Track & Field Prepares for SLC Championships
2/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 15, 2007
After taking a week off, the Stephen F. Austin men and women's track and field team will be in Houston, Texas to compete at the Southland Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Ladyjacks are the two-time defending indoor champions, while the Lumberjacks are looking for their second title in three years.
The competition begins Friday with the men's and women's multis. The women's pentathlon will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the men's heptathlon getting underway 20 minutes later. The field events will begin at 3 p.m. with the women's weight throw. The women's mile run will kick off the track events at 4 p.m. The competition will pick back up Saturday at 8:30 a.m., with the completion of the heptathlon. The meet will take place at the Bill Yeoman Field House on the University of Houston campus.
There are several SFA athletes to keep an eye on heading into the championship meet. Cody Clark has currently posted the league's best time in the 5,000 meters (15:21.62). He is closely followed by teammates Keith Mahipala (15:28.17) and Aaron Hohn (15:37.03) who have recorded fourth and fifth best times in the league, respectably. Junior Justin Reyes currently sits atop the league's high jump standings, clearing a height of 6-9.50, while defending outdoor champion Ryder Peacock is currently fifth in the standings having cleared a height of 6-7.00. Newcomer Josh Cruse will go in search of an individual title in the men's triple jump. He has recorded the second best mark (49-1.75) heading into the league meet. School record-holder Darwin Johnson currently leads the league standings in the weight throw with a toss of 59-10.25. He is being joined by rookie Matt Langdon who is fifth in the standings with a throw of 55-9.75.
On the women's side, junior Katrina Roundtree will look to bring SFA an even strong presence in the sprints. Roundtree has recorded the second fastest time in the 400 meters (57.66). She is also currently among the league's top 10 in the 200 meters as well. Newcomer Amie Morton will contend for a conference title in the women's 3,000 meters. She has posted the league's third-fastest time this season clocking a 9:59.10. SFA will have a couple athletes vying for the individual high jump title. Juniors Audrey Azu and Meghan Denman are currently tied for the second-best jump in the league so far this season, clearing a height of 5-7.75. The Ladyjacks currently have three athletes in the top of eight of the shot put standings, including two freshman. True freshman Kaitlyn Andrews is currently second overall (47-5.75), followed closely by junior Markeshia Edwards (46-1.50). Redshirt freshman Frednisha Marshall is eighth overall (43-9.00) heading into the league championships. Edwards and Marshall also expect to make some noise in the weight throw. Edwards (57-7.75) currently leads the field, while Marshall (56-9.50) is third overall. They will be joined by senior LaQuisha Houston who is currently tied for seventh in the event (52-6.00). Freshman Tabitha Riley will be competing for a league title in the pentathlon during her first season on campus. Riley heads into the championships with the second-best mark so far this season. Riley recorded a score of 3,302 points at the Razorback Invitational.
-SFA-
