Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Sun Belt Championships
Blue Raiders, Lady Raiders Both Picked to Defend Titles
2/28/2003 9:18:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Sun Belt Conference men's and women's track & field coaches expect the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and Lady Raiders to repeat as the league's indoor champions according to the pre-championship coaches poll released Friday by the conference office. Middle Tennessee will begin defense of its titles on Saturday at the Convocation Center on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
The Blue Raiders earned 80 points and eight first-place votes in the men's poll, while the Lady Raiders garnered 98 points and nine first-place votes. The Middle Tennessee men's and women's indoor track & field teams have won two consecutive conference titles each, every season since joining the league.
Blue Raider Mardy Scales will be working to improve several NCAA provisional marks in the 55-meter dash and the 200-meter run to go with his automatic qualifying mark in the 60-meter dash. Scales, a junior, is the only Sun Belt student-athlete to post an automatic qualifying mark going into the championship meet.
Host Arkansas State is expected to finish second in the men's competition with 65 points in the coaches' poll. The Indians are followed closely by North Texas in third with 61 points and the remaining first-place vote. Western Kentucky placed fourth in the poll with 53 points, followed by Louisiana-Lafayette with 51. Rounding out the poll - Arkansas-Little Rock in sixth with 33 points, Florida International in seventh with 28, South Alabama in eighth with 22, and New Orleans in ninth with 12.
On the women's side, North Texas received 87 points and the remaining first-place vote for second in the coaches' poll. Florida International was selected third with 71 points, followed closely by New Mexico State with 66 points, host Arkansas State with 62 and Western Kentucky with 56. Rounding out the poll - Arkansas-Little Rock in seventh with 36 points, Louisiana-Lafayette in eighth with 31, South Alabama in ninth with 28, and New Orleans in 10th with 15.
2003 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Coaches
Pre-championships Polls
Men
1. Middle Tennessee 80 (8)
2. Arkansas State 65
3. North Texas 61 (1)
4. Western Kentucky 53
5. Louisiana-Lafayette 51
6. Arkansas-Little Rock 33
7. Florida International 28
8. South Alabama 22
9. New Orleans 12
Women
1. Middle Tennessee 98 (9)
2. North Texas 87 (1)
3. Florida International 71
4. New Mexico State 66
5. Arkansas State 62
6. Western Kentucky 56
7. Arkansas-Little Rock 36
8. Louisiana-Lafayette 31
9. South Alabama 28
10. New Orleans 15
