April 29, 2006
Results Updated during Final Day
Statesboro, Ga. - Western Carolina concluded competition on day one of the 2006 Southern Conference Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships in second place on the men's side and sixth on the women's at the Georgia Southern Track/Soccer Complex.
Defending champions, Appalachian State, lead the overall standings on both the men and women's side. The Mountaineer men hold a 45-point lead over Western Carolina, which tallied 52 points on the day. At last season's championship, ASU led by 76.5 points after the opening day with the Catamounts in second with 49 points. Furman stands third with 25 points, followed by Davidson (22), The Citadel (18), Chattanooga (16), and UNC Greensboro in seventh with four points.
Appalachian's women scored 81 points on Saturday to lead the host Georgia Southern Lady Eagles by 48 points after GSU tallied 33. Chattanooga is third with 24 points, followed by Elon (21), The Citadel (18), Western (15), Davidson (11), College of Charleston (11), Wofford (10), and Furman (10).
One SoCon record was broken on the day during the preliminaries. Western Carolina junior Asia Davis ran for a new standard in the women's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.53, eradicating the previous mark of 59.72 set in 2004 by Marlo Mincey of Georgia Southern. The time was Davis' quickest of the season and marked the fourth time this year she has run under the NCAA regional qualifying mark.
Five Catamounts earned All-Southern Conference accolades on Saturday, four men and one woman. Senior Josh Lee edged sophomore teammate, and defending champion, David Bowles in the men's javelin throw, finishing second and third, respectively. Lee threw 57.19m (187-7) while Bowles recorded 53.42m (175-3). Freshman Chris Gaillard finished second in the men's with a leap of 6.97m (22-10.50). Rounding out the men's All-SoCon performers was Joel Lynch, who placed third in the men's pole vault by clearing 4.30m (14-1.25).
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Finishing strong on the second day is nothing new to the Catamount men. Last season, Western scored 200 total points on the final day of men's competition to nearly rally past ASU. The Catamounts will pick up points on the track, especially in events such as the 200-meters where six of the eight finalists will wear purple and gold. The theme repeats itself in the men's competition several times as four of the eight finalists in the 110-meter hurdles, including seasonal chart-leading Lawrence Briscoe, and five of the eight in the men's 400-meter and three of eight in the 100-meter dash are WCU student-athletes.
On the women's side, despite digging a large hole on the first day, the track will offer some reprieve and allow for a comeback. The Catamount women should place well in the 100-meter dash with three of the eight finalists, and two of the eight in the 200-meter dash. Davis will represent WCU alone in the 400-meter hurdles, but was the only one to crack the 60-second barrier in qualifying.
Action commences at 8:30 am on Sunday morning with the continuation of the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. The field events will begin around 12:30 pm, with all track events scheduled to start at 1:30 pm. Fans can follow all of the action live by visiting www.SoConSports.com.
SoCon Women's Standings (6 Events Scored): Appalachian State 81 Georgia Southern 33 Chattanooga 24 Elon 21 The Citadel 18 WESTERN CAROLINA 15 Davidson 11 C. of Charleston 11 Wofford 10 Furman 10SoCon Men's Standings (6 Events Scored): Appalachian State 97 WESTERN CAROLINA 52 Furman 25 Davidson 22 The Citadel 18 Chattanooga 16 UNC Greensboro 4
Western Carolina Results in Finals on SaturdayWomen: Tara Tounzen - 3rd Women's Javelin (6 pts)(All-SoCon) Deanna Kulesz - 7th Women's 10,000-meter run (2 pts) Jessie Wilson - 7th Women's Pole Vault (2 pts) Rashanda Simmons - 6th Women's Long Jump (3 pts) NaShay McGriff - 8th Women's Long Jump (1 pt) Rachel Glasgow - 8th Women's Javelin (1 pt)
Total Points: 15
Men: Josh Lee - 2nd Men's Javelin (8 pts)(All-SoCon) David Bowles - 3rd Men's Javelin (6 pts)(All-SoCon) Chris Gaillard - 2nd Men's Long Jump (8 pts)(All-SoCon) Joel Lynch - 3rd Men's Pole Vault (6 pts)(All-SoCon) Justin Spormann - 6th Men's Pole Vault (3 pts) Christian Benson - 7th Men's Pole Vault (2 pts) Tyler Ferguson - 4th Men's Long Jump (5 pts) Mike Malone - 6th Men's Long Jump (3 pts) Daniel Joseph - 7th Men's Long Jump (2 pts) Chris Page - 7th Men's Hammer Throw (2 pts) Willie Sturgis - 8th Men's Hammer Throw (1 pt) Ryan Fussell - 5th Men's Javelin (4 pts) Tyler Ferguson - 7th Men's Javelin (2 pts)
Total Points: 52
