Stephen F. Austin
SLC Indoor Championships
Ladyjacks Take the Lead at SLC Indoor Championships
2/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 25, 2011
NORMAN, Okla. - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack track and field team scored 56.50 points Friday in the opening day of competition to lead the pack at the 2011 Southland Conference Indoor Championships. The `Jacks are second overall with a score of 35.50, but still had one event remaining to be scored.
SFA jumped out to a great start winning two individual conference tiles, and posted seven all-conference finishes. Both conference titles came from the women's squad. Junior Carrie Hahn recorded the Ladyjacks' first individual title of the meet when she cleared a height of 5-8.75 in the high jump to win the event. Freshman Heather McPherson was fifth in the high jump after clearing a height of 5-3.00.
The Ladyjacks put up big points in the women's 5,000 meters placing four in the top eight, including two all-conference finishes. SFA was led by transfer Lauren Smith who finished second overall with a time of 17:23.95. Smith just beat out teammate Megan Jenkins who crossed the finish line third overall with a time of (17:28.82). Freshman Laurie Byrd and junior Amy Shackelford went five-seven respectively in the event. Byrd clocked a time of 17:37 to finish fifth, while Shackelford posted a 17:41.
It was a similar performance for the SFA women in the long jump. Led by sophomore Crystal Walker who won the event, the Ladyjacks placed three jumpers in the overall top eight. Defending 2010 long jump champion, Camelia Sams just missed all-conference honors with her fourth-place finish Friday, while freshman Kirsten Knox was fifth overall. The women's long jumps were not posted by at the time of release.
SFA placed two in the top four of the men's 5,000-meters run led by Xavier Rodriguez who earned all-conference honors with a third-place finish (14:06.66). Senior Dennis Yeats just missed all-conference honors finishing fourth (14:18.63). Freshman Colton Ross just missed a conference title in the men's pole vault. Ross cleared the height (16-4.75) that won the league title, but finished second overall after the tiebreak. Classmate Jamal Peden tacked on another all-conference finish for the Lumberjacks in the long jump. Peden recorded a mark of 23-7.25 to place third overall.
The 'Jacks just missed placing three in the finals of the weight throw. Junior Jon Arthur led the way with a fourth-place finish (58-6.00) in the event. Classmate Kyle Bishop recorded a throw of 55-0 to finish eighth overall.
The Ladyjacks placed two in the top of the pentathlon. Senior Alicia Jackson led the way with a sixth-place finish (3,331 points), while classmate Megan Harlan scored 3,297 points to finish eighth overall. Senior Andrew Plentl, who is one of the favorites in the heptathlon, finished tied for eighth in the high jump clearing a height of 6-6.25.
The SFA men and women return to action for the final day of competition in the SLC Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday. The meet will resume at 8:30 a.m. with the closing events of the heptathlon. The Ladyjacks will be going in search of their third consecutive indoor title.
-SFA-
