Cook Snaps 18-Year Old School Record at Catamount Classic
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's and women's track & field teams made the most of their final tune-up before the 2015 Southern Conference Championships as they swept the titles of the 2015 Beynon Sports Surfaces Catamount Classic Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Hailey Cook was the highlight performance of the day as she broke an 18-year old school record in the women's shot put with a toss of 14.99m (49-02.25).
The men won the event by 166.50 points over second place ETSU. The Catamounts earned 263.50 points to top the 13-team field. The Catamount women topped second place Winthrop by 246 points as they earned 326 points overall to stay ahead of the 16-team field.
Western Carolina swept the top two spots in the women's 4x100m relay. WCU's "A" squad consisting of senior Xaviera Bass, junior Tayla Carter, senior Genevieve Emrick and sophomore Kayla Williams broke the meet record as well as setting a season best mark of 45.67. The Catamounts "B" squad came in at 47.69 and consisted of freshman Alyiah Riley, sophomore Alexis Robinson, sophomore Chenell Bryan, sophomore Tiffani Lewis.
The men also swept the top two spots in the 4x 100m relay. WCU's "A" squad sophomore Jermaine Lewis, senior Aaron Tribble, senior Demari Boswell and freshman Brenden Caldwell tied the season best mark of 40.92. The "B" team including sophomore Tremaie Kernes, sophomore Max Burke, freshman Dakota Lamont and freshman Kaleb McEntyre came across the finish line at 42.18
Freshman Laney Browder set a new season best of 4:51.95 in the women's 1,500m while placing seventh.
Bass, Williams, and Riley swept the top three spots in the women's 100m hurdles. Bass came across first at 13.94, next was Williams stopping the clock at 14.06 followed by Riley at 14.44. Senior Michaela Birek was also in the top eight finishing sixth at 14.76
Men's 110m hurdles saw senior's Abraham Faison and Marquis Bailey finish second and third with a season best 14.29 and 14.31, respectively.
Another meet record fell in the women's 400m as Emrick made the most of her senior day breaking her previous record of 54.31 which she set last season with an event winning and WCU season best time of 54.24 Saturday afternoon. Junior Corina Archie-McMillan took second after stopping the clock at 55.74. Robinson picked up an eighth place showing with a time of 59.67.
WCU picked up five top-eight finishes on the men's side in the 400m. Freshman Henry Kiedy took the top spot with a season best time of 47.68. Lamont came in second at 47.84 while Tribble (48.65), McEntyre (48.75) and Boswell (48.94) placed fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.
In the field four Catamounts picked up points in the men's shot put. Junior Jared Johnson earned a third place finish with a season best toss of 15.25m (50-00.50). Sophomore Scott Peretin took fourth at 15.01m (49-03.00) while freshman Mateius Brown placed fifth with a mark of 13.97m (45-10.00). The final scorer for WCU was sophomore Evan Albertson who came in seventh after stopping the tape at 13.75m (45-01.50).
While the men were on the shot put the women took to the discus. Sophomore Hailey Cook and senior Alisha Bradshaw took the top two spots. Cook won the event with a mark of 44.81m (147-00) while Bradshaw finished just on her heels at 44.31m (145-04).
The women's 100m was up next and WCU once again dominated the top-eight with six scorers. Carter led the field with an 11.72 finish while K. Williams took second in 12.30. Rounding out the top three was Lewis who crossed the line in 12.46. Bryan came in fifth (12.50) followed by Riley in sixth (12.55). The final WCU scorer was Bass who took eighth after stopping the clock at 12.57.
The men placed three competitors in the top for in the 100m. Caldwell took the crown with a season best time of 10.53. Lewis and Kernes finished third and fourth, respectively. Lewis stopped the clock at 10.84 while Kernes came in just two hundredths of a second later at 10.86.
It was another win for the Catamounts in the very next event, the women's 800m. Senior Lena Elliott set a new season best at 2:09.91 in the victory.
The men took four of the top eight spots in the long jump. Junior David Johnson, junior Christian Carswell, Kernes and Caldwell finished third through sixth. Johnson tied a season best with a jump of 6.75m (22-01.75). Carswell was next at 6.61m (21-08.25) followed by Kernes (6.60m (21-08.00)) and Caldwell (6.53m (21-05.25)).
WCU's next scorers came in the women's 400m hurdles. Birek led a quartet of Catamounts in the the event as she won with a time of 1:00.73. Junior Holly Gaines came in third after stopping the clock at 1:02.68. Senior Anne Greer was the next Catamount to cross the line in sixth at 1:04.38 while sophomore Latasha Pride picked up a seventh place finish at 1:05.38.
The men also picked up some points in the 400m hurdles. Faison finished second with a time of 54.55. Junior Justin D'Angelo crossed the line next in third at 56.39 while Bailey picked up an eighth place finish at 57.73.
The women's pole vault produced four scorers for the Catamounts. Seniors Devyn Ressler and Cara June Elyea finished second and third, respectively. Ressler cleared 3.70m (12-01.50) while Elyea topped 3.60m (11-09.75). Junior Korie Bennett placed fifth overall with a height of 3.45m (11-03.75) while freshman Meghan Breden came in eighth at 3.15m (10-04.00).
The women continued to rack up points in the 200m. Carter picked up another win as she topped the field with a season best time of 23.60. Emrick came in second at 24.36 while Archie-McMillan crossed the line in fifth with a time of 24.98. The final WCU scorer was K. Williams with an eight place showing at 25.17.
The men would not be out-done as they also picked up four scorers in the 200m. Boswell led the group with a third place finish in season best fashion, 21.54. Lamont was WCU's next scorer in sixth with a time of 21.74. Junior Dante Ortado came along next at 21.76 while Kiedy finished eighth at 21.78.
Albertson took fourth in the men's discus with a toss of 43.76m (143-07) while Brown finished eight at 42.46m (139-04).
The women's shot put earned WCU 25 points. Cook took the top spot with a school record toss of 14.99m (49-02.25). The record was 18 years old and set by LaSha Jackson back in 1997. Bradshaw finished third at 13.53m (44-04.75) while junior Jasmin Brown came in fifth with a mark of 12.22m (40-01.25). Senior Kim Cannon (11.88m (38-11.75)) and freshman Alisha Blackmon (11.67m (38-03.50)) rounded out WCU's scorers in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Freshman Katarina Ruehl and redshirt junior Michelle Provost earned valuable points for the Catamounts in the 3,000m steeplechase. Ruehl finished third with a time of 12:16.10 while Provost came across fifth in 12:35.12.
Birek, Lewis and Bryan took third, fourth and fifth in the women's long jump. Birek stopped the tape at 5.54m (18-02.25) while Lewis came in at 5.52m (18-01.50) and Bryan made a leap of 5.50m (18-00.50).
WCU's women's 4x400m relay teams took first, sixth and eighth. Greer, Bryan, junior Michaela Williams and Birek won with a time of 3:51.89. Birek was able to run down the Winthrop team that finished second on the final leg to secure the victory. K. Williams, Elliott, Emrick and Bass teamed up to take sixth in 4:01.21 while Archie-McMillan, Pride, Robinson and sophomore Imani Stewart placed eighth in 4:03.81.
The men took third, fifth and seventh in the 4x400. Tribble, Faison, freshman Corey Ginley and junior Jamie Bigby came in third with a time of 3:23.58. Freshman Robbie Tompa, sophomore Kaleel Barton, McEntyre and Boswell placed fifth at 3:25.18 while Kiedy, Lewis, Bailey and Carswell came in seventh at 3:26.21.
The final field event of the day was the men's pole vault. Sophomore Dustin Triplett took second with a season best height of 4.80m (15-09.00). Ginley took third at 4.70m (15-05.00) while redshirt freshman Thor Smith placed fifth after clearing 4.50m (14-09.00). The final WCU scorer was Carswell who cleared 4.40m (14-05.25) to finished sixth.
Junior Kaitlyn Shetler was the lone Catamount to score in the women's 5,000m as she finished eighth overall in the final women's event of the evening. She posted a time of 18:51.44.
The men were able to earn two scoring spots in the final event. Sophomore JC Cornett won the 5,000m in 15:26.58 while redshirt sophomore Clay Howarth came in fourth at 15:49.32. The final scorer on the day was junior Michael Cornwell who came in sixth with a time of 15:58.65.
The Catamounts will return to action in two weeks as they travel to Birmingham, Ala. as they compete in 2015 Southern Conference Championship.
States Split In Border Clash; Samford Breaks Records
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Samford University men's and women's track & field teams took part in a one day meet that pitted five teams from the state of Alabama and five teams from the state of Mississippi at the Mike Sanders Track Complex on the campus of Mississippi State University.
The universities representing the state of Mississippi claimed the men's bragging rights with a 98 to 93 result while the teams from Alabama took home the title in the women's competition 108 to 81; both the men and the women competed in 18 total events.
Individually, the Bulldogs continued to surpass previous personal bests and break more school records in today's meet. Five was the actual count on school records set on the day as Sarah Sanford, Claire Goodson, Marie Demedicis, Javion Lee and Brandon Hazouri each put their name atop the school-record books.
Hazouri turned out to be the standout athlete of the night as his school-record run of 1:48.12 in the men's 800m turned out to be a first place finish amongst a bevy of talented runners. The Birmingham native's time broke his own previous record of 1:48.54 set just last season in 2014.
In the men's long jump it was Javion Lee who absolutely crushed Samford's previous top mark by more than a meter. Lee tallied a second place finish in the event with a leap of 15.29m which beat out Chinedu Amah's previous record of 14.28m that was set in 2010.
The men continued to post impressive results especially after taking the top three spots in the men's pole vault. Gavin Gautreau, Austin Eckenroth and Chris Thrasher took first, second and third place respectively in the event. Gautreau notched a personal best 5.10m vault while Eckenroth and Thrasher turned in marks of 4.70m which was also a personal best for Thrasher.
A trio of Samford women either added their name to the top of the Samford record books or improved upon a record that they already owned. Freshman Sarah Sanford moved to the top of the record books with her 13.83 time in the women's 100m hurdles. April Howell set the previous record back in 2006 with a time of 13.72.
Marie Demedicis and Claire Goodson each improved upon school-record marks that they already held. Demedicis took second place and improved her school-record mark in the women's 800m with a time of 2:07.48 while Goodson improved her school-record mark with a 4.07m.
Last season Demedicis set the record with a time of 2:07.84 and Goodson marked a 3.98m mark during the 2014 season.
Nelson made strides as she notched a personal best in the 1,500m run with a time of 4:28.96 which was good for fourth place in the event.
ETSU Totals Pair of Top-Three Team Placements at Catamount Classic
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – On Saturday at the Beynon Sports Catamount Classic, the ETSU track & field program turned in a pair of top-three team finishes for the weekend with the men placing second and the women third out of more than 12 total teams.
The Bucs were able to total four event wins on the day against crowded fields of competition. In the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Victoria Hutchens took the top spot with a time of 11:42.82, while in the respective pole vault finals, junior jumper Ashley Kessler and sophomore Brett Squibbs both placed first with marks of 3.70 and 4.80 meters, respectively.
ETSU also dominated the men’s 800-meter run with junior Thomas Miller finishing first with a 1:53.48 time while junior Angus Baldwin and senior Filip Jalovy following in second and third with a personal-best 1:55.29 and 1:55.42 times, respectively.
The Blue & Gold’s success in the field continued with junior Blake Isomrecording a third-place mark of 45.39 meters in the men’s discus, while ETSU was a presence in the respective long jump events with freshman Timia Easley taking second in the women’s event with a leap of 5.55 meters, while Patrick Taylor, too, placed runner-up with a 6.80 meters mark.
Additionally, the Bucs recorded strong performances in relay events including a pair of top-three placements in both the men’s and women’s 4x400-meter (3:21.83, second – men) (3:59.05, third – women). Furthermore, the ETSU men posted a third-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay with a 42.22 time behind the squad of Matt Moore, Phillip Booker, Anthony Goins, and Patrick Taylor.
In total, the ETSU men totaled 97 team points; good for second behind host leader Western Carolina. The Buccaneer women also crept into the top three with 70 points; placing behind Winthrop in second and Western Carolina in first. Nineteen total events were scored on each side.
Other Notables
Matt Joyner – men’s 1500m – 4:03.84 – 3rd Sarah Zimmer – women’s 5000m – 18:39.55 – 3rd Carl Oberfeitinger – men’s 5000m – 15:33.04 – 2nd
The ETSU track & field program will be off next weekend in preparation for the 2015 Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, April 25 – 26, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Gilpin, York Win 1500m at WCU Catamount Classic
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior John Gilpin and sophomore Jessica York each outpaced the competition to claim the 1500 meter title at the Western Carolina Beynon Sports Surfaces Catamount Classic Track and Field Invitational in Cullowhee, N.C., Saturday.
Gilpin posted a personal best time of 4:00.51 to lead the Mocs finishing ahead of teammate junior Austin Casassa who was second with a time of 4:02.10 and sophomore Paul Stuart placed fifth with a time of 4:05.56.
York beat out teammate, freshman Emily Drouin in the women’s race by just less than two seconds at 4:41.46 for the top spot. Drouin was second at 4:43.22 and junior Keeley Stewart finished eighth at 4:51.99.
In the women’s 800 meter race, sophomore Maddison Melchionna finished second with a time of 2:11.60 with senior Amanda Cotter just behind in third with a time of 2:12.38.
Despite numerous injuries to the Mocs, UTC was able to field two teams in both the men’s and women’s mile relays. Gautier shifted the men’s A team to include Geoff Nelson in leadoff followed by DeQuantez Sandifer. Trevor Janssen ran the third leg with Jacob Noorbergen at anchor. The team finished fourth with a time of 3:24.75. The B team ran a time of 3:35.83.
The women’s A team finished seventh with a time of 4:02.79. Hannah Chamblin led off with Maddison Melchionna running the second leg. Amanda Cotter took the baton for the third leg and Jessica York anchored the team. The women’s B team posted a time of 4:22.94.
Junior Iman Isang, nursing a break in the offseason, opted to run hurdles in the men’s final season at UTC and finished 16th with a time of 16.07. Freshman Drake Watson finished 13th in the 110m hurdles just ahead of Isang and suffered an injury that kept him out of the 400m hurdles.
Next up for the Mocs is the Southern Conference Championships will be held April 25 and 26 in Birmingham, Ala., hosted by Samford University.
Paladin Women's 4x800m Relay Team Sets New School Record
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Furman women’s 4x800m relay team of freshmen Jacquelyn Crow and Becca Cooley and sophomores Allie Buchalski and Anne Sisson set a new Paladin record Saturday at the Tennessee Relays Powered by Sea Ray in Knoxville, Tenn.
The team posted a time of 9:02.33 for second place, breaking the former record of 9:16.93, set in 2011.
The Paladin men’s 4x800m relay team of William Ivey, James Perez, Nate Riech, and Austin Sprague placed eighth with a time of 7:51.63 at the meet.
Furman will compete at the Virginia Challenge April 17-18 in Charlottesville, Va.
Martin and Women’s 4X100-Relay Pace Keydets at George Mason
FAIRFAX, Va. - Avery Martin was one of 16 runners to go under the IC4A qualifying time in a strong 1,500-meters, while the women's 4X100-meter relay shattered the school record to lead the VMI track and field programs at the George Mason Invite, contested Saturday in Fairfax, Va.
At an event known for the speed of its running events, Martin finished 12th in the 1,500, timing in at 3:50.16. The top 16 finishers all went under the IC4A qualifying mark of 3:51.00.
Daniel DeNijs recorded a top-five finish in his lone event of the day, the 3,000-meter steeplechase. DeNijs timed in at 9:31.82 to record the result.
For the second straight weekend, the 110-meter hurdles were kind to the Keydets - one meet after Davon Guerrier qualified for the IC4A Championships, Lee Warren and Quincy Murphy both finished in the top seven. Warren clocked in at 15-seconds flat to finish sixth and Murphy was seventh in 15.05.
Aron Long had two top-10 finishes on the day, placing 7th in the 200-meter dash (21.88) and 10th in the 100-meter (11.05).
Other results on the men's side included Pete Reed finishing eighth in the triple jump (13.73 M/45'0 1/2").
On the women's side, the 4X100-meter relay squad led the way in shattering the previous school record in the event, a mark that had stood since 2004. Mia McClain, Bria Anderson, Kerisha Goode and Yaa Agyepong-Wiafe teamed up to clock in at 48.08, easily under the previous school record of 49.30.
Renee Reives continued her solid start to the outdoor year with a fourth-place finish in the shot put. Her top effort on the day was a 13.59 meter (44'7") toss. Mary Grace Lemon, meanwhile, finished fifth in the hammer (47.39 M/155'5"), four positions ahead of Logan Edwards' ninth-place result (44.30 M/145'4").
Thireyona Legg also earned a top-10 finish, placing 10th in the long jump with VMI's best outdoor mark in that event since 2011. Legg leapt 5.35 meters (17'6 3/4") to finish 10th in her new outdoor best and the fifth-longest jump in school history.
In other results, Goode finished 13th in the 200-meters, crossing the line in 25.04.
VMI track and field will return to action Friday, as the Keydets open competition at the UNC Charlotte meet in Charlotte, N.C.
Wofford Track & Field Compete at Catamount Classic
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Wofford College men’s and women’s track & field teams competed and continued to improve this weekend at the Catamount Classic, hosted by Western Carolina. The Catamount Classic served as the team’s final tune up before the Southern Conference Track & Field Championships, beginning on April 24 in Birmingham, Alabama.
For the women, freshmen Kasey Widmyer and sophomore Faith Jewkes both had impressive performances for the Terriers. Widmyer stood out in the triple jump, where she notched a personal record distance of 10.92 meters, good for a fifth place finish. Jewkes excelled in the 400 meter dash, running in 1:02.83.
On the men’s side, junior Alex Michaels and sophomore Gaston Hayworth led the way. Michaels won his heat in the 800 meter dash, clocking a time of 1:56.35 for a sixth place finish. Hayworth continued to impress in the hammer, heaving 44.28 meters in the finals for a top-10 finish.
The Citadel Track and Field Set for Tennessee Relays
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel track and field teams will travel to the Tennessee Relays on Thursday for a three-day event at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Geno Porter and Lucas Sadarius will kick off action for the Bulldogs on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., with the men's hammer throw.
Caillian Colquitt and Jackie Thompson will compete in the 10,000 meters run on Thursday evening while Raeven Lantz will handle the 10,000 for the men's side to conclude the events on day one.
On a jam-packed Friday, Porter will start the day and compete in the men's discus at 1 p.m.
Sarah Johnson and Emani Little will run the 400 meters at 4:30 p.m., and Tevin Williams, Garrett Graham and Corey Williams will compete in the same event at 4:50 p.m.
Tanisha Bethel will compete in the 200 meters at 5:50 p.m., while Mariana Garica-Torres and Darrell Hayden will run the 800 meters to complete action on Saturday.
The final day starts at 4 p.m., with Clay Allen and Capers Williamson in the javelin and concludes with the men's and women's sprint medley at 4:50 p.m.
Track Runs in Aggie Invitaional
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The UNCG men’s and women’s track team paid a visit to the Irwin Belk Track Saturday afternoon to compete in the Aggie Invitational on the campus of fellow Greensboro native, North Carolina A&T.
In section one of the 800-meter run, John Elwood finished with a final time of 1:59.73. Jonathan Hodge also ran in the first section, finishing the race in 1:59.87.
In the second section of the 800-meter run, Bryan Whyms had a final time of 1:56.41, good for second place in the second section and fifth place for the whole event.
David Guthrie finished in second place in the third section, with a time of 1:59.63.
Haley Wenos ran the 1,500-meter race in 5:21.65.
The Spartans will compete in the 2015 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on April 25 and 26. Samford University will host the two-day event in Birmingham, Ala.
Bears Place High at the Tiger Twilight Track and Field Meet
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Mercer University Women's track and field team competed at the Tiger Twilight Track and Field Meet at Savannah State University last weekend. The Bears competed against Savannah State, South Carolina State, Delaware State, Coppin State, and Florida A&M.
Mercer's weekend was highlighted by top marks in the distance events. A third place finish by Keightley Dudgeon in the Women's 1,500-meter run, and a sweep of the Women's 3,000-meter run by Jenna Gipperich, Shannon Milikin, Cheyenne Andrew, Kataryna O'Neil, and Abagayle Boyd. While Kami Orrender took top honors in the Women's 5,000-meter run.
In the field events Krista Kennedy completed the day with a fifth place finish in the discuss throw and a third place finish in the javelin throw.
Mercer will be back in action on April 10th and 11th at Western Carolina to take part in the Beynon Catamount Classis in Cullowhee, N.C.