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 Western will host the 2005 SoCon Outdoor Track & Field meet this Saturday and Sunday in Cullowhee. |
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April 28, 2005
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina University and the Catamount Athletics Department will play host to the 2005 Southern Conference Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend, beginning Saturday, April 30. The two-day event will determine a team champion for men and women, as well as crown individual champions in 42 events.
This will be the first-time in school history that Western has hosted the annual conference event, and just the second event ever contested on the new state-of-the-art facilities on-campus in Cullowhee.
Competing SoCon teams will attempt to unseat the Appalachian State Mountaineers, who have won four-consecutive men's titles and three-consecutive women's titles. ASU narrowly defeated Western Carolina on both sides in the 2005 SoCon Indoor Championships back in February in Johnson City, Tenn. The Mountaineer women edged the Cats by nine points, while the men slipped past with a slim, seven-point victory.
Appalachian State currently leads Western Carolina in the men's Southern Conference power rankings by a count of 229-to-203. Rounding out the top five are The Citadel with 75, Chattanooga with 64, and East Tennessee State with 61. The Mountaineers also lead the women's SoCon power rankings with 218 points, edging out Georgia Southern (174) by 37 points. Rounding out the women's top five is Western Carolina (143), East Tennessee State (57), and Chattanooga (54).
ASU women's sprinter Jennifer Claud returns to defend her 2004 Most Outstanding Track Performer award and two individual titles in the 100 and 200 meters. She currently leads the Conference performance rankings in the 100 meters (11.87). At 400 meters, East Tennessee State's Nichola Cornish led the way during the season, followed closely by Western freshman Raquel Ramseur and senior Jennifer Spivey. Ramseur was the freshman of the year during the indoor season. Rounding out the sprints and middle distances, WCU's Leslie Martin leads the 800-meter times by more than four and a half seconds over McKenzie Sharpe of Furman.
Freshman Zeb Johnson leads the SoCon top times list in the men's 400-meter. |
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In the men's sprints, The Citadel's Quintin Wright leads the Southern Conference performance rankings in the 100 meters with a time of 10.76, while also securing the second spot in the 200 meters (21.79) behind Appalachian State's Chris Martin (21.75), the defending 2004 SoCon Champion. ASU's Bryan Burney, the 2004 Freshman of the Year, currently leads the conference performance rankings in the 800 meters (1:51.60). Another Catamount freshman leads the way in conference in the 400 as Zeb Johnson circuited the track the quickest of all the conference members with a time of 47.52 at the Sea Ray Relays.
The men's distance runners sport a pair of NCAA regional qualifiers and 2004 SoCon Champions as Western Carolina's Adam Puett leads the Conference performance rankings in the 1,500 meters (3:48.14) and Steven Kocsis of Chattanooga leads the conference performance rankings in the 5,000 meters (14:07.03). Chattanooga's Ian Mayne also qualified for an NCAA regional spot with his time in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (9:06.91).
Shannon Wommack of Chattanooga will look to defend her 2004 titles in the 1,500 meters (4:27.54) and the 3,000 meter steeplechase (10:29.81). Her times have qualified her for the NCAA Regional meet and currently lead the conference performance rankings.
In the men's field events, Appalachian State's Bob Smith returns to defend his 2004 Most Outstanding Field Performer title and individual titles in the shot put, discus throw, and hammer throw, Smith currently leads the conference performance rankings and earned an NCAA regional spot in the hammer throw (57.14m).
Senior Laura Tieszen will look to repeat as the SoCon Field Performer of the Year at this weekend's conference championship. |
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The women's field events will be marked by nine regional qualifiers. Appalachian State's Ronda White will attempt to defend her titles in the long jump and triple jump against regional qualifiers Nicole Brown and Lauren Jacobs of Georgia Southern as well as teammate Jennifer Claud. Western Carolina's Laura Tieszen, who qualified for the regional in the pole vault, currently leads the conference performance rankings by over a foot and will attempt to become a repeat women's Most Outstanding Field Performer award winner in back-to-back outdoor championships. She was also tabbed Most Outstanding during the 2005 indoor championship.
The women's shot put, hammer throw and discus titles will be an intense competition among teammates as ASU regional qualifiers Brittani Williams, Beverly Burnett, Nikole Simmons, and Crystal Miller will all compete for the conference crowns. Western's Miranda Long, Jenn Hawkins, and Sharhonda Bell will challenge for the individual titles.
The action for the 2005 Southern Conference Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships kicks off at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 30, and will culminate with the presentation of awards at approximately 5:45 pm on Sunday, May 1 in Cullowhee, NC. Admission to the championships is free.
For more information log on to www.SoConSports.com or visit the Western Carolina University athletic website at CatamountSports.com. Complete results will be available on both sites.
Schedule of EventsSaturday, April 30 Decathlon - 8:15am 100 meters Long Jump Shot Put High Jump 400 meters Heptathlon - 8:30am 100 meter hurdles High Jump Shot Put 200 meters
Track & Field Events Schedule
9:00am 10,000 (M) Finals Hammer (M) Finals 9:45am 10,000 (W) Finals 11:30am Hammer (W) Finals 12:00pm Pole Vault (M) Finals 12:30pm Long Jump (M&W) Finals 1:45pm 400m Trials (W-M) 2:00pm Javelin (W) Finals 2:30pm 100m Trials (W-M) 3:15pm 100mH/110mH Trials (W-M) 4:00pm 800m Trials (W-M) Pole Vault (W) Finals 4:30pm Discus (M) Finals 4:45pm 400mH Trials (W-M) 5:30pm 200m Trials (W-M) 6:15pm 3000m SC (W) Finals 6:45pm 3000m SC (M) Finals
Sunday, May 1 Decathlon - 9:00am 110 meter hurdles Discus Throw Pole Vault Javelin Throw 1500 meters Heptathlon - 9:00am Long Jump Javelin Throw 800 meters
Track & Field Events Schedule
11:45am Discus (W) Finals 12:30pm Shot Put (M) Finals Triple Jump (W&M)Finals 2:00pm 4x100m (W-M) Finals **Pole Vault - foul weather make-up 2:30pm 1500m (W-M) Finals 2:50pm 400m (W-M) Finals 3:10pm 100m (W-M) 3:30pm 100mH/110mH (W-M)Finals Shot Put(W)Finals Javelin (M) Finals High Jump (M&W) Finals 3:50pm 800m (W-M) Finals 4:10pm 400mH (W-M) Finals 4:30pm 200m (W-M) Finals 4:50pm 5000m (W-M) Finals 5:30pm 4x400m (W-M) Finals
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