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 Senior Milton Bolton and the men's 4x400-meter relay team claimed first place at the Georgia Tech Invitational over the weekend. |
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May 14, 2006
Cullowhee, N.C. - Two weeks after securing the seasonal sweep of both indoor and outdoor Southern Conference men's track & field championships, the Catamounts - both men and women - took to the track in Atlanta, Ga., for the Georgia Tech Invitational hoping to improve upon seasonal performances and perhaps qualify more for the NCAA East Regional.
Over the weekend, Western posted six top-ten performances, including one first-place finish in the men's 4x400-meter relay, also breaking two school records in the process. The 400-meter relay squad of sophomores Zeb Johnson and Mike Malone, senior Milton Bolton, and freshman Kevin Johnson broke their own record of 40.31 (set at the WCU Invitational in late-March, early-April) by passing the baton for one lap in 40.23 to finish fifth in the event. The time moves the squad from their 10th-place ranking into sixth in the East Region and a Top 40 ranking in the nation.
Also breaking a WCU record was the men's 4x400-meter relay team, which won first-place at Georgia Tech with a regional qualifying and record-setting time of 3:08.34, upsetting fourth-ranked Jackson State in the event. Bolton, Malone, Zeb Johnson, and freshman Manteo Mitchell circled the track over a second and a half quicker than the previous school record time of 3:09.80, set in 2000 at the Florida Relays (by Derrick High, Tim Vaught, Akaba Galaspie, and Joe Hyman). The Catamount 1,600-meter relay team currently ranks sixth in the East Region, while also ranking in the Top 40 in the NCAA.
Individually, senior Lawrence Briscoe improved upon his NCAA Regional standings after running a seasonal-best, 14.22 in the men's 110-meter hurdles, which was tied for fifth in the preliminary rounds at Georgia Tech. The Charlotte, N.C. native, ran 14.73 to finish eighth in the finals, but improved his regional ranking from 27th (14.30) to 16th with his most recent outing. Another senior, distance runner - SoCon Outdoor Championship Most Outstanding Track Performer - Adam Puett improved his season's-best time in the 1,500-meter run by nearly six seconds, running 3:49.33 to finish fifth over the weekend. Puett, who qualified for the NCAA East Regional by winning the SoCon 1,500-meter event for a third-consecutive season, currently holds the 26th best time in the region.
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On the women's side, sophomore Tangelia Johnson just missed her seasonal-best in the women's 100-meter dash, running fourth in preliminaries with an 11.68. She wound up fifth in the Georgia Tech Invitational finals, running 11.93. Her quickest time of the season, 11.63 run at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn., ranks her 14th in the East. Her classmate, Raquel Ramseur, was not in action this weekend, but continues to rank 11th in the East in the 400-meter dash.
Junior Asia Davis posted a 16th-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles this weekend, posting a time of 1:02.90, which was nearly three full seconds off her best of the year, 59.53, run at the SoCon Championships. Her time ranks her ninth in the East overall.
The three aforementioned sprinters - Johnson, Ramseur, and Davis - are joined by freshman Aneesha Lane on Western's women's 4x400-meter relay team which ranks 15th in the East.
Two-sport standout, and outdoor SoCon high jump champion, sophomore Jessika Johnson, posted a top 10 finish this weekend in the event clearing a season's best 1.70 meters (5-7.0) and ranks 24th in the East. Johnson is also a starter for the Lady Catamount basketball team.
Western Carolina returns to action at the NCAA East Regional on May 26-27. The regional event will be hosted by North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
