|
2004 Laker Season |
Clayton State 4x400m
relay team named
All-America
at NCAA Division II National Championships Sat.
Walnut, CA -- May
29, 2004 – The Clayton College & State University 4x400m relay team
placed sixth in finals of the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships
Saturday in Walnut, CA, and in the process, became the school’s first men’s
track & field athletes to receive All-America honors.
The relay team of
senior Rother Heard (Conyers), junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA), freshman
Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA) and freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA) finished
with a time of 3:13.05 at the meet held at Mt. San Antonio College.
“This has been
an amazing season for our men’s team,” said Mead.
“We went from having Tony (Juarez) being a provisional qualifier the
previous two seasons to having a total of six guys make nationals this year and
four being named All-America. “They have put our program on the map…we’ve
made tremendous strides.”
St. Augustine’s
won the race with a time of 3:05.61, followed by North Dakota State in second at
3:07.75. Abilene Christian finished third in front of N.C. Central and Texas
A&M Commerce. The Laker team finished ahead of fellow Georgia schools Albany
State and Morehouse. Central Missouri State placed ninth in the race.
The squad
advanced to the finals on Saturday with the sixth best qualifying time on Friday
of 3:13.04. The Lakers entered the national meet with the seventh fastest 4x
400m team in Division II. The top eight of the nine teams in the finals received
All-America honors.
In addition to
the relay team, Simmons and Juarez competed in the 400m and 1500m events earlier
in the week but neither was able to advance to the finals in their respective
events. Senior Juarez (East Hazel
Crest, IL) placed 17th in the 1500m race, while Simmons came in 16th
in the 400m race.
Clayton State 4x400m
relay team advances to finals of NCAA Division II National Championships Sat.
Walnut, CA -- May
28, 2004 – Clayton College & State University’s 4x400m relay team
advanced to the finals of the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships
Friday in Walnut, CA, and now has a good shot of picking up All-America honors
in the event on Saturday.
The relay team of
senior Rother Heard (Conyers), junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA), freshman
Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA) and freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA) posted
the sixth fastest time in the two preliminary heats Friday, advancing the team
to the finals on Saturday.
Clayton State
finished with a time of 3:13.04, which was good for third in its heat behind
winner Abilene Christian with a time of 3:10.41 and second place finisher Texas
A&M Commerce at 3:12.78. North Dakota State had the fastest overall time in
the other heat with a time of 3:10.41.
The top two relay
teams from each of the two heats plus the other five fastest times advanced to
the finals on Saturday. Clayton State entered the preliminaries with the seventh
fastest 4x 400m team in Division II.
The finals of the
4x400m event will be at 7:15 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on Saturday at Mt. San
Antonio College. The top eight of the nine teams in the race will receive
All-America honors.
The Clayton State
track squad is participating in the national meet for the third time in four
years. Joni Guffey (Frankfort, KY) became the school’s first and only
All-America in the 1500m in 2002.
####
Simmons and Juarez
place 16th & 17th in 400m and 1500m events at NCAA
Track & Field Championships
Walnut, CA -- May
27, 2004 – Clayton College & State University’s Tony Juarez and Eric
Simmons competed in the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships
Thursday, but neither were able advance to the finals in their respective events
at the national meet held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA.
Senior Juarez
(East Hazel Crest, IL) placed 17th in the 1500m race, while freshman
Simmons (Carrollton, GA) came in 16th in the 400m race. Simmons along
with his 4x400m teammates will return to the track on Friday for the
preliminaries of the 4x400 relay event.
Simmons finished
the 400m with a time of 48.05 and placed sixth in his heat behind winner Jordan
Varden of Livingstone College with a time of 46.55. He entered the race as the
third-fastest Division II freshman and ranked 18th overall with a
school record time of 47.47 at the Georgia Tech Invitational.
St. Augustine’s
Nathaniel McKinney had the fastest 400m time of the day, winning the second heat
with a time of 46.25. The top three finishers of the three heats plus the next
six fastest times advanced to the finals on Saturday.
“Eric didn’t
have his best race of the season but still did well. He is just a freshman, and
I think he was battling nerves a bit,” said head coach Mike Mead. “Getting
this race under his belt will help him, and he’ll be ready to go tomorrow in
the 4x400.”
Juarez placed
eighth in his preliminary heat of the 1500m with a time of 4:05.11. South Dakota
State’s Brad Lowery won the heat with a time of 4:01.95. The top five
finishers in each of the two heats Thursday, plus the next two fastest times
advanced to the Saturday’s finals.
“Tony had a bit
of bad luck as the first heat was more of a tactical race, and he got caught up
in the pack and was unable to make a move into the top five where could’ve
qualified for the finals,” said head coach Mike Mead. “Tony had a super
career at Clayton State and set a high mark for our distance runners in the
future.”
Abilene
Christian’s Bernard Manirakiza had the fastest time of the second heat in the
1500m, winning with a time of 3:51.98. Seven of the nine runners in the second
heat qualified for the finals on Saturday.
The race ends
Juarez’s decorated running career at Clayton State. He holds Clayton State’s
1500m record with a time of 3:50.91, set earlier this season at the Butler
Twilight. He also holds the school record in the 800m, 3000m and 5000m events,
as well as, the school marks in the cross country in the 8K and 10K events.
Along with
Simmons, the relay team of senior Rother Heard (Conyers), junior Carlos Guyton
(Thomasville, GA) and freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA) will compete in the
preliminaries of 4x400m relay on Friday.
The Clayton State
relay team will enter the meet seeded as the seventh fastest 4x 400m team in
Division II and have a solid shot at All-America honors that will go to the top
eight finishers.
The Clayton State
track squad is participating in the national meet for the third time in four
years. Joni Guffey (Frankfurt, KY) became the school’s first and only
All-America in the 1500m in 2002.
Clayton State Track
& Field sending
five to NCAA Track Finals
MORROW, May 18, 2004 – For
the third time in four years, Clayton State will be represented at the NCAA
Division II Track & Field Championships.
On Tuesday, final entry listings were posted and the Clayton State
men’s squad landed five runners in three events – a first in the program’s
eight-year history. The
championship meet will be run next week, May 27-29, at Mt. San Antonio College
in Walnut, Calif.
“This is quite an honor for these guys
and our program,” said Laker head coach Mike Mead.
“This particular bunch carried us throughout most of the season and
this is a well-deserved accomplishment.”
Qualifying for the meet are freshman Brian
Etelman (Marietta), junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville), senior Rother Heard
(Conyers), senior Tony Juarez (East Hazel Crest, Ill.) and freshman Eric Simmons
(Carrollton). Simmons qualified in
two events, the 400m and the 4 x 400m relay.
Juarez will compete in the 1500m while Simmons will team up with Etelman,
Guyton and Heard on the 4 x 400m. The
Clayton State relay team will enter the meet seeded as the seventh fastest 4 x
400m team in Division II and have a solid shot at All-America honors that will
go to the Top 8 finishers in each event.
In 2001 and 2002, Clayton State had one
representative at the national meet from the women’s team in Joni Guffey. She
competed in the 1500m run and earned All-America honors in 2002 in her final
collegiate race at the national meet in San Angelo, Texas.
“This has been an amazing season for our
men’s team,” said Mead. “We
went from having Tony being a provisional qualifier the previous two seasons to
having a total of six guys hit times this season.
We’ve made tremendous strides in 2004!”
Juarez missed making the 2003 national
meet by five days when he ran a time (3:50.97) after the qualifying deadline
that would have gotten him into the meet. This
season’s team MVP earned his spot on May 1 with a 3:50.91 victory at the
Butler Twilight in Indianapolis. Juarez
enters next week’s national meet ranked 13th in the 1500m event.
Meantime, Simmons and the 4 x 400m relay
team improved their chances just this past weekend at the Georgia Tech
Invitational. Simmons improved his
school record to 47.47 in the 400m while the relay ran 3:11.24.
Simmons, the third-fastest Division II freshman in the 400m this season,
will enter the national meet ranked 18th.
“Each of these guys have a chance to
earn All-America honors,” said Mead. “When
Joni made it in 2002, she entered her event ranked 11th and finished
sixth in the final. With the racing
these guys have done this season, they’re ready for success.”
Next week’s Division II national meet
will mark the sixth for Mead as an athlete and coach.
During his college days at West Georgia, Mead ran in three national meets
in the 3,000m steeplechase and one of those meets was held at Mt. SAC, which
last hosted a Division II meet in 1980.
Clayton State also achieved NCAA
provisional times in the 4 x 100 and from Etelman in the 200m.
Unfortunately, the efforts did not rank high enough to make the cut to
advance to the national meet.
Simmons
and relay teams break school records, lower NCAA provisional marks at GA
Tech Invitational
Atlanta, GA ---
May 15, 2004 --- Clayton College & State University freshman Eric
Simmons and the Laker relay teams bettered their chances to make the NCAA
National Track & Field Championships later this month with school
record-setting performances at the Georgia Tech Invitational Saturday at George
C. Griffin Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
Simmons
(Carrollton, GA) won his heat in the 400m race, placing 21st among
some stiff competition in the event. He broke his own school record with a time
of 47.47 seconds, more than two-tenths of a second faster than his best time
earlier this year at the Georgia Invitational.
The 4x400m relay
team of senior Rother Heard (Conyers, GA), freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta,
GA), junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA) and Simmons lowered its NCAA
provisional time in the 4x400m, placing fifth with a time of 3:11.29, more than
a second faster than the team’s school record time of 3:12.92 set at Georgia.
There was some
confusion immediately after the race, as initially the Laker team was
disqualified for a lane violation, but meet officials later overturned the
ruling.
The 4x100m relay
team of Heard, Etelman, Simmons and Guyton also broke the school record with a
time of 41.12, seven-hundredths of a second faster than the school best set
earlier this season at the Georgia Invitational. Clayton State placed 16th
in the race.
Simmons
in the 400m, both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams and senior Tony Juarez (East
Hazel Crest, IL) in the 1500m now must wait to see if their provisional
qualifying times will be enough to get them into the NCAA Division II national
meet May 26-29 in Walnut, CA. Final declarations for nationals will be announced
next week.
Juarez had an
“off-day” Friday at the Georgia Tech meet, placing 54th in the
1500m race with a time of 4:09.26. His best NCAA provisional time was earlier
this season at the Butler Twilight when he ran a school record time of 3:50.91.
Also on Saturday,
senior Stephen Hughes (Hampton, GA) ran a personal best in the 800m with a time
of 1:54.06, almost two seconds faster than his previous best and only
five-tenths of a second from Juarez’s school mark in the 800m. The performance
was the second-fastest 800m in Clayton State history.
Clayton
State’s Juarez places 3rd in 1500m
at Orange & Blue Classic; Lakers to run at GA Tech Invit. Fri.-Sat.
Clemson, SC ---
May 8, 2004 --- Senior Tony Juarez led a select group of Clayton College
& State University track & field athletes Saturday, placing third in the
1500m race at the Orange & Purple Classic at Clemson University.
Despite hot
conditions, Juarez (East Hazel Crest, IL) posted the third fastest 1500m time in
school history with a time of 3:51.42. Junior Adil Berkhedle (Birchmount,
Ontario) closed out his year with his best 800m time of the season, finishing 18th
with a time of 1:55.88.
On the women’s
side, senior Penny Tinker (Mesa, AZ) finished eighth in the 1500m with a time of
4:52.23, followed by sophomore Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) in 11th
with a time of 4:57.97. Sophomore Melissa Shaw (Morrow, GA) finished 13th
in the 800m with a time of 2:21.09.
A small group of
Clayton State runners will close out its regular season on Friday and Saturday,
May 14-15, in the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta, GA.
Scheduled to
participate in the regular season finale will be Clayton State’s six athletes
that have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II National
Championships, plus Tinker, Shaw and senior Stephen Hughes (Hampton, GA).
Along with Juarez,
senior Elijah Ajayi (Riverdale, GA), freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA),
junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA), senior Rother Heard (Conyers, GA) and
freshman Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA) will participate in the meet and try to
improve their NCAA provisional qualifying times.
Juarez has hit the
provisional time in the 1500m, while Etelman and Simmons have achieved the
provisional mark in the 200m and 400m events, respectively. Etelman, Guyton,
Heard and Simmons have hit the provisional mark in the 4x400m relay, while Ajayi,
Etelman, Guyton and Heard made the provisional mark in the 4x100m relay.
The NCAA Division
II National Championship meet is scheduled for May 26-29 in Walnut, CA.
####
Clayton
State’s Juarez wins
1500m at Butler Twilight in Indianapolis, ID; 4x400m relay team wins at UGA
Invitational
Morrow, GA ---
May 2, 2004 --- Three meets in three days …
the Clayton College & State University track and field squad was all
over the country this past weekend, competing in meets in Athens, GA,
Indianapolis, IN and finally on Sunday in Knoxville, TN, and at every stop, the
Lakers have something to brag about.
Clayton State won
events at two different meets, had four events provisionally qualify for the
2004 NCAA Division II National Championships and shattered four school records
in a weekend to remember for the track & field program in its seventh season
of competition.
“Wow, another
great weekend in Clayton State track history with four school records and four
NCAA provisional marks to go along with two firsts,” said head track and field
coach Mike Mead.
Senior Tony Juarez
(East Hazel Crest, IL) and the team’s 4x400m relay team had most impressive
performances, both bringing home first place finishes with national meet
provisional qualifying times.
Competing at the
Butler Twilight in Indianapolis, Juarez won the 1500m race in cold and windy
conditions with a school record time of 3:50.91, besting his own record mark by
six- hundredths of a second. His previous best was at the 2003 Georgia Tech
Invitational with a time of 3:50.97.
The trip for
Juarez, Clayton State’s record holder in several distance events, was somewhat
of a homecoming and a little unusual. He was the only Laker to compete in the
meet and traveled to the Midwest meet with fellow distance runners from the
State University of West Georgia. The meet was a homecoming for the three-time
national meet provisional qualifier, as it was within driving distance of his
parents in East Hazel Crest, IL.
“Tony caught a
lift to Indianapolis with a few folks from West Georgia and came away with the
win in a school record time that should secure him a trip to nationals later
this month,” said Mead.”
Juarez is currently
10th on the NCAA Division II qualifying list and still has two more
weeks to lower his time even further and better his chances for the national
meet. The automatic qualifying time for nationals in the 1500m is 3:47.00.
Clayton State
kicked off the weekend Friday and Saturday at the University of Georgia in the
Georgia Invitational in Athens, and like Juarez in Indianapolis, had some
impressive performances. Clayton State’s 4x400m relay team won at UGA with a
school record time of 3:12.92, marking the first time the Lakers had won an
event at the Georgia Invitational.
“Our 4x400m team
lowered our provisional time and school record en route to our first victory at
UGA,” said Mead. “Our 4x100m team became the sixth event to make a
provisional mark this season. Had you told me a year ago that both our relay
teams would run provisional marks this season, I would have said you,
‘you’re crazy.’”
The
4x400m relay team of freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA), senior Rother Heard
(Conyers, GA), junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA) and freshman Eric Simmons
(Carrollton, GA) lowered its school record and its NCAA national meet
provisional time by almost five-tenths of the second in the victory. The team
ran a provisional mark of 3:13.41 last week at the Samford Twilight in
Birmingham, AL.
The 4x100m relay
team of Heard, Etelman, senior Elijah Ajayi (Riverdale, GA) and Guyton
provisionally qualified for the meet with a school record time of 41.19, placing
fourth in the meet. The team broke its school record set last week at Samford by
over a tenth of a second.
For the second
straight week, Simmons bettered his chances of making the national meet in the
400m, breaking his own school record with a time of 47.69, finishing seventh. He
ran a NCAA provisional time of 47.79 last week at Samford. Heard finished fourth
in the triple jump with a leap of 46-feet-7 inches.
On the women’s
side, senior Penny Tinker (Mesa, AZ) ran a personal best time of 4:47.87 in the
1500m to place fourth, while sophomore Melisssa Shaw (Morrow, GA) finished sixth
in the 1500m with a time of 4:57.43.
The third and final
meet of the weekend for the Lakers was at the University of Tennessee’s
Gatorade Classic where CCSU’s Etelman had the top finish, placing second in
the 200m dash with a time of 21.73. Senior Stephen Hughes finished ninth in the
800m with a time of 1:56.93.
Sophomore Heather
Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) broke her own school record in the 3000m, placing
eighth with a time of 10:32.73. She broke her own school mark set earlier this
season by more 12 seconds. Tinker finished ninth 11th in the 800m run
with a time of 2:17.80.
The Lakers will
return to the track on Saturday, May 8th, running in the Orange &
Purple Classic, hosted by Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.
Lakers
bring home a trio of 1st
place finishes, set four school records at Samford Invit.; Simmons lowers
his NCAA provisional time in 400m
Birmingham, AL
--- April 24, 2004 --- The Clayton College & State University men’s
and women’s track and field teams set four school records, hit NCAA Division
II national meet provisional times in two events and brought home four first
place finishes Saturday at the Samford Twilight Invitational in Birmingham, AL.
Freshman Eric
Simmons (Carrollton, GA) had the top performance for the men’s squad, breaking
his own school record in the 400m with a time of 47.79, and in the process,
bettered his chances of advancing to the NCAA Division II national championships
by lowering his provisional time in the event. His school record time was good
for second in the race.
Simmons teamed with
senior Rother Heard (Conyers, GA), sophomore Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA) and
junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA) in the 4x400m relay to set another school
record and also provisionally qualified for nationals in the relay with a time
of 3:13.41 for a second place finish.
Senior Tony Juarez
(East Hazel Crest, IL) had his fourth first place finish in a 1500m race this
season, winning by almost 10 seconds with a time of 3:54.52. Junior Aletha
Binion (Carrollton, GA) finished first in the discus with a throw of 111-feet-2
¾ inches. The Clayton State men’s 4x100m relay team of senior Elijah Ajayi
(Riverdale, GA), Heard, Etelman and Guyton won the with a school record time of
41.33, only eight-hundredths of second from provisionally qualifying for
nationals.
In
addition to the school records set in the two men’s relay events and the 400m,
Clayton State’s Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) also set a new school
record in the 5000m race, placing 10th with a time of 18:30.15.
In other top
finishes for the men, Etelman finished third in the 200m with a time of 21.73
and Heard placed fourth in the 100m with a time of 10.93. Guyton finished fifth
in the 400m with a time of 48.93 and senior Stephen Hughes finished sixth in the
800m with a personal best time of 1:55.75.
Junior Adil
Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario) had a third place finish in the 1500m with a
time of 4:04.92 and Heard also had a third place finish in the triple jump with
a leap of 43-feet -11 ¾ inches. Junior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) finished
sixth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:35.9.
In other top
finishes for the women, sophomore Melissa Shaw (Morrow, GA) had a sixth place
finish in the 800m with a time of 2:18.80, followed by senior Penny Tinker
(Mesa, AZ) in seventh with a personal best time of 2:20.76.
Tinker also finished seventh in the 1500m run with a personal best time
of 4:51.25. Lindsay Heuther finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of
33-feet-10 ¼ inches.
Laker
men’s track & field places
fourth at
UAH/Alabama A&M Invitational Sat.
Hunstville, AL --- April 17, 2004 --- The
Clayton College & State University men’s track and field team placed
fourth, won three events and combined with the women’s squad to set three
school records Saturday at the Alabama Hunstville/Alabama A&M Invitational
in Hunstville, AL.
Clayton State finished with 72 points, seven
points behind Southern Arkansas University for third place and three points
ahead of metro-Atlanta rival Kennesaw State University. Harding University won
the meet with 174 points.
Freshman Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA),
senior Rother Heard (Conyers, GA) and the squad’s 4x400m relay team had the
top finishes, all bringing home first place finishes in their respective events.
Simmons won the 800m with a time of 1:55.15,
while Heard won the triple jump with a leap of 44-feet-1 ¾ inches. The 4x400m
relay team of Heard, Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA) and senior Stephen Hughes
(Hampton, GA) won with a time of 3:16.27, the fourth straight week the relay
team has took first place.
It was another record-setting day for senior
Tony Juarez (East Hazel Crest, IL), as he claimed his fourth individual school
record in the 3000m, placing second with a time of 8:56.81 and breaking the
school mark by more than 10 seconds. The record gives him the all-time best in
the 800m, 1500m, 3000m and 5000m events. Juarez
also placed second in the 1500m with a time of 4:00.00.
Sophomore Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City,
GA) also set a school mark in the 3000m, placing fifth in the race with a time
of 10:44.79, breaking the school mark by three seconds. Junior Beatrice Wade
(Fairburn, GA) broke her own school record in 400m hurdles to place sixth with a
time of 1:13.76.
In other top finishes for the men, Guyton
had two third place finishes in the 200m and in the 400m with times of 22.56 and
49.31, respectively. Heard also placed third in the 100m with a time of 11.25.
Hughes finished fourth in the 800m with a
time of 1:57.73, while junior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) placed fifth in the
5000m with a time of 16:27.82. Junior Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario)
finished sixth in the 1500m with a time of 4:07.61 and sixth in the 800m with a
time of 1:58.93.
The Clayton State women placed seventh in
the meet, and in addition to Krehbiel and Wade’s record-setting performances,
had top finishes from junior Aletha Binion (Carrollton, GA), sophomore Lindsey
Heuther (Smyrna, GA), sophomore Melissa Shaw (Morrow, GA) and senior Penny
Tinker (Mesa, AZ).
Binion placed third in the discus with a
throw of 108-2 ½, while Heuther finished third in the shot put with a toss of
32-3. Shaw finished fourth in the 800m run with a time of 2:23.44 and Wade
placed fifth in the triple jump at 32-10 ½.
Tinker and Shaw finished sixth and seventh
respectively in the 1500m run with times of 4:54.15 and 4:55.34. Wade placed
sixth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:13.76 and Heuther finished sixth in
the discus with a throw of 95-7.
Laker track team
places second at Cumberland Invit.;
Etelman and 4x400m team sets new meet records
Williamsburg,
KY --- April 10, 2004 --- The
Clayton College & State University men’s track & field team continued
its strong spring showing Saturday with another top team finish, placing second
in the Cumberland Invitational behind three first place finishes, including two
meet records at the meet in Williamsburg, KY.
Clayton
State finished the meet with 91 points, trailing winner Tiffin University with
115 points. The Lakers had a good shot at winning the meet until Tiffin took the
lead late with its results from the javelin competition.
Freshman
Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA) and the 4x400m relay team of Etelman, senior Tony
Juarez (East Hazel Crest, IL), junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA) and
freshman Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA) led the way, setting meet records with
their first place finishes.
Etelman
set the meet record with a time of 21.54 in the 200m and was only
seven-hundredths of a second from his school record set earlier this season at
the Emory Relays, a time that provisionally qualified him for the NCAA National
Championships. His effort broke the meet record of Berea College’s Jamie
Eckford back in 2002 of 21.66. The 4x400m relay team set a new school record and
the meet record with a time of 3:14.87, breaking the meet record set in the 2002
by Cumberland of 3:15.32.
In
addition to Etelman and the relay team, Guyton also brought home a first place
finish in the 400m race with a personal best time of 48.48 and Simmons had
similar success, winning the 800m with a time of 1:54.70.
On
the women’s side, senior Penny Tinker (Mesa, AZ) had the top finish for the
ladies, winning the 1500m race with a personal best time of 4:51.98, leading the
squad to a season best team finish of seventh. Sophomore Beatrice Wade set two
school records in the triple jump and 400m intermediate hurdles. She finished
fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 33-feet 2-1/2 inches and eighth in the
hurdles with a time of 1:15.70.
In
other top finishes for the men, Juarez placed second in the 800m with a time of
1:55.64, a day after he provisionally qualified in for nationals with a time of
3:52.97 in 1500m at the University of Tennessee’s Sea Ray Relays.
The
men’s 4x100m relay team of senior Elijah Ajayi (Riverdale, GA), Etelman,
Guyton and Simmons placed second with a time of 42.20. Ajayi also placed third
in the 100m with a time of 10.99, while senior Rother Heard (Conyers, GA)
finished third in the long jump with a leap of 21-6 ¼ and fourth in the triple
jump at 45-1.
Senior
Stephen Hughes (Hampton, GA) finished fifth in the 800m race with a personal
best time of 1:57.62, while junior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA) finished fifth in
the 3,000m steeple chase with a time of 10:15.39. Clayton State’s second
4x400m relay team of junior Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario), Heard, Ajayi
and Hughes finished fifth with a time of 3:25.77.
In
other top finishes for the women, sophomore Melissa Shaw (Morrow, GA) placed
third in the 800m with a time of 2:18.35, and the 4x400m relay team of Tinker,
Wade, sophomore Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) and Shaw finished third
with a time of 4:18.10.
Tinker
also had a fourth place finish in the 800m with a time of 2:22.75 and Krehbiel
had a fourth place in the 1500m with a time of 5:00.22.
Clayton State will return to
the track on Saturday, April 17th, traveling for the University of
Alabama-Huntsville Invitational. The meet will be on the campus of Alabama
A&M.
Juarez
provisionally qualifies for nationals in 1500m, placing 14 at Tennessee’s
Sea Ray Relays
Knoxville,
TN --- April 9, 2004 --- Clayton College & State University’s Tony
Juarez became the fourth Laker track & field athlete to qualify for
nationals Friday, placing 14th in the highly touted Sea Ray Relays at
the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN.
Juarez,
a senior, placed 14th in the largely NCAA Division I meet with a time
of 3:52.97, provisionally qualifying him for the NCAA Division II National
Championships in Walnut, California, May 26-29. He placed second in his heat and
defeated 16 Division I runners in the race.
The
East Hazel Crest, IL, native eclipsed the provisional mark by more than second
and will now try to lower his time to the automatic qualifying time of 3:47 in
his upcoming meets. Juarez came two seconds from breaking his own school record
set last year. He set the school record at the Georgia Tech Invitation with a
time of 3:50.97, bettering 22 Division I runners in the field of 37.
In
addition to Juarez provisionally qualifying for nations, earlier this season
freshman Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA) provisionally qualified in the 400m with
a school record time of 47.97, along with freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA),
provisionally qualifying in the 200m with a time of 21.47. Senior Rother Heard
(Conyers, GA) hit the provisional qualifying standard in the triple jump earlier
this year with a leap of 48-feet-1 ¼ inches.
Juarez along with his Clayton State teammates will return to the track on
Saturday, April 10, in the Cumberland Invitational in Williamsburg, KY.
####
Lakers place second
at Mt. Laurel Relays; Simmons provisionally qualifies for nationals in 400m
Sewanne,
TN --- April 3, 2004 --- The Clayton College & State University men’s
track & field team won five events and had another runner provisionally
qualify for the NCAA nationals Saturday, placing second as a team at the Mt.
Laurel Relays at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN.
Freshman
Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA) had the top performance for the Lakers winning the
400m race with a school record time of 47.97, provisionally qualifying him for
the NCAA Division II National Championships in the event. Simmons bettered his
own school record by almost three-tenths of second set last week at the Emory
Classic.
In addition to Simmons’ first place, senior Tony Juarez (East Hazel
Crest, IL) also brought home a first place finish in the 1500m race with a time
of 3:58.19 to go along with three Laker victories in relay events.
“Another satisfying day with the men finishing second,” said head
coach Mike Mead. “We collected four school records, had three second place
finishes and another NCAA provisional qualifier in Eric Simmons. The guys looked
great as we dominated the relays.”
The 4x100m relay team of senior Elijah Ajayi (Riverdale, GA), freshman
Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA), junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA) and Simmons
won with a school record time of 42.11. The 4x400m relay team of Guyton, Etelman,
Juarez and Simmons won with a time of 3:17.41. The 4x800m relay team of Guyton,
Simmons, junior Adil Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario) and Juarez won with a time
of 7:56.86.
In other top finishes for the men, Ajayi placed second in the 100m with a
time of 11.20, while Etelman finished fourth in the 400m with a time of 49.83.
The sprint medley relay team of Ajayi, Guyton, Etelman and senior Stephen Hughes
(Hampton, GA) finished second with a time of 1:35.04. Sophomore Jed Foster
(Morrow, GA) finished eighth in the discus with a school record throw of
106-feet-10 inches.
On the women’s side, senior Penny Tinker (Mesa, AZ) had the top finish
for the women, placing second in the 1500m race with a time of 4:56.40. Tinker
was also a member of the 4x800m and the 4x400m relay teams that placed third and
fourth, respectively.
“Penny had the best finish for the ladies with a second in the 1500,”
said Mead. “She also ran strong legs in the relays. It was also nice to have
Melissa (Shaw) back, and she was a big help on the relays.
Shaw, who has been battling an injury early this season, and Tinker were
on both relay teams. In addition to Shaw and Tinker on the 4x800m relay team,
junior Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro, GA) and sophomore Heather Krehbiel
(Peachtree City, GA) helped lead the team to a third place time of 10:03.68. The
4x400m relay team of Tinker, Shaw, Krehbiel and junior Beatrice Wade (Fairburn,
GA) placed fourth with a time of 4:20.41.
Wade also set a new school record in the triple jump, placing ninth with
a leap of 32-10. Krehbiel had a sixth place finish in the 1500m race with a time
of 5:04.81, and sophomore Lindsey Heuther (Smyrna, GA) finished sixth in the
shot put with a throw of 33-4.
Clayton State will return to the track on Friday and Saturday, April
9-10. The Lakers will send a group of select athletes to Knoxville, TN, for the
University of Tennessee’s Sea Ray Relays, one of the most prestigious track
& field meets in the South, followed by the entire squad running Saturday in
the Cumberland Invitational in Williamsburg, KY.
####
Laker
track & field team places third at Emory
Classic; Heard and Etelman provisionally qualify for nationals
ATLANTA,
GA --- March 27, 2004 --- The
Clayton College & State University men’s track & field team won four
events and had two athletes provisionally qualify for nationals, en route to a
third place finish out of 15 teams Saturday at the Emory Classic in Atlanta, GA.
Sophomore
Rother Heard (Conyers, GA) and freshman Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA)
provisionally qualified for nationals in the triple jump and in the 200m events,
respectively, with record-setting performances.
As
a team, the Lakers finished with 61.5 points, trailing winner Calvin University
and Emory University, two of the top NCAA Division III track & field
programs in the country. Calvin won the meet with 85.5 points, followed by Emory
with 77.5 points. Slowed by injuries, the women’s squad also had several top
performances.
“The
men came up with our highest finish at Emory and our ladies improved over last
season’s team finish,” said head coach Mike Mead. “Our guys did it with
only eight healthy bodies and six of them scored the points.
Had we been healthy, I think we would have been in the team title
hunt.”
In
addition to Etelman and Heard’s performances, the Lakers also got
record-setting and top efforts from senior Tony Juarez (East Hazel Crest, IL)
and freshman Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA).
“Another
incredible day for Clayton State track and field,” said Mead. “We came away
with six team records, two NCAA provisional qualifiers, four firsts and a slew
of personal bests.”
Heard
won the triple jump competition with a leap of 48-feet-1 ¼ inches,
provisionally qualifying for the national meet and setting a new school record.
He also placed second in the long jump at 22-1 ¼, also setting a new school
record. Etelman placed third in the 200m with a time of 21.47, provisionally
qualifying for nationals and setting a new school mark in the process.
Juarez
came 12-hundredths of a second from provisionally qualifying for nationals in
the 1500m, winning the race with a season best time of 3:54.12. Simmons finished
third in the 400m race, setting a new school with a time of 48.25. The 4x400m
relay team of Etelman, Juarez, Simmons and junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville,
GA) also set a new team record, winning the race with a time of 3:15.87.
On
the women’s side, senior Penny Tinker (Mesa, AZ) had the top finishes for the
Lakers placing fourth in the 800m race with a time of 2:20.94 and fifth in the
1500m with a time of 4:56.86. Sophomore Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA)
broke school record in the 5000m, placing fifth with a time of 19:04.19.
Clayton
State track & field races to 10 top-3 finishes, shatters seven school
records at Morehouse Relays
Atlanta,
GA --- March 20, 2004 --- The Clayton College
& State University men’s and women’s track and field teams participated
in the 33rd annual Morehouse Relays Saturday at the Edwin C. Moses
Track & Field facility in Atlanta and had 10 top-3 finishes, shattered seven
school records and brought home a bounty of trophies.
Freshman
Eric Simmons (Carrollton, GA), senior Tony Juarez (East Hazel Crest, IL) and
sophomore Heather Krehbiel (Peachtree City, GA) led the Laker teams, as Clayton
State won four events and placed in the top three in every relay event it ran.
“This was
a spectacular team showing,” said head coach Mike Mead. “We ran some quality
times for an early season meet. We’re more known for our distance, but our
4x200 and 4x400 relays ran impressively.”
Juarez won
the 1500m race at Morehouse for the second straight year with a time of 4:03.36
and also anchored the team’s distance medley squad, running down both
Morehouse and Albany State runners to bring home first place. Junior Adil
Berkhedle (Scarborough, Ontario), senior Elijah Ajayi (Riverdale, GA) and senior
Stephen Hughes (Hampton, GA) were also on the record-setting medley team that
finished with a time of 10:24.6.
Simmons
broke the school record in the 400m dash, which stood since 1999, with a time of
48.29, just under three-tenths of a second from provisionally qualifying for the
NCAA Division II national championships. Behind Simmons’ fourth place finish,
junior Carlos Guyton (Thomasville, GA) placed sixth with a personal best time of
48.67.
In addition
to the school record in the distance medley, the Clayton State men set three
other school records in relay events. The 4x800m relay team of Simmons,
Berkhedle, Hughes and Juarez placed second with a record time of 7:53.06. The
4x200m relay team of Ajayi, Simmons, Guyton and Brian Etelman (Marietta, GA)
placed third with a record time of 1:27.38. The 4x400m relay team of Etelman,
Juarez, Simmons and Guyton placed third with a record time of 3:16.82.
On the
women’s side, Krehbiel had the top individual finishes for the lady Lakers,
placing third with a personal best time of 4:57.37 in 1500m. She also won the
3000m race with a time of 10:52.70.
The
women’s distance medley relay team of junior Stephanie Gilbert (Jonesboro,
GA), junior Beatrice Wade (Fairburn, GA), senior Penny Tinker (Mesa, AZ) and
Krehbiel won with a time of 13:39.99. The 4x800m relay team of Krehbiel,
Gilbert, junior Kim Daniel (Macon, GA) and Tinker placed second with a time of
10:23.63.
Tinker also
had a fifth place finish in the 800m run with a time of 2:22.11, while junior
Brittany Precht (Smyrna, GA) finished sixth in the 3000m run with a time of
12:16.93. Senior Aletha Binion (Carrollton, GA) finished sixth in the discus
with a throw of 104-feet 3/4 inches.
In other top
finishes for the men, sophomore Rother Heard (Conyers, GA) broke school records
in both the long jump and the triple jump. Heard placed sixth in the triple jump
at 45-feet 2-1/2 inches and 10th in the long jump at 21-feet 2-1/4
inches.
Other top
finishers for the Laker men were: junior Oscar Campos (El Monte, CA), second, in
the 5000m with a time of 16:55.72; senior Stephen Hughes (Hampton, GA), fourth,
in the 800m run with a time of 2:00.46; and Etelman, 13th, in the
100m dash with a time of 11.15.
Clayton State’s women’s and men’s teams will return to the track on Friday and Saturday, March 26-27 at the Emory Classic in Atlanta, GA. The meet will be run at Georgia Tech due to renovations at Emory’s facility.
ATLANTA,
March 6, 2004 - The Clayton
College & State University men’s team
dominated the running events Saturday at the Oglethorpe University Track &
Field Opener winning six of the seven contested events and setting three school
records in the process. Meantime,
the women’s team nabbed three firsts and established one team mark in their
season-opening outdoor meet finishing third out of four teams.
The
Lakers swept the relays, winning the 4x 100, 4 x 200, 4x 400, 4 x 800 and
distance medley relays to take home the meet’s Track Events Champion and Relay
Champion awards. The Lakers
finished ahead of Johnson C. Smith, Kennesaw State University and host
Oglethorpe.
Brian
Etelman (FR, Marietta) had a hand in all three team records, winning the 100m in
a time of 10.64 and running legs on the record-setting 4 x 200 (1:29.33) and 4 x
400 (3:19.68) relays. The Lakers
also got first place finishes from Carlos Guyton (JR, Thomasville) in the high
jump and Elijah Ajayi (SR, Riverdale) in the long jump.
Guyton and Eric Simmons (FR, Carrollton) also ran on the 4 x 200 and 4 x
400 relays.
“This
was a nice start to a promising season,” said Lakers head coach Mike Mead.
“Combined, our men and women won 11 events and set four school records.
Brian was the class of the sprint field today.
We have not been known for our sprints, but we’re going to turn some
heads this season, particularly in the 4 x 400 relay.
Carlos and Eric averaged 48.6 on their legs and this is just our first
meet! I’m really looking forward to the coming meets when
everyone is competing in their specialty events.”
Brandon
Barnett (SO, Decatur) ran on the record 4 x 400 relay, was a member on the
winning 4 x 100 and teamed with Tony Juarez (SR, East Hazel Crest, Ill.),
Stephen Hughes (SR, Hampton) and Adil Berkhedle (JR, Scarborough, Ontario) on
the winning distance medley relay. Berkhedle,
Hughes, Juarez and Simmons teamed up to win the 4 x 800 relay in 7:55.62 which
was less than a second off the school mark set in 2002.
On
the women’s side, Heather Krehbiel (SO, Peachtree City) was the standout
performer winning the 3,000m and anchored the winning 4 x 800m relay team.
Krehbiel’s winning time of 10:48.29 was less than a second off the team
record set last season by teammate Kim Daniel (JR, Macon).
Running with Krehbiel on the 4 x 800 were Daniel, Penny Tinker (SR, Mesa,
Ariz.) and Stephanie Gilbert (JR, Jonesboro).
Gilbert claimed the third win of the day for the lady Lakers in the
1,600m run.
The
lone record for the Clayton State women was established in the 4 x 200 with
Daniel, Tinker, Chioma Mbonu (FR, Nnewi, Nigeria) and Beatrice Wade (JR,
Fairburn) running 2:00.33. Daniel,
Krehbiel, Tinker and Wade teamed up to finish second in the distance medley
relay.
“Our
women’s team held their own, though we are pretty banged up,” said Mead.
“Kim and Beatrice competed though both are nursing injuries.
We picked up some solid points from our throwers.”
Aletha
Binion (SR, Bowdon) and newcomers Lindsey Huether (JR, Smyrna) and Judith Chimes
(SO, Enugu, Nigeria) picked up points in the shot put, javelin and discus.
Binion had the highest finish with a second in the discus.
The lady Lakers also got some depth with top four finishes in the 1,600
and 3,000m from Brittany Precht (JR, Smyrna) and Kristy Young (FR, Conyers).
Both
Clayton State teams regroup for their next scheduled meet, the Morehouse Relays,
on March 20 that will feature some of the top NCAA Division II teams in the
South Region.
-ccsu-
Clayton State Opens Outdoor Track Season Sat.
MORROW, Ga., March 1,
2004 – The seventh season of Clayton College & State University track
& field opens this Saturday at the Oglethorpe Track & Field Opener in
Atlanta. The meet is just one of 10
scheduled meets for the Clayton State men’s and women’s squads guided by
Mike Mead.
A
majority of Saturday’s running events will feature relays.
The meet on Oglethorpe University’s campus will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1
p.m. Throughout the season, Laker
individuals and relay teams will be vying for times that will advance them to
the NCAA Division II Championships in Walnut, Calif. May 26-29.
This
year’s schedule will find Clayton State competing in four meets within the
metro Atlanta area. After
Saturday’s meet, the Laker squads resume their schedule March 20 at the
Morehouse Relays. The following
weekend (March 26-27), the Lakers will compete in the Emory Classic, contested
this year at Georgia Tech while Emory’s facilities undergo renovations.
The final Atlanta area meet for the Lakers will be May 14-15 at the
Georgia Tech Invitational.
Clayton
State takes to the road April 3 with a return to the Mount Laurel Relays at the
University of the South. The
weekend of April 9-10 will find a handful of Lakers competing in the competitive
Sea Rays Relays at the University of Tennessee while the majority of both teams
will compete at the Cumberland College Invitational in Williamsburg, Ky.
The
Lakers will also return to the Samford Twilight meet on April 24 in Birmingham,
Ala. and the Georgia Invitational in Athens on May 1.
The Lakers also plan to take a small contingent of runners to the Drake
Relays April 23-24 in Des Monies, Iowa.
“We’ve
come up with a nice schedule that should help those trying to qualify for
nationals run the times necessary to advance,” said Mead.
“We had scheduled a meet with Kennesaw State on May 7, but they were
not able to get the facilities they had planned to use for the meet.
It’s possible we might add one more meet, depending on the weather and
our progress as a team this spring.”
##