in the 400-meters.
Charleston travels to Clemson, S.C. next weekend to participate in the two-day Clemson Games.
The Citadel - UNC Classic
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Freshman Micah Wessinger broke the school record in the 800m and freshman Kelsi Billings established a new school record in the triple jump as The Citadel track and field team competed at the UNC Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Saturday.
Wessinger ran pass Katheryn Gatewood's mark of 20:20.95 when she recorded a time of 20:19.85 for a fifth place finish. Billings jumped 32'05.75" to finish 29th overall.
After taking a year off, Monique Edwards came back strong as she finished ninth in the 20lb. weight throw, throwing a mark 49'00.50". Sarah Strickland set a new personal-best record in the mile, topping her 2008 time of 5:22.47 when she placed 14th with a time of 5:20.71. Sarah Steirwalt also broke her personal-best in the 3,000m when she ran 11:06.66 for 18th place.
For the men, long jump SoCon champion Kevin Hardy and Christian Graham advanced to the finals in the 60m dash as they recorded personal-best times of 6.99 and 7.00, respectively. In the finals, Hardy finished 12th overall with a time of 7:12 while Graham ran 7.14 to finish 13th.
Quintin Turner finished fourth in the 35lb. weight throw with a personal-best mark of 51'10.00" while Matt Earls placed ninth in the 35lb. weight throw with a personal-best throw of 45'06.50".
In other performances, senior Brendan Kight placed 11th in the mile with a time of 4:24.52 and freshman David Miller finished 12th in his collegiate debut when he recorded a time of 50.83 in the 400m dash.
Coming up next, the Bulldogs will head back to Chapel Hill for the UNC Open on January 28-30. For more information on Bulldog Track and Field, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
Davidson - UNC Classic
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Senior Tom Divinnie won the 3000-meter run at the Kent Taylor UNC Classic in a school-record eight minutes, 24.47 seconds, as the Davidson men's track and field team opened the 2010 indoor track season in Eddie Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Junior Charlie Schmitt also surpassed Alex Hoyt's previous mark of 8:35.7, set at the Southern Conference Championships in 2008, with a fourth-place finish in 8:35.14. Sophomore Ryan Hopkins was Davidson's third top-10 finisher, placing sixth in 8:38.95, firmly placing him among Davidson's all-time top-10 performers in the event.
Divinnie's previous personal best in the 3000m was 8:43.4, set during his freshman year. Divinnie even eclipsed Dan Gibson's oversize track mark of 8:25.7.
Junior Bryce Jones nearly broke Davidson's pole vault record with a personal-best mark of 13 feet, 9.25 inches (4.20m) to place sixth. The Wildcat record of 14-0, set by Woody Van Meter, has stood since 1975.
Senior Mordecai Scott led Davidson in the short sprints, turning in the third-best 60-meter dash performance in Wildcat history with a time of 7.16 seconds, just three hundredths of a second shy of the Davidson record. Scott also moved onto Davidson's top-10 performers list in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.34. He now ranks seventh all-time at Davidson in the event.
Davidson placed two in the top-10 for the 1500-meter run, as seniors Peter Bruton (4:21.66) and Blake Evitt (4:24.41) placed seventh and 10th, respectively.
The Wildcats also ran a distance medley relay team, which placed third in 10:49.60.
The Davidson track and field team will return to action next week at the Liberty Open in Lynchburg, Va. The two-day meet is set to begin on Friday, Jan. 29 and conclude on Saturday, Jan. 30.
Elon - UNC Classic
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Veronica Day set a new a school record in the triple jump with a fifth-place distance of 37' 9 1/2" as the Elon indoor track team resumed its season at the UNC Classic on Saturday. Day also was the fifth-best collegiate performer in the long jump with a distance of 18' 2 1/4".
Jennine Strange placed fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:20.
The distance medley relay team made up of Day, Christine Pacewicz, Caitlin Beeler and Courtney Wahlen earned a second-place finish with a time of 12:49.
The Phoenix runners had a solid showing in the mile run, with Morgan Denecke and Beeler each finishing in the top 20. Denecke earned a 13th-place finish with at time of 5:19.00, while Beeler clocked a 5:20.72, good for 15th.
In the 3,000-meter run, Allyson Costa finished 11th with a time of 10:40.50. Teammate Jacqueline Alnes crossed the finish line right behind Costa in 12th, clocking a 10:46.93.
Melissa Turowski earned the only other top-20 time for the Phoenix, finishing 19th in the 400-meter dash in a time of 1:01.81.
The Phoenix tracksters will travel to Lynchburg, Va., next weekend for the Liberty Open.
Chattanooga - Blue Raider Invitational
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Freshman Lucas Cotter ran to a personal best first place finish at the season-opening Blue Raider Indoor Track and Field Invitational Saturday at the Murphy Center on the Middle Tennessee campus.
"He was a pleasant surprise," Chattanooga head coach Bill Gautier said from home. "He didn't run cross country for us because of an injury."
Cotter, who redshirted the cross country season due to injury, raced out ahead of Southern Conference cross country champion sophomore Emmanuel Kirwa who was second in the event. Cotter bested his high school PR with a time of 4:24.33. Kirwa finished with a time of 4:25.95 in his first track and field event since transferring to UTC.
In the women's 3000 meter run, freshman Kathryn Stuart finished fourth with a time of 10:38.95 followed closely by classmate Heather Stuive in fourth at 10:40.28. Junior Lauren Anderson, one of just two veteran in the mix today, was third in the women's 800 meter run with a time of 2:24.97.
Freshman Mary Cumbee placed sixth in the women's mile with a time of 5:22.00. Freshman Mark Cole was fourth in the men's 3000 meter run with a time of 9:15.97. Freshman Blake Olson ran the 55 meter high hurdles and earned a spot in the finals. He ran a personal best 8.81 in the qualifying round and placed sixth in the finals.
Gautier, along with several members of the Chattanooga Running Mocs, remained in Chattanooga due to illness as the flu is making its rounds to several of the athletes.
Freshman Haley Horsch, one of the few athletes at the meet who was not ill, fell in her first collegiate race and suffered a bruise.
"We were covered just enough to go to this meet," Gautier said. "If everyone can get healthy, we'll be alright."
Next week the Mocs will return to action at the Rod McCravy Memorial meet hosted by the University of Kentucky beginning Friday, Jan. 29.