Appalachian State - Appalachian Invitational

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State men's track and field had a strong showing at Kidd Brewer Stadium Friday in their final warm-up before hosting the Southern Conference Outdoor Championships next weekend.

Eight mountaineers established new personal-best marks, and several others set new season-best marks as the Apps appear to be ready to make a run at their seventh outdoor title since 2001.

Senior Matt Boruff became the first Mountaineer since Dan Queen in 2006 to clear 16 feet in the pole vault Friday. The Raleigh, N.C. native set a new personal-best mark of 16-0.75 to tie Queen for third place in school history en route to a first place finish. Junior Mike Wilson also tied a career-best mark by clearing 15-7 to finish second. Sophomore Jack Bell (3rd overall, 14-7.25) and freshman Evan Sandling (4th overall, 13-1.50) also had strong showings in the vault.

Sophomore Darius Purcell took home first place in the high jump after clearing 6-8.75. Purcell was followed closely by freshman Brad Triplett who established a new season-best mark of 6-6.75.

Senior John Svoboda also had a strong showing for the Mountaineers Friday. The Kernersville, N.C. native claimed first place finishes in both the 100m and 200m dash after establishing new personal best marks in both events. Aided by a slight tailwind, Svoboda moved into seventh place in school history in the 100m with a 10.57. Freshman Landon Powell followed just behind in second place with a season-best 10.59, which ranks eighth in ASU history. Freshman Justin Thomas (3rd overall, 10.79), sophomore Dennis Moore (4th overall, 10.93) and freshman TJ Lockard (5th overall, 10.99) all cracked the 11 second barrier in an impressive showing for the App sprinters. In the 200m, Svoboda again led the way with a personal-best 21.43, while junior Nick Zeller finished second with a season-best 22.26. Lockard finished just behind in third with a season-best 22.29, and freshmen Tyler Combs came in fifth with a season-best 22.50. Junior DeSean Pearce added a sixth-place finish with a time of 22.91. Combs also added a first-place finish in the 400m dash with a season-best time of 48.77.

Sophomore AJ Dohanic established a new career-best mark in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.90, while Trey Jones posted a time of 15.10. In the 400m hurdles, it was Jones who led the way with a season-best 55.32 to earn first place. Matt Boruff finished second with a personal-best time of 55.36, while Dohanic and junior Sean Thompson claimed third and fourth place with times of 56.94 and 57.22, respectively.

Junior Andrew Yarchin established a new personal-best time of 1:56.53 en route to a third-place finish in the 800m run, while freshman James Howard-Smith and junior Sam Mordecai claimed fifth and sixth place finishes with times of 2:06.37 and 2:06.58, respectively. Freshman Will Raby won the 5000m run in convincing fashion with a time of 15:56.03, and classmate Charles Wofford added a third-place finish with a time of 16:27.59.

Junior Malcolm Styers claimed another victory in the shot put for the Apps Friday with a toss of 51-8.50. Junior Jerod Gardner and sophomore Jared Stalling added second and third place finishes with throws of 50-10 and 48-4.50. Stalling's effort was also a new season-best mark. Stalling was also the top Mountaineer finisher in the discus, claiming second with a toss of 156-5.50, while Styers (3rd overall, season-best 153-3.50), sophomore Zane Lail (4th overall, 149-2), Gardner (5th overall, 146-3.50) and Caleb Poplin (6th overall, 135-1) posted strong showings as well. Junior Tim Daly led the Apps in the hammer throw with a toss of 185-7 to finish second. Styers added a third place finish with a throw of 181-8, and Lail came in fourth with another personal-best effort of 155-4.50.

The Mountaineer men will be back in action at Kidd Brewer Stadium next Friday, hosting the SoCon Outdoor Championships.

BOONE, N.C. - With just a week remaining before the Southern Conference Outdoor Championships, Appalachian State women's track and field was in action today on their home track and looking to round into top shape before next week's conference meet.

Senior Whitney Smyre won both the hammer and discus throws for the Mountaineers Friday. Smyre posted marks of 151-2.50 in the hammer and a personal-best mark of 135-0.50 in the discus to claim first in both events. Freshman Gayshawna Watkins added second-place finishes in both events, registering marks of 140-5 in the hammer and 108-5 in the discus. In the shot put, it was Watkins who took the top spot with a season-best toss of 44-2.50, while Smyre finished second with a 43-3.75. Haley Hackett added fourth place finishes in the hammer (90-8) and (86-3.50) in the discus, and a third place finish in the shot put with a season-best 37-8 effort.

Senior Ashley Beale and junior Rebecca Hazeltine claimed first place honors in the pole vault and the high jump for the Apps. Beale cleared a season-best height of 12-0.50 in the vault to finish first while freshman Meredith Wilson finished third with a 10-6.75 effort. Hazeltine established a new season-best of 5-7.75 to take first in the high jump, and was backed by Bridgette Hills (2nd overall, 5-3.75) and Charlotte Walsh (4th overall, 5-1.75). Freshman Erika Ivey also claimed a first-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 34-8.75.

The Mountaineers claimed the top four positions in the 400m dash, with all four athletes posting season-best times. Sophomore Asia Dunlap led the way with a time of 57.76, and was followed by Lynda Hiller (58.11), D'Shawrna McLucas (58.41) and Linnea Howie (61.45). The Apps also swept the top two spots in the 200m dash with Christina Parker leading the charge with a 25.28. Sophomore Naadia Crutchfield finished second with a new personal-best time of 26.78. Freshman Shenita Martin also first-place finishes in the 100m dash with a time of 12.62, and the 400m hurdles with a season-best 63.22. Martin was follwed by junior Michelle Brutus (2nd overall, 65.64) and freshman Joanna Davis (3rd overall, 68.99). Davis also added a victory in the 100m hurdles with a time of 17.71.

Freshman Trinity Foreman led a trio of Mountaineers that claimed the top three spots in the 800m run with a season-best time of 2:19.17. Junior Dani Reese finished second with a new personal-best time of 2:21.73 and freshman Bridget Burke finished third with a season-best 2:24.61. Sophomore Kelsey Hanger was the top ASU finisher in the 5000m, earning a second-place finish with a time of 19:06.13. Hanger was followed by junior Amy Neilson (3rd overall, 19:09.45) and freshman Sarah Williamson (4th overall, 19:09.81).

The Mountaineer women will be back in action at Kidd Brewer Stadium next Friday, hosting the SoCon Outdoor Championships.

The Citadel - UNF Osprey Challenge

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Citadel men's track and field team finished first with 173 points while the women placed fifth with 66 points at the UNF Osprey Challenge on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.

Joseph O'Rourke, Quintin Turner, Xavier Newton and Christopher Castagno led the men with their first place finishes and Monique Edwards guided the women with two top five finishes.

O'Rourke won the pole vault with a mark of 14' 9" and he also crossed the finish line second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.92 seconds. Newton posted his first collegiate win when he earned a personal-best mark of 6' 2.75" in the high jump and Turner threw 154' 7" for first in the discus.

Coming off an injury, Castagno had a successful day placing first in the hammer with a mark of 159' 0". Edwards threw a season-best mark of 129' 1" to finish fifth in the discus and she recorded a mark of 159' 10" for second place finish in the hammer.

Shane Woodard jumped 39' 8" in the triple jump for second place and William Norris threw the hammer for second place with a personal-best mark of 153' 6".

In the same event, Emily Green finished third with a mark of 142' 1". Matt Earls also had two top five finishes. Earls' came close to his personal-best when he threw a mark of 172' 2" in the javelin for third place and also finished third in the hammer with a throw of 147' 3". Carl Carruth finished third in the shot put with a mark of 35' 11.50".

Daniel Till ran 10.88 seconds in the 100-meter dash for fourth place and Brendan Kight finished the 3,000-meter race fourth with a time of 8:54.14 minutes. Micah Wessinger clinched the third all-time record with a personal-best time of 58.90 seconds for fifth place in the 400-meter dash.

John Gatewood placed fourth with a time of 1:58.11 minutes in the 800-meter and Austin Waldrop broke the freshman record in the 3,000-meter with a time of 9:06.56 minutes. Chris Fallis set a new personal-best in the 800-meter when he ran 1:58.83 for fifth place.

Coming up next, the Bulldogs will prepare to compete in the 2010 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on April 24-25 in Boone, N.C. For more information on Bulldog Track and Field, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

Elon - North Carolina A&T International Friendship and Freedom Games

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Justine Robertson broke her own Elon record in the javelin throw with a first-place heave of 130-11 at the North Carolina A&T International Friendship and Freedom Games on Saturday afternoon in Greensboro, N.C. The distance bested her previous record, set on April 9 at the Lou Onesty Invitational, by over five feet.

Veronica Day took home the title in the triple jump with a leap of 38-10.50. Teammates Lauren Hawkesworth and Monique Vines also competed in the event finishing fourth and sixth with distances of 37-11.25 and 36-7.50.

Day was the top collegian in the long jump and finished second overall with a leap of 18-8.50. Hawkesworth also posted a top-10 finish with a ninth-place mark of 17-0.75.

Jennine Strange had a strong showing in the 800-meter run as she crossed the finish line in second place with a time of 2:12.75.

Robertson later took home a third-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 41-4.50, while Urysla Cotton finished fifth with a mark of 39-3.75.

Robertson and teammate Alyssa Girvin were each successful in the discus, finishing second and third with throws of 133-1 and 129-5, respectively.

Andrea March crossed the finish line in ninth place with a time of 1:04.39 in the 400-meter hurdles.

Courtney Weathers and Jordan Lee earned a second and fourth-place finish in the high jump with a height of 5-1.00. The number of tries it took the athlete to reach the height determined the finishes. Each of the athletes competing in the event recorded a height of 5-1.00.

Elon will compete in the Southern Conference Championships next weekend, April 23-25, in Boone, N.C.

Furman - WCU Invitational

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Freshman Brian Toney placed fourth in the high jump with a mark of 6-1.50 to lead the Furman men's track and field team at the Western Carolina Invitational on Friday in Cullowhee, N.C.

The Paladins garnered several top-ten finishes for the day, including a sixth-place finish by Furman's 4x400m relay team of Lee Gilmer, Charlie McGoogan, Raul Rodriguez, and Toney with a time of 3:31.65. 

Jed Wilkerson placed seventh in the 10,000m with a time of 37:08.0, while McGoogan finished eighth in the 1,500m after turning in a time of 4:11.50.  Also in the 1,500m, Wilkerson Given finished 12th (4:14.55) and Jay Miller placed 16th (4:21.97). 

In the 200m dash, Rodriquez led all Paladin runners, placing ninth with a time of 23.15.  Connor Halliday was 14th in the event with a time of 24.29, and Michael Kelly was 15th after turning in a time of 25.06.  Rodriguez also competed in the 100m, posting a time of 12.16 for 13th place.

In the field events, freshman Scott Des Marais placed eighth in the shot put with a mark of 123-02 and ninth in the discus after recording a throw of 41-2.25.  Junior Will Johnson finished 14th in the high jump competition with a mark of 5-1.75.

The Paladins will return to action April 24-25 at the Southern Conference Championship in Boone, N.C.

Western Carolina - WCU Invitational

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Western Carolina men and women's track & field teams saw two records fall, as well as set several season-best marks at the 2010 WCU Invitational held at the Catamount Athletic Complex on Friday. The Catamounts finished with a meet-best combined 29 individual winners in their last meet before the Southern Conference Championships next weekend, April 24-25, in Boone, N.C.

Overall, WCU saw the women capture 17 individual titles, while the men notched 12. Nine different Catamounts inked season-high marks in their respective events.

Junior Zakiyyah Stewart set the new school record in the women's hammer throw with a toss of 50.53 meters (165 feet and 3 inches). Stewart's toss broke a 10-year old record set by Valerie Mets (163" 08') at the Southern Conference Championships in 2000. Deirdra Morrison (45.06 meters, 147' 10") and Tara Tounzen (43.04 meters, 141' 02") finished second and third, respectively, in the event.

Stewart, a native of Hickory, N.C., again set another personal best today with her throw of 12.97 meters (42' 6.75") in the women's shot put. Morrison was second at 12.79 meters (41' 11.50"). In the discus throw, Stewart claimed first at 40.13 meters (131' 08") to win her third event of the day.

Jocelyn Rice placed another podium finish at 39.04 meters (128' 01").

The men's 4x400-meter relay 'A' team (Benny Davis, Brandon Hairston, Drew Tucker, Dominique Young) broke a Catamount Athletic Complex facility record with a run of 3:11.16 minutes. The previous record was set by the 2009 'A' team (Thomas Funderburk, Benny Davis, Manteo Mitchell, Dominique Young) at 'The Mountains vs. The Beaches' with a time of 3:12.73.

Sherelle Froneberger and Felisha Garren set season-best marks in the women's 200-meter dash with times of 24.41 and 24.52 seconds, respectively, to finish in first and second place. 

Froneberger tackled the 100-meter dash with a second place mark at 12.09 seconds, just a tenth behind teammate Felicia Paulding, who ran the sprint in 11.99. Valerie Parks finished third in the 100-meter at 12.36.

Western Carolina's 4x100-meter 'A' team of Raven Parrish, Paulding, Jane't Carothers and Garren finished first with a time of 46.02. The 'B' team (Valerie Parks, Emma Bowers, Hannah Bowers, Froneberger) followed in second at 47.99, while the 'C' team (Morgan Joseph, Nicole Okolo, Carlyn Wright, Janae' McKinney) placed third at 48.27.

In the women's 4x400-meter relay, the 'A' team (Hannah Bowers, Garren, Tierra Johnson, Emma Bowers) finished with a top-mark of 3:53.53, while the 'B' team (Tsanni Collier, Janae' McKinney, Morgan Turner,  Jordan Gaddy) earned third at 4:17.78.

Junior Nicole Okolo won her third 100-meter hurdles event of the season with a sprint of 14.20 seconds. Carlyn Wright (14.86, 2nd) and Tori Jones (15.42, 3rd) filled out the top-three in the event.

Jane't Carothers clinched a victory in the 400-meter dash with her run at 55.59 seconds, while Shalyn McMichael earned second at 56.51. Adrian Cooke (12:25.61, 1st) and Leslie Raymond (12:29.63) finished first and second, respectively, in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Also collecting victories in the distance events were Morgan Turner at 2:19.14 in the 800-meter run and Jordan Gaddy in the 1,500-meter run with a mark of 4:46.89.

Junior Drew Tucker set a new season-best in the men's 800-meter run with his run of 1:52.16 for a first-place finish.  Freshman Cordell Livingston set the pace in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.18, while Jestin Jennings earned second at 54.48. Livingston placed third in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.17.

The men's 4x100 'A' relay team (Cordell Livingston, Brandon Hairston, Dominique Young, Benny Davis) used a mark of 41.66 to claim first, while the 'B' (Christian Bethune, Willie Bowman, Lawren Willard, Alex Dollard) team finished directly behind at 41.86.

Christian Bethune placed second in the 200-meter dash at 22.07, while Dominique Young was third in the 100-meter at 10.84. Josey Weaver, a native of Weaverville, N.C., earned third in the 1,500-meter run at 4:05.70 minutes.

The Catamount field teams used a strong day as they combined for a total of 15 individual winners in their events. Carothers earned a year-best and top-finish in the women's high jump with a distance of 1.60-meters (5' 3.00"). Matt Evans clinched his third win in the high jump with a height of 2.07 meters (6' 9.50").

WCU swept the podium in both the men and women's pole vault. Kassie McKie (3.35 meters, 10' 11.75"), Ashley Walla (3.35 meters, 10' 11.75") and Summer Hughes (3.20 meters, 10' 6.00") finished first, second and third, respectively. On the men's side, Michael Osteen claimed first with a distance of 4.50 meters (14' 9.00"), Sean Reardon second with 4.50 meters (14' 9.00") and Wayne Parker third with 4.20 meters (13' 9.25'.

Parrish notched a win in the women's long jump at 5.24 meters (17' 2.25"), while Brittany Powell earned second with a jump of 5.11 meters (16' 9.25"). Lawren Willard (6.95 meters, 22' 9.75") claimed first on the men's side with Alex Dollard second (22' 7.75").

Cornelius Williams (14.07 meters, 46' 2.00" - 1st), Livingston (13.83 meters, 45' 4.50" - 2nd) and Dollard (13.82 meters, 45' 4.00" - 3rd) swept the podium for WCU in the men's triple jump. Powell claimed the women's title with a distance of 11.16 meters (36' 7.50").

The men's throws events were spectacular today as the Catamounts saw season-bests in each event. Cale McDaniel claimed first in the shot put at 15.77 meters (51' 9.00"), while Quincy Marshall (14.86, 48' 9.00") and Ryan Pless (14.37 meters, 47' 1.75") notched second and third. Jamie Van Pelt picked up a top-mark in the discus at 47.32 meters, 155' 03") with Pless, third, at 40.38 meters (132').

In the men's hammer, McDaniel claimed another title with a hurl of 54.15 meters (177' 08"). Marshall followed at 52.07 meters (170' 10") with Van Pelt in third at 51.50 meters (168' 11").

WCU saw four podium marks in the javelin as Hughes set a season-high throw at 37.66 meters (123' 07"). Tounzen claimed third at 34.95 meters (114' 08"). Evans won the men's title with a toss of 58.67 meters (192' 06") and Dotson second with a throw of 55.69 meters (182' 08").

Western Carolina's men will look to defend their 2009 SoCon outdoor championship title, while the women will look to reclaim another trophy at the Southern Conference Championships next Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 in Boone, N.C. Coverage of next weekend's conference tilt will be available online at CatamountSports.com and SoConSports.com.