 |
 Western's Laura Tieszen is one of three that will compete at Clemson on Saturday to have qualified for NCAA Regionals. |
 |
April 8, 2005
Cullowhee, N.C. - This Saturday, April 9, the Western Carolina track and field teams will travel to the 2005 Clemson Invitational at the Rock Norman Track and Field Complex. This is the 12th edition of the annual team-scored event, first held in 1994. In 2000, the Catamount women were the team champions at the meet.
This year's field will include Alabama (men only), Clemson, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Howard, St. John's (women only), Virginia Tech, and Western Carolina.
Catamount head coach Danny Williamson is excited to venture back to Clemson with what he hopes to be good springtime weather.
"We would like to go to Clemson and score as many points as possible as a team on both sides and see where that stacks up amidst the field there," said Williamson. "It also looks like this will be the first weekend with good weather, so we're looking to take advantage of that and get some good work in and perform."
The 2005 edition of the Clemson Invitational features many student-athletes whose performances rank among the national leaders. On the men's side, one of this weekend's headliners will be Spyridon Jullien from Virginia Tech, the national leader in the hammer throw with his mark of 228.9". Hokie teammate Jacobus Smit, who leads the nation in the javelin throw with a mark of 242.9", will also be in action this weekend. Also listed among the top performers in the nation, Clemson's Ronald Richards is currently listed third with his time of 10.24. Alabama's Chauncey Harris ranks eighth in the 100m dash with a time of 10.42. Peter Etoot of Alabama is ranked 26th in the 1500m, and will be challenge by Clemson's Itay Magidi and Matt Clark.
In the hammer throw, Virginia Tech's Jullien will be challenged by Georgia's John Newell, who ranks third nationally, and Georgia's Kyle Helf will attempt to close the distance between national leader Jacobus Smit of Virginia Tech and Helf's best mark of 206.3" as the two compete head-to-head this weekend.
For Western Carolina, the men currently stand atop four categories in the Southern Conference rankings. Junior Adam Puett holds the season's best mark in the 1,500-meter run, while Chris Lewis hurled the shot put the furthest at 47-3.75. The Catamount relay teams, both in the 4x100m and 4x400m, stand atop the rankings in conference, as well. The 400-meter relay team consists of Zeb Johnson, Mike Malone, Darius Bryson, and James Gregory. The latter two, Bryson and Gregory, are joined by James Barr and Charleton Grant on the top-time holding 1,600-meter relay team.
WCU also holds three of the top five times in this outdoor season in the 200-meter and 110-meter hurdle events, as well as sitting with two of the top three times in the SoCon in the 400-meter dash. On the field, there are three Catamount throwers in the top four in the conference in the hammer throw, while David Bowles and Josh Lee rank two and three in the javelin throw with marks of 184-10 and 183-0, respectively.
In the women's field, Georgia Tech's Adrianne Lapsley highlights the 100m dash as she is ranked third on the national list. Yellow Jacket teammate Shantrell Moss is listed at 27th in the 100m. Lapsley also ranks third in the 200m (23.23), and Ashlee Kidd of Georgia Tech and Georgia's Krysha Bayley will also face off in the 200m with Kidd's season-best of 23.63 and Bayley's 2005 top-time of 23.88. The 400m dash will feature top-ranked Kidd of Georgia Tech (52.52) and Georgia's Yendy Gichrist, ranked 18th, who has a season-best time of 54.25. Clemson's Silja Ulfarsdottir is also expected to enter the 400m dash list of qualifiers, as she competed in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Western's Raquel Ramseur, the SoCon's Indoor Freshman of the Year, currently leads the conference in the same event with a time of 55.20.
The Catamount's Asia Davis entered the national rankings at 17th in the 400m hurdles with her school-record time of 1:00.57, which also qualified her for the NCAA East Regionals.
In the 4x100m relay, Clemson and Georgia Tech are listed nationally, as Georgia Tech has a season-best time of 44.45 and Clemson owns a 2005-best time of 45.46. The Yellow Jackets' Chaunte Howard is the nation's leader in the high jump, while Georgia's Jessica Stockard is listed 15th. Clemson's Sara Young joins Kierney Hiteshew of Georgia and Laura Tieszen of Western Carolina as national leaders in the pole vault, as Tieszen is the second Catamount on the women's side to qualify for the East Regional. All three student-athletes have cleared 12.5.5 this season, the provisional mark to qualify.
Clemson senior and 2005 NCAA Indoor Champion in the triple jump, Gisele Oliveira, is expected to make her outdoor debut this weekend. The discus throw field will include Virginia Tech's Tamara Burns who entered the rankings with a mark of 162.5, while Krystal Woods of Clemson was an East Region qualifier in the event last year. Jenny Dahlgren of Georgia enters this weekend's meet with the second-best mark in the nation in the hammer throw, while teammate Sultana Frizell and Virginia Tech's Kristen Callen also rank among the top 25.
Western's women also hold three of the top four positions in the 400-meter dash. Senior Leslie Martin leads the league with her time of 2:12.44, while freshman Kerri Savery and Martin's classmate, Tonya Edmonds, rank third and fourth, respectively. The 4x100-meter relay team of Tangelia Johnson, Ramseur, Melissa Berry, and Cassia Gentry ranks third in the SoCon on time, while Western's 4x400-meter team of Edmonds, Martin, Davis, and Ramseur lead the conference with a time of 3:48.15.
"The caliber of competition that this meet draws in should push our athletes to perform at their best. I'm hoping that being up against the talent that we will see will help them to have their best performances of the season," concluded Williamson.
Action from Clemson begins around 11:15 am on Saturday.
Clemson Invitational Champions 2004 - Clemson (men), Pittsburgh (women) 2003 - Clemson (men), Miami (OH) (women) 2002 - Purdue (men), Purdue (women) 2001 - Clemson (men), Florida State (women) 2000 - Clemson (men), Western Carolina (women) 1999 - Nebraska (men), South Carolina (women) 1998 - Clemson (men), Georgia Tech (women) 1997 - Clemson (men), South Carolina (women) 1996 - Clemson (men), Clemson (women) 1995 - Clemson (men), Clemson (women) 1994 - Clemson (men), Clemson (women)
|
|
 |
