Track Squads Ready for Conference Championships

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The defending conference champion Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, as well as the Lady Raiders, will begin competition in the Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday afternoon at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans. Both teams were picked to win the conference meet in a vote of the league's coaches. The Blue Raiders won last year's meet in New Orleans and both squads won the indoor championships earlier this season. Both squads, but especially the men, have battled injuries throughout the spring, but most everyone should be healthy for this weekend. "We have really struggled with health this spring on our men's team, but we are relatively healthy heading into this weekend's meet," Hayes said. "We are the defending champions, but this will be a tough meet for us to win if we are not completely healthy on the men's and women's side. "We will be challenged by several teams, but Arkansas State has to be at the top of the list for the men and there are a whole list of teams who could win on the women's side." Middle Tennessee's men's squad edged out North Texas by three points for tops in the coaches poll with 70 points and three first-place votes. The Mean Green also collected three first place votes along with Western Kentucky, who finished right behind North Texas. Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas-Little Rock followed in the poll with Florida International, South Alabama and New Orleans rounding out the nine teams competing for the title. The Raiders will be led in the meet by senior sprinter Godfrey Herring. The 2002 indoor All-American is the league record holder in the 400 meters and currently has an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 45.60, nearly two seconds faster than anyone in the league. Herring is also a part of MT's 4x400-meter relay team that features four athletes that have posted sub-48 second quarters. Herring earned the Most Outstanding Performer Award at last year's meet. He earned the fourth All-America award of his career during the indoor season and will begin his quest for a fifth honor at this weekend's meet. He is the only four-time All-American in Middle Tennessee history among 63 All-America honors under long-time head coach Dean Hayes. Sophomore Chris Koger finished second in last year's meet in the high jump and owns the best mark in the conference this spring, as well, clearing 7-1.75 at the Auburn Invitational in March and then again at the Sea Ray Relays. The Blue Raiders also have the top times this spring in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, clocking provisional qualifying times in both events. The squad also hopes to score with junior Goeffrey Lagat in the distance events, as well as DJ Spann in the 400m hurdles and freshman Wesley Dupar-Scott and sophomore Mardy Scales in the sprints. For the Lady Raiders, the strong point continues to be the long and triple jumps. The foursome of Stephany Reid, Letitia Eady, Kim Freeman and Jameka Collins have the top four marks in the triple jump this spring, with Reid and Eady in the top four in the long jump. Freeman won the triple jump at last year's meet en route to earning All-America honors. Freshmen Rosemary Okafor and Kishara George posted two of the three fastest times in the 400m this spring, including Okafor's provisional qualifying time of 53.70 at the Alabama Relays in late March. The two are also part of the 4x400m relay that posted the league's fastest time this season with a 3:39.35 at the Texas Relays. On the women's side, the Lady Raiders are picked to again run away from the field at the championships, picking up 98 points in the poll and nine of 10 first-place votes. North Texas was the only other squad to get a top vote. New Mexico State followed the Lady Eagles in the poll, ahead of Arkansas State, Florida International, South Alabama and Western Kentucky. Arkansas-Little Rock, Louisiana-Lafayette and New Orleans finish off the poll. The meet begins Friday with the decathlon and heptathlon, as well as the men's and women's 10,000m late in the evening. The five remaining events in the decathlon and the three left in the heptathlon will start Saturday's action, with field events beginning at noon and running events starting at 6 p.m. Sunday begins with the rest of the field events at 9 a.m. and running events starting at 6 p.m. again.

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

Related News

Next Event

Related Videos