SFA Track & Field Finish 2nd at SLC Indoors
2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 29, 2008
HOUSTON, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack and Ladyjack track and field teams recorded a strong showing at the 2008 Southland Conference Indoor Championships last weekend in Houston. The Ladyjacks scored 114.50 points to earn the runner-up finish, while the 'Jacks finished second with a score of 101.50.
The men and women showed their depth across all the event areas during the two-day meet. SFA recorded 20 All-Southland Conference performances, won four individual titles, set three SLC records, one school record and recorded an NCAA provisional mark.
"I told the team after the meet that it was our overall best effort in my nine years as the head coach of this program," said head coach Phil Olson. "We can walk away feeling very proud of our accomplishments, as we saw four conference champs crowned and had 21 All-SLC performances. In past conference meets that we won, there were some instances of a let down in various event areas, events where we should have competed better. This year, we went over and above our expectations - the only thing lacking were two team titles. Now we need to figure how we can win outdoors."
Sophomore Frednisha Marshall continued to dominate the women's weight throw. She set a new Southland Conference record, and recorded an NCAA provisional mark with a throw of 63-11.50 to win the event. Sophomore Matt Langdon completed an SFA sweep in the event when he won the men's weight throw with a mark of 62-2.25.
On the second day of the meet, senior Katrina Roundtree and junior Kelsea David added to the SFA haul. Rountree won the women's 400 meters with a time of 55.69, while David cleared a height of 11-9.75 in the pole vault to bring home her first conference individual title.
Along with David in the pole vault, senior Kristina Windham cleared a height of 11-9.75 to also earn all-conference honors as well. David and Windham were two of three Ladyjacks to place in the top eight in the event as junior Ashley Dickeson cleared a height of 10-10.00 to finish in a tie for eighth overall.
The Ladyjacks finish in the pole vault seemed like the rule, and not the exception for both SFA squads, as SFA had multiple scorers in several events led by the throws and multis. Less than 24 hours after winning the weight throw, Marshall returned to the field to earn a conference runner-up finish in the shot put (48-3.50). Her mark was just long enough to beat out teammate Kaitlyn Andrews (46-9.00) who earned all-conference by finishing third in the event.
Sophomores Tabitha Riley and Aaron Harlan each recorded runner-up finishes in the multi events, and were both one of three athletes to place in the top eight of their respective event. Along with Riley in the pentathlon, freshmen Megan Harlan (fifth) and Ebbonye Johnson (sixth) scored for SFA. While in the heptathlon, Harlan was joined by sophomore Chris Jones (fourth) and rookie Jacques Neyrey (fifth).
The 'Jacks squeezed three in the top eight of the men's 5,000 meters, while Ladyjacks recorded two scorers in the women's 60-meter dash. Sophomore Keith Mahipala recorded a time of 15:03.00 to finish fifth overall in the men's 5,000 meters. He edged out freshman Mitchell Ownbey (15:04.59) and Dennis Yeats (15:09.83) who finished sixth and eight, respectively.
Freshman Arteria Sterns and Kelia Crawford advanced to the finals of the women's 60-meter dash. Sterns finished sixth overall with a time of 7.82, while Crawford clocked a time of 7.83 to place eighth overall.
Along with the multiple scores in single events, SFA also had a number of individuals that scored in multiple events. Senior Ashley Monteau closed out her Ladyjack career by earning an all-conference honor in the women's 3,000 meters, and a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 meters.
Along with his performance in the 5,000 meters, Mahipala also recorded a top-five finish in the 3,000 meters. Mahipala recorded time of 8:32.09 to place fifth in the event.
Senior co-captain Zach Ross earned two runner-up finishes at the meet. Ross recorded a time of 48.87 to finish second in the 400 meters. He followed that up with a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles (8.12). Joining Ross in the hurdles was Harlan, who came over from the heptathlon to record a sixth-place finish in the hurdles.
For the Ladyjacks, Roundtree followed up her championship in the 400-meters with an eighth-place finish in the 200 meters. On the men's side, freshman Ty Thomas recorded a fourth-place finish in the 60 meters (6.921) and a fifth-place finish in the 200 (22.24).
Sophomores Silent-Joye Egboba-Waye and Riley put up points for SFA in the women's 60-meter hurdles. Egboba-Waye clocked a time 8.84 to finish fourth in the event. Egboba-Waye finished just one-tenth of a second ahead of Riley (8.94), who was fifth overall.
Egboba-Waye was able to add to the Ladyjacks' point total in the long jump. She recorded a mark of 18-8.00 to finish fifth overall.
Senior Audrey Azu was one of three Ladyjacks to score points in the high jump. Azu earned all-conference honors with her third-place finish in the event (5-8.00). Senior Meghan Denman cleared a height of 5-6.00 to finish fifth overall, while Johnson moved over from the pentathlon to place seventh in the high jump (5-4.25).
SFA also had several other athletes earn all-conference honors at the meet. Senior Justin Reyes recorded the meet's second-best mark in the men's high jump. He cleared a height of 6-9.00 to finish second and earn All-SLC honors. Geoffrey Carey chimed in with an all-conference honor in the men's pole vault. Carey cleared a height of 16-2.75 to finish third overall in the event. Team co-captain Sumbo Adeniran was third in the long jump recording a mark of 24-00.25. The Lumberjacks' 4x400-meter relay team closed out the meet by earning all-conference honors. The team recorded a time of 3:19.13 to place third overall.
Other athletes that stepped up and scored for SFA were freshman Kenneth Charles, sophomore Josh Cruse, freshman Amy Shackelford, the men's distance medley relay team, and the Ladyjacks 4x400-meter relay team. Charles finished seventh in the men's shot put (50-6.25), while Cruse recorded a fourth-place finish in the triple jump (48-4.00). Shackelford joined Monteau in the top eight of the women's 5,000 meters. She crossed the line fifth overall with a time of 18:12.36.
The 'Jacks' distance medley relay team of Brian Wall, Marc Evans, Travis Beavers and Elliot Starcevich recorded a time of 10:38.43 to finish seventh overall. The Ladyjacks added a seventh-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:58.36.
Marshall ended the meet as the Ladyjacks' high-point scorer, while Ross brought home the honor on the men's side. Marsahll scored 18 points to lead the Ladyjacks, while Ross finished the meet with a team-high 17.50 points.
-SFA-
