Appalachian State - Mountaineer Open
BOONE, N.C. - With the 2010 indoor season drawing to a close, Appalachian State men's track and field used its final home meet of the season to tune-up for next week's Southern Conference Championships. The Mountaineers had 18 athletes turn in season and personal best performances Thursday, and look to be eager to defend their conference title.
Freshman Landon Powell led the Mountaineer contingency in the 55m dash with a season-best time of 6.36 to finish second. Sophomore Dennis Moore followed closely behind with a personal-best time of 6.42 to claim a third place finish. Freshman Justin Thomas (6.49, 4th) and senior John Svoboda (6.53, 5th) also established season bests, and TJ Lockard claimed sixth place with a time of 6.55.
In the 200m, it was Thomas who led the pack with a season-best time of 22.75 to take home a runner-up finish. Freshman Tyler Combs finished third with a season-best 23.05, while Lockard (23.22, 5th) and Andrew Hill (23.55, 6th) posted strong showings as well.
The Mountaineers also took home the top three positions in the 300m, with John Svoboda leading the way with a 34.95. Dennis Moore and AJ Dohanic followed closely behind with times of 36.26 and 36.81, respectively.
Combs also led a pair of Mountaineers that set season-best marks in the 400m Thursday. The Hendersonville, N.C. native took home a second-place finish with a time of 50.55, and classmate Gerald Stephens-Holland finished ninth with a time of 52.71.
Senior Bud Galloway set a new Holmes Center record in the 800m for an Appalachian athlete Thursday, turning in a personal-best time of 1:55.53 to earn a third-place finish. Junior Andrew Yarchin also set a new season-best mark with a time of 2:00.46 to finish seventh.
Freshmen Michael Lilley and Will Raby took home fourth and fifth place finishes in the mile Thursday. Lilley narrowly edged his classmate with a time of 4:28.25, while Raby turned in a 4:28.55.
Brian Graves and Mike Walker took the top two spots in the 3000m run with times 8:54.30 and 9:01.84, while Charles Wofford claimed fifth with a season-best effort of 9:06.94.
Three Mountaineers established new season best times in the 55m hurdles led by junior Philip Bush. Bush's time of 7.82 earned the Salisbury native a fifth-place finish. Freshman Trey Jones placed sixth with a 7.83, and AJ Dohanic set a new personal-best with a time of 7.89 to earn a seventh place finish.
Senior Matt Boruff set a new personal-record in the pole vault with a mark of 16-0.75 to move into a tie for second place in school history. His effort earned a first-place tie with Lees-McRae's Jonathan Arthur. Sophomore Jack Bell also established a new personal-record with a leap of 15-1 to earn a fourth place finish, and junior Mike Wilson finished fifth with a 14-7.25 mark.
Sophomore Darius Purcell and freshman Brad Triplett tied for second place in the high jump with a leap of 6-4.75, while freshman Colin Reber took home fifth with a 6-2.75 mark. Junior Jake Goodchild established a new season-best with a 6-0.75 mark en route to a seventh place finish. Freshman John Martin finished third in the triple jump with a season-best leap of 42-8.75.
DeSean Pearce took home third place in the long jump with a 21-09 mark for the Mountaineers. Pearce was joined in the top-five by senior Nick Zeller who posted a mark of 21-6 in his first appearance in the long jump of the season.
Four Mountaineers claimed top-six finishes in the weight throw led by sophomore Jared Stalling. Stalling established a new personal-best with a toss of 59-6.75 to earn a third-place finish. Junior Malcolm Styers finished fourth with a 55-11 throw, followed by sophomore Caleb Poplin who also set a new personal record with a 52-4.75, and junior Tim Daly who finished sixth with a 51-9 throw.
In the shot put, it was Styers who led the way with a 51-0 toss to take home first place while Poplin earned a fifth place slot with a season-best 43-5.75 effort.
Appalachian State track and field will be back in action a week from today, travelling to Clemson, S.C. to defend their Southern Conference Indoor title.
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State women's track and field hosted its final home meet of the 2010 indoor season Thursday, and got in some last minute preparations for next week's SoCon Championships. With several athletes establishing new season and career-best marks, the Mountaineers appear primed to defend their conference title at Clemson next week.
Senior Ashley McKiver set a new season-best mark in the 55m dash with a time of 7.17 to earn a first-place finish for the Mountaineers. McKiver was joined in the top-three by freshman Shenita Martin (7.37, 2nd overall) and sophomore Christina Parker, who finished third with a time of 7.39.
Parker also took home a first-place finish in the 200m with a time of 26.22. Freshman Joanna Davis claimed runner-up in the 200m with a season-best time of 27.05.
Freshman D'Shawrna McLucas posted the fourth fastest 300m in school history while claiming a first-place finish. The Eastover, N.C. native turned in a time of 41.42 to take home top honors. Junior Nadia Liriano was the runner-up with a time of 42.31.
Senior Lynda Hiller earned a third-place finish in the 400m with a personal best time of 57.72. Following closely behind was Shenita Martin, who finished fourth with season-best 59.10 mark.
Freshman Bridget Burke set a new season-best mark in the 800m, posting a time of 2:28.77 to earn a fifth-place finish.
Sophomore Hannah Orders finished fourth in the 3000m run with a personal-best time of 10:39.06, while freshmen Jenna Williamson and Amanda Hamilton posted season-best marks of 11:13.49 and 11:15.29, respectively.
In the 55m hurdles, junior Michelle Brutus led a trio of Mountaineers who had top-seven finishes. The Ridge, N.Y. native led the way with a time of 8.54 to claim third place. Freshman Joanna Davis established a new season-best time of 8.62 to finish fifth, and Naadia Crutchfield finished seventh with a time of 9.45.
Crutchfield also claimed a second-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 16-4.25, while freshman Erika Ivey earned a runner-up spot in the triple jump with a mark of 36-10.25.
Freshman Gayshawna Watkins had a strong performance for the Mountaineers in the throwing events Thursday, taking home first place in the shot put with a toss of 41-04.5 and runner-up in the weight throw with a season-best effort of 52-9.5.
The Mountaineers swept the top three spots in the high jump, with junior Rebecca Hazeltine taking home first place with a 5-7 jump. Hazeltine was followed by Bridgette Hills and Julie Ward who tied for second with a mark of 5-3. Ward also claimed a second-place tie in the pole vault, sharing runner-up honors with junior Ashley Beale with a mark of 11-6.50.
Appalachian State track and field will be back in action a week from today, travelling to Clemson, S.C. to defend their Southern Conference Indoor title.
UNC Greensboro - Mountaineer Open
BOONE, N.C. - UNC Greensboro made the trip up to Appalachian State on Thursday evening and came away with an impressive finish at the Mountaineer Open inside the Holmes Center.
Leading the way for the Spartans was Andy Clyne in the 800 meters with a time of 1:57.01. His time was a new personal best and was the fourth fastest time in school history.
Mike Koech also had a nice night as he came in second place after running the mile in 4:27.97. Jermaine Coore finished in eighth in that event as well.
UNC Greensboro took top honors in the 4x400 meter relay on Thursday. UNCG's time of 3:28.98 edged the rest of the competition by just a half second.
On the women's side, Shaina Sumney finished in fourth place in the 800 meters with a time of 2:26.46. Tiffany Garber also had a nice run as she finished with a time of 10:47.74 to come in sixth place in the 3,000 meters.
The Spartans will look to continue their impressive indoor season at the Southern Conference Championships on Feb. 25 and 26 in Clemson, S.C.
The Citadel - Gamecock Invite
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Citadel track and field team successfully competed in the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday in Columbia, S.C., with several Bulldogs setting new personal-best in their event.
Christian Graham placed fifth overall in the 55m dash when he ran a personal-best time of 6.46 seconds. He is now 10th all-time in The Citadel's top 10 list. Kevin Hardy is ninth all-time in the 55m dash when he recorded a personal-best time of 6.44 seconds in the preliminaries.
In the 35lb. weight throw, Quintin Turner placed fourth with a mark of 52' 9.8" and Christopher Castango threw 51' 10.00" for fifth place. Matt Earls threw a personal-best mark of 51' 2.5" for sixth place, earning the second all-time record while William Norris threw the eighth-best and personal-best mark of 47' 1.30" for seventh place.
For the women, Kelsi Billings recorded a personal-best time of 9.59 seconds in the 55m hurdles and she posted a personal-best mark of 33' 9.11" in the shot put. Billings' hurdle time is fourth all-time and her shot put mark is the eighth-best mark in school history.
Francesca McCrary also recorded a personal-best time of 9.62 seconds in the 55m hurdles. Monique Edwards finished second in the 20lb. weight throw when she threw a personal-best mark of 53' 6.1". Emily Green also finished in the top five when she placed fourth with a throw of 45' 11.9".
The Bulldogs will compete in the 2010 Southern Conference Indoor Championships on Feb. 25-26 in Clemson, S.C. For more information on Bulldog Track and Field, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
Elon - Virginia Tech Challenge
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Jennine Strange crossed the line as the sixth-best collegian in the 800-meter run with a season-best time of 2:14.87 as members of the Elon indoor track and field team competed at the Virginia Tech Challenge on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va.
Veronica Day finished fourth in the long jump with a distance of 18'9 ¼".
The Phoenix 4x400-meter relay team was the final Elon performance of the afternoon. Melissa Turowski and Amy Salek teamed up with Day and Strange to finished 12th overall with a season-best time of 3:58.67.
Elon will compete in the Southern Conference Indoor Championships on February 25-26 in Clemson, S.C.
Furman - Tiger Tune-Up
CLEMSON, S.C. - Monique Ositelu, Chloe Kowalski, and Lee Gilmer all recorded first-place finishes to lead the Furman indoor track and field team at the Tiger Tune Up Meet Saturday in Clemson, S.C.
Ositelu led the Paladins in the women's 800m race, winning the event with a time of 2:17.05, while Jenna Callahan was fifth in the event with a time of 2:21.98, and Shannon Cantwell posted a time of 2:39.21 for 16th place. Kowalski paced Furman in the women's 3,000m, posting a winning time of 10:17.24. Brittany Johnson placed second for the Paladins in the event with a time of 10:35.05, and Julia Bryant came in fourth after recording a time of 10:54.18.
In other women's events, Emily Wirzba placed fifth in the mile with a time of 5:22.75, followed by Hannah Robinson in sixth place (5:28.14) and Charlee Coggins in eighth place (5:37.48). In the 400m, Starr Belmont led the Paladins with a tenth place finish and a time of 1:04.03, while Megan Slatter was 13th with a time of 1:07.20, followed by Lena Cole in 14th place (1:07.28).
The Paladins' 4x400m relay team of Ositelu, Misha Holmes, Cole, and Slatter placed third with a time of 4:12.56, and Stephanie Post placed eighth in the shot put with a distance of 8.01.
For the Furman men's team, Gilmer won the mile event after recording a time of 4:12.43. In the 60m, Cortez Johnson posted a second place finish with a time of 6.95, while Sedderick Cunningham placed seventh with a time of 7.14. Nathan Wade placed tenth in qualifying after finishing in 7.54.
Charlie McGoogan led all Paladins in the 3,000m, finishing second with a time of 8:38.96. Chris Caldwell was fifth in the even with a time of 9:01.49, and Jay Miller placed seventh after posting a time of 9:10.71. Wilkerson Given placed tenth in the 800m with a time of 2:01.37, while Connor Halliday was 16th in the 400m (56.89), followed by Raul Rodriquez in 17th (1:02.68).
Brian Toney placed fourth in the high jump with a distance of 1.89, while Scott Des Marais was fifth in the shot put with a distance of 12.83.
Furman will compete at the Southern Conference Championship Thursday and Friday in Clemson, S.C.
Samford - Tiger Tune-Up
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Samford University track and field team continued its success in the indoor season Saturday at the Clemson Tiger Tuneup. In their last meet before the Southern Conference Indoor Championships, the Bulldogs added two more school records to their tally on the indoor season, bringing the total to 15 on the season.
"This weekend could not have gone much better," Samford Head Coach Rod Tiffin said. "We were able to get a whole lot of things accomplished that we needed. We had two school record performances that were bettered this weekend and a couple more that were challenged. We always talk about consistency and one again, we were able to do that."
The Bulldogs have definitely been consistent in setting school records this indoor season. Samford started out the season with six school records in the Niswonger Invitational followed by one in the MTSU Invitational. Last week, the Bulldogs set six more at the Tiger Paw Invitational and then rounded out the season this week with two.
Michael Seaman led the way for the Bulldogs as he broke the men's pole vault record for the second time this season. The sophomore cleared 17-00.75 to take first place in the event. Patrick Wells and Zac Epperson continued Samford's mission of the season to dominate the top three spots in the event. The Bulldog men have gone 1-2-3 in the men's pole vault at every meet this season. Wells took second, matching a career-high 16-00.75, while Epperson took third with a career-high matching vault of 15-01.00.
Kyle Kirby notched the other school record for Samford Saturday. The sophomore took second place in the weight throw, topping his own school record with a toss of 53-05.00.
Morgan Tyler, one of two girls to compete this weekend, was Samford's one individual winner on the girls' side. The junior posted a personal best of 38-11.00 in the triple jump to win the event.
Freshman Brandon Bassett competed in five events for the Bulldog men while Donald Cooper took on four. Bassett took second in the long jump with a personal best leap of 22-03.75 while also placing third in the high jump with a personal best of 6-04.25. He also took fourth in the triple jump with a personal best of 43-01.75 and grabbed eighth place in the 60-meter dash finished with a time of 7.65. He ran a personal best of 7.47 in the preliminaries of the event.
Cooper took second place in the high jump with a leap of 6-04.25 and sixth in the 60-meter dash finals with a time of 7.10. He ran a personal best of 7.07 in the preliminaries. Cooper also placed seventh in the long jump with a personal best of 20-09.00.
Cooper and Bassett placed ninth and tenth, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdle preliminaries with times of 8.96 and 9.14.
The Bulldogs will round out the indoor season this week as they travel back to Clemson for the Southern Conference Indoor Championships, Thursday and Friday, Feb. 25-26.