LIVE RESULTS

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The 2011 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship is set to be held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday and Saturday April 22-23.

This marks the 87^th annual Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the men and the 25^th annual for the women.  It will be the first time Samford will serve as host for the event.

The championship will begin Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT with the four of the women's heptathlon events, followed by half of the men's decathlon events at 11 a.m.  The awards ceremony is tentatively set for Saturday at 5:05 p.m.

The event is free to the public.  Live results, daily recaps, daily photos and video highlights can be found on the Southern Conference website, www.SoConSports.com.

Last season, Appalachian State claimed its seventh men's title since 2001 while Western Carolina took home the women's championship.  Appalachian State has won 17 men's titles, the most in SoCon history, and will be looking to add to it this year.  The Catamount women will be seeking their third title in four years and seventh overall.

There are 16 student-athletes returning this year's championship to defend their 2010 individual titles.  On the men's side, the 2010 Most Outstanding Athlete Malcolm Styers from Appalachian State will look to defend all three of his titles, which include the shot put, discus and hammer throw.  The Mountaineers' Landon Powell, last season's Most Outstanding Track Performer and Freshman of the Year, will be returning to repeat as champion in the 100m and 200m dash.  Patrick Wells, who won the pole vault last season, is Samford's sole returning male individual champion.

For the women, Western Carolina's Felicia Paulding will look to defend her 100m and 200m dash titles.  Paulding was named the Most Outstanding Athlete at last year's championship.  Teammate Zakiyyah Stewart, the 2010 Most Outstanding Field Performer, will return in the hammer throw and looks to claim more individual field titles.  Host Samford has two returning women champions with Laura Bedsole and Hillary Neal.  Bedsole won the pole vault last season while Neal took home the 3,000m steeplechase title.

In the most recent power rankings, which include meets through April 17, Appalachian State and Western Carolina men are tied at the top.  For the women, the Mountaineers are ahead of Western Carolina.  Both Samford men and women are third in the rankings.

The power rankings are determined by the top eight times or scores that are reported by schools for each event that will be conducted at this weekend's championship.

Men's Outdoor Track & Field Final Power Rankings

Women's Outdoor Track & Field Final Power Rankings