O'Brien Sets College of Charleston School Record in the 5000 Meters
NEW YORK - Freshman Dena O'Brien set her third school record of her young collegiate career as the College of Charleston women's track and field team concluded competition in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational Saturday at the Armory Track and Field Center.
O'Brien placed second in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 17:13.11, besting the previous record of 17:23.29, set by Ashley Arnold in 2005. This comes after O'Brien set the school record in the mile two weeks ago and set the 6,000-meter school record during the cross country season.
In the 800-meter run junior Alyssa D'Orazio set a season-best and came within a half-second of breaking her own school record. D'Orazio clocked a time of 2:17.45 in the event.
D'Orazio then teamed by with freshman Christa Harrocks and juniors Kristen Wolfe and Laura Call in the 4X400-meter relay. The group finished in 4:03.80, a time good for third-best in the school record books.
O'Brien wasn't the only one that excelled in the 5,000-meter event as a trio of Cougars also set personal records. Freshman Elle Brewer ran 19:08.33, sophomore Natasha Pavlovich finished in 19:16.31 and senior Kristin Jenkins crossed the finish line in 19:45.62.
The Cougars are back in action next week as they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. Feb. 12 for the Carolina Challenge.
As a special note, be sure to check out Straight Off the Track, a video blog by junior high jumper Emily Smith and sophomore pole vaulter Chelsea Taylor. The duo has captured great footage of their trip to New York and their latest episode will be posted early next week on cofcsports.com
Hart Leads Elon Distance Runners at Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Several distance runners of the Elon track and field team competed in the Niswonger Invitational today, Feb. 5, at East Tennessee State University. The Phoenix competed in the one-mile, 800-meter and the 3,000-meter run with strong showings in each event.
Freshman Julie Hart had the best performance of the day for the Phoenix after taking third in the unseeded 800-meter run finishing in 2:20.27.
In the unseeded 3,000-meter run, junior Allyson Costa, freshman Allyson Oram and sophomore Morgan Denecke finished sixth through eighth with times of 10:42.53, 10:42.68 and 10:45.37, respectively.
Freshmen Brennan McDavid and Kylie Womack competed in the unseeded one-mile run crossing the finish line in 5:25.37 and 5:27.24 to finish 12th and 17th.
Senior Emily Fournier competed in the 3,000-meter run invite where she finished in 10:27.43 for 10th place.
In the one-mile run invite, sophomore Emily Tryon finished seventh with a time of 5.14, while junior Courtney Whalen came in 10th with a time of 5:21.16.
The entire Elon track and field team will return to competition next Friday, Feb. 11, at the Liberty Quad.
Paladin DMR Team Places Fourth at East Tennessee State; Gilmer Takes Fifth in Mile Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- The Paladin Distance Medley Team of junior Erin Barker, senior Jenna Callahan, freshman Catherine Burton, and senior Monique Ositelu placed fourth with a time of 12:38.05 and junior Lee Gilmer placed fifth with a time of 4:19.58 in the mile invitational to lead the Furman indoor track and field teams in the final day of the 33rd annual Niswonger Foundation Track and Field Invitational/KTC High School Indoor Track Classic in Johnson City, Tenn., on Saturday.
Furman placed two finishers among the top 15 in the men's 800m, with sophomore Wilkerson Given taking 10th place with a personal-best time of 1:57.71, and freshman James Perez finishing 13th with a time of 1:57.88. Freshman Jackson Sinor was 48th with a time of 2:03.67 in the event.
Junior Chris Caldwell placed 23rd in the 5,000m with a time of 15:36.96, and senior Charlie McGoogan notched a time of 15:44.23 for 26th place in the event. Junior Jay Miller was 31st in the 5,000m with a time of 15:52.57. Freshman Quinn Lackey placed 33rd in the 3,000m with a time of 9:52.26. In the field events, sophomore Scott Des Marais placed 18th with a personal-best throw of 14.05 (46-01.25) in the shot put, and junior Brian Toney took 23rd place after recording a jump of 1.83 (6-0) in the high jump.
In other women's events, Callahan placed 13th in the 800m with a time of 2:23.78, followed closely by Barker in 17th place (2:24.42). Senior Shannon Cantwell was 50th in the event with a time of 2:36.61, and freshman Kacie Schoen recorded a time of 2:39.89 for 55th place. In the mile run, sophomore Emily Wirzba placed 15th with a time of 5:26.30, and Burton tallied a time of 5:35.47 for 29th.
Sophomore Haley Gray took 20th place in the 3,000m after posting a personal-best time of 10:59.78, and freshman Julia Means was 35th in the event (11:22.38). Sophomore Hannah Robinson placed 47th in the 5,000m with a time of 19:49.67.
Furman will run at the Tiger Invitational in Clemson, S.C. next Friday and Saturday.
Schnell Sets UNCG School Record in 3,000 Meters on Saturday
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Ashley Schnell shattered another school record at the Meyo Invitational, while Joey Thompson earned runner-up honors in the 3,000 meters on Saturday afternoon at the Niswonger Invitational.
Schnell, who was competing alone at the prestigious Meyo Invitational, ran a 9:39.73 in the 3,000 meter seeded race to finish in seventh place. Her time was nearly 10 seconds faster than the school record set last season by Katie Hansen.
It was also the second school record for Schnell in as many weeks as she set the new school mark in the mile at the Liberty Open last weekend.
At the Niswonger Invitational, Thompson was edged out in the 3,000 meter invite race to earn runner-up honors. His time of 8:40.20 was just a second behind Nicholas Kelly from Appalachian State.
Paul Katam also had a nice showing for the men's team as he finished in fourth place in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:57.40. His time was the second-fastest in school history and was just seven seconds behind teammate Mike Koech's school record he set last season.
Kerry Hartman led the women's team at the Niswonger as she finished fourth in the 3,000 meter invite race in a time of 10:13.07. That is the third-fastest time in UNCG history in the 3,000 meters. Shaina Sumney wasn't far behind as she came away with a seventh place finish after running a 10:24.21. That time is the fourth-fastest in school history.
Ginny Cronley led UNCG in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:38.08, which is the third-fastest in school history.
UNCG will return to competition next weekend as the Spartans travel to the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, S.C. beginning Friday.
Samford Men Wrap Up Niswonger Invitational With More Records
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. ---- The Samford University track and field team brought its indoor school record tally to 10 Saturday as the Bulldog men broke two more records in the final day of the Niswonger Invitational. The Bulldogs set three records Friday night in the women's pole vault, men's weight and men's 200 meters. Saturday, Samford added records in the 60-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay.
"Yesterday we had a rough start but built some momentum throughout the day," Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. "I think the 800 meters was the turning point for us. Today was a good day. I felt we were much more consistent. We seemed to have our mind on the task at hand and there seemed to be a sense of urgency."
The Bulldogs wrapped up the day's events with a strong showing in the men's 60-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay. Justin Emerson, who broke the school record in the 60-meter hurdles last week with a time of 6.88, notched a new record Saturday with a time of 6.87 in the event invite. The time earned him third place.
Donald Cooper, Henry Stevens-Carty, Jonathan Bush and Alex Richter also topped their record-breaking performance from last week, running the 4x400-meter relay in 3:19.35 to set a new school record and take third place.
The Samford middle distance and distance crews also stepped up with top-five finishes in each of their events. Blaise Carie took third place in the mile invitational with a time of 4:16.21 while Layton Dorsett (4:18.01) and Scott Cope (4:20.08) took second and third places, respectively, in the unseeded mile. James Graham ran the unseeded 3000 meters and took fifth place with a personal best of 9:00.39.
In the men's field events, Michael Seaman won the men's pole vault with a height of 16-10.75 while Ryan Cook took fourth place, matching a personal best of 15-09.00.
Brandon Bassett took eighth in the men's high jump with a personal best of 6-06.00. Donald Cooper finished 14th in the same event with a mark of 6-04.00.
Chris Davis took 19th place in the shot put with a toss of 45-05.75.
On the women's side, Lauren D'Alessio and Jillian Klassen highlighted the action with a great showing in the 3000 meters invitational. D'Alessio took first place in the event with a personal best of 9:59.14 while Klassen finished sixth with a time of 10:21.12.
Deanna Zidar finished second in the women's unseeded mile with a time of 5:16.93 while Macy Conger finished ninth in the 60-meter hurdles final with a personal best of 9.28.
Lauren Pilcher placed 34th in the 5000 meters with a time of 19:14.02 while the women's 4x400-meter relay teams placed 17th with a time of 4:06.35.
The Bulldogs have next weekend off before heading back to Clemson, S.C., for the second time this season. On Feb. 19, Samford will compete in the Tiger Paw Invitational. The meet will be the Bulldogs' final challenge before the Southern Conference Indoor Championship, Feb. 26-27, in the same venue.
Davidson's Hopkins Wins 3000-Meter Run at Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Junior Ryan Hopkins led the Davidson distance squad with a win in the 3000-meter run as the Wildcats men's track and field team competed in the Niswonger Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State Saturday in the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center.
Hopkins completed the race in 8 minutes, 34.12 seconds to earn his second listing on Davidson's top-10 performances list in the event. He finished in 8:28.83 at last year's Southern Conference Championships.
Senior Charlie Schmitt led seven Davidson runners in the 5000-meter run in 15:22.25. Sophomores Vincent Weir and Demetrios Pagonis trailed in 15:29.46 and 15:31.82, respectively.
The Wildcats also competed in the 800- and mile-runs. Senior Jonathan Koch led the 800m effort in 2:02.16, while freshman Andrew Lantz led in the mile in 4:26.36.
Davidson competed in the sprints on the first day of competition Friday.
The Wildcats will next travel to Chapel Hill for the Carolina Invitational on Saturday.
Davidson's Conarroe Leads Women's Track at Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. - For a second straight weekend, senior Heather Conarroe led the Wildcat women's track and field team as Davidson concluded competition at the 33rd annual Niswonger Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State in the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center.
Conarroe finished third in the 5000 meters behind a time of 18:02.29, the Wildcats' top finisher of the day. Freshman Megan Mavity (18:53.54) and sophomore Natalie Atabek (19:27.54) also competed in the event for Davidson, finishing 30th and 40th, respectively.
Junior Jane Gay turned in a pair of top-50 finishes, finishing 30th in the mile with a time of 5:35.95 and 48th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:36.18. Freshman Maggie Rickard also competed in both events, turning in times of 5:44.19 (38th) and 2:41.37 (60th), respectively. Freshman Lydia MacAliley ran a 2:40.22 to finish 56th in the 800 meters, while sophomore Jena Manilla finished 62nd with a time of 2:41.71. Sophomore Haley Holway finished 45th behind a time of 6:05.87 in the mile.
Freshman Mackenzie Hicks ran in three events for Davidson, finishing with times of 8.86 (97th) in the 60 meters, 29.21 (146th) in the 200 meters, and 66.76 (111th) in the 400 meters. Junior Brooke Senken also competed in the 400 meters, finishing with a time of 70.55 (120th). Sophomore Anna Armistead turned in a time of 11:27.70 (37th) in the 3000 meters.
Davidson will return to action at the Carolina Invitational in Chapel Hill next Saturday, Feb. 12, the final meet of the regular season before the 2011 SoCon Indoor Championships in Clemson, S.C. on Feb. 26-27.
The Citadel's Miller Earns Second Place Thriller at Niswonger Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Sophomore Brunson Miller placed second in the 400m dash by a slim .01 second, following a photo finish, as the Bulldog track and field teams concluded competition at the Niswonger Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 5.
Miller just missed first place as he posted a time of 48.23.
Junior Kevin Hardy finished the meet among the top three in the long jump as he earned a season-best mark of 23' 11" for third place. Hardy also competed in the finals of the 60m dash and finished in fifth place with his exact same time of the preliminaries, 6.98.
In other events, James Harris finished in seventh place in the high jump with a mark of 6' 06.00".
Sophomores John Gatewood and Jordan Ashley both competed in the unseeded portion of the 800m. Gatewood's eighth place finish in the 800m, in a time of 1:57.61, moved him into 10th place among The Citadel's most prolific runners. Ashley logged his personal-best indoor record of 1:59.12 as he finished 23rd out of 82 competitors.
On the women's side, junior Erinn Carter improved her record in the 800m and maintained her spot as The Citadel's No. 4 all-time as she ran a personal-best of 2:24.15. Danielle McKee also registered her best time in the same event as she finished with a time of 2:30.84, becoming seventh all-time.
The Bulldogs return to the track Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11-12 for the Tiger Paw Invitational in
Clemson, S.C.