Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
MT and Arkansas State lead SBC championships
2/23/2002 9:45:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country
- Complete Results
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After the first day of the 2002 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, Arkansas State grabbed the early lead on the men's side while host Middle Tennessee was in first place in the women's standings. The championships, which are being held at MT's Murphy Center, will conclude on Sunday.
Following Arkansas State (41.50) on the men's side are Western Kentucky (29.50), Middle Tennessee (28), Louisiana-Lafayette (23), North Texas (20), Arkansas-Little Rock (18), South Alabama (13), Florida International (13), and New Orleans (9).
The Lady Raiders are pacing the women with 42 points followed by North Texas (38), Western Kentucky (37), Arkansas State (23), Florida International (22.50), New Mexico State (21.50), Louisiana-Lafayette (18), Arkansas-Little Rock (18), South Alabama (9), and New Orleans (5).
Highlighting the morning session for the women was a clean sweep by Middle Tennessee in the long jump. Letitia Eady captured first place with a personal best jump of 19-11.75, while teammate Stephany Reid placed second with a leap of 19-08.75. Kim Freeman completed Middle Tennessee's sweep of the top three positions with a jump of 19-05.50.
Also in the morning, Arkansas State's Amanda Sweeten won the pole vault with a height of 11-11.25 and North Texas' LaTrecia Taylor was first in the shot put with a season best mark of 46-02.5. UNT also picked up a first place in the high jump when Maria Spencer won a jump off. Spencer and Middle Tennessee's Amanda Forrester both recorded jumps of 5-06.00, but Spencer earned the top spot by winning the jump off.
In the evening session, South Alabama's Bibiche Mankatu had the best time in the 800-meter run at 2:15.25 followed by Arkansas-Little Rock's Jenny Sjostrom (2:16.14) and Petra Forsberg (2:16.33). Alexia Dean (FIU), Anita Edwards (FIU), Kashara George (MT), Nicolette Jarrett (MT), Bromeka Holmes (MT), Erica Goodrich (ASU), Shyrell Hobson (NMSU), Lanora Gray (MT), Lisa Helm (NT), Dado Kamissoko (USA), Candace Rowe (NT), and Kim Brown (NT) moved into the finals of Sunday's 400-meter dash.
In the 55-meter dash, finalists on Sunday will be Rosmary Okafor (MT), Ananka Clark (NT), Vronique Wilson (FIU), Latoya Johnson (NMSU), Ebony Thompkins (USA), Felicia Jones (NT), Celeste Robillard (NMSU), Shanita Blanton (ASU), Monica Coates (NT), Kariecia Settles (ASU), Lisa Daniels (ASU), and Venisha Williams (FIU). Monica Coates (NT), who had a season best time of 7.96, Ebony Thompkins and Kelley Smith (MT) highlight tomorrow's finals in the 55-meter hurdles.
Lady Hilltopper Olga Cronin outlasted UALR's Leah Thorvilson to win the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:59.37. Thorvilson was clocked at 10:02.81. Arkansas-Little Rock won the Distance Medley over Western Kentucky with a time of 12:11.87.
In the final preliminary event of the day, Florida International's Vronique Wilson recorded her top time of the year in the 200 meters (23.92) to highlight the finalists. Also moving on are Okafor (MT), Clark (NT), Dean (FIU), Shemmeka Hopkins (USA), Johnson (NMSU), Lee (NMSU), Rhonda Williams (NT), Holmes (MT), Jarrett (MT), Kim Burress (NMSU) and Williams (FIU).
On the men's side, Middle Tennessee's Chris Koger set a career best of 7-00.00 to win the high jump over Arkansas State's Terry LoFrese, who had a mark of 6-10.00. In the long jump, ASU's Mesut Yavas nipped MT's Rob Jordan for first place with a distance of 25-00.50. Jordan, who had four fouls in his six jumps, registered a 24-08.25.
Western Kentucky's Raigo Toompuu recorded a season best throw of 53-08.50 to easily win the shot put over Jerome Carrothers of North Texas. Carrothers owned the league's top mark of 52-05.25 entering the championship.
In the running events, Andrew Shokur (UALR), Omar Smith (UNO), Seth Bortey (ASU), Sean Prospect (FIU), Philbert Amuzu (ASU), Nicolas Bacon (WKU), Kwesi Cudjoe-Chow (UNO), Dmitru Shokur (UALR), and Brian Stephenson (NT) all advanced to tomorrow's finals in the 800-meter run. The finalists in the 400 meters will be Godfrey Herring (MT), Jon Erik Shanklin (UL), Twan Jackson (USA), Fred Williams (MT), Joaquin Bassols (FIU), El Rico Batiste (UNO), David Turner (NT), Justin Miller (WKU), Omar Ali (MT), Samy Barka (USA), Greg Johnson (FIU) and Norman Clay (NT).
Showcasing the preliminaries in the 55-meter dash were Marty Scales (MT) with an overall best time of 6.30, DJ Spann (MT), Jonathon Brown (WKU), Jamare Clarington (FIU) and Wesley Dupar-Scott (MT). In the 55-meter hurdles, Jamare Clarington (FIU), SBC Championship record holder Jasper Demps (MT) and North Texas' Sammy Dabbs lead the way into the finals.
Jaraslan Bienecki ran a season best 8:34.23 to win the 3,000-meter run over Arkansas-Little Rock's Brent Corbitt (8:36.23) and Middle Tennessee's Geoffrey Lagat (8:44.50).
In the 200 meters, Western Kentucky's Brown and Middle Tennessee's Marty Scales, Brad Orr, Spann, Dupar-Scott and Ali highlighted the list of finalists. Brown recorded a time of 21.36.
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