April 22, 2001
LEXINGTON, VA - Western Carolina claimed the 2001 Southern Conference Women's Track and Field Championships while Appalachian State claimed the men's held at Read Track on the campus of VMI.
The Catamount women won their third straight outdoor title with 230.5 points while Appalachian State was second with 170.
The Mountaineers totaled 221 points to outdistance second place Western Carolina which had 156 points. The championship was ASU's first in outdoor track since 1996. This marked the first time that VMI, which finished third with 155 points, had failed to win a SoCon track championship that it had hosted.
WCU's Ashley Herendon won the women's shot put with a distance of 44 feet. Herendon also won the javelin with a distance of 128 feet and eight inches. Virginia LaCombe won the high jump with a height of five feet, 9.75 inches setting a Southern Conference record. Pole vaulter Valerie Jalajas also set a SoCon record of 11 feet, 11.25 inches.
On the men's side, WCU's Charles Rice won the pole vault with a height of 16 feet, four inches. The men's 4x400 relay team of Irvin Hunter, Tim Vaught, Akaba Glaspie and Derrick High set a season best time of 3:15.20 to win the event. High also won the 400 meter dash with a time of 47:54. Glaspie won the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.78. Donnie Bryant, Vaught, High and Glaspie won the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 41.00.
Western Carolina's Nick McNeil was the freshman of the year after posting a second place finish in the hammer and taking third in the discus and Appalachian State's John Weaver was named the men's coach of the year.
There was a tie for the Most Outstanding Performer award on the women's side with Western Carolina's LaCombe and Chattanooga's Tyleana Hanner tying for the honor. LaCombe won the high jump with a meet record 5-9.75 while also finishing second in the heptathlon, third in the 110 hurdles and fourth in the triple jump. Hanner won the long jump and set a meet record in the heptathlon while also finishing third in the triple jump and fourth in the high jump.
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