2006 Clayton State Laker Track & Field Season

Yusuf ties Clayton State 100-meter dash women’s record at UAH Meet
 Dixon wins the men’s high jump for the second straight week

MADISON, Ala.  --- APRIL 22, 2006 --- Running in a reserve role, Olaitan Yusuf equaled Jon Taylor’s team record in the women’s 100-meter dash as the majority of members on the Clayton State Laker track and field teams concluded their seasons Saturday at the Charger Invitational, hosted by the Alabama-Huntsville.

Yusuf, an All-America on the Clayton State women’s soccer team, dashed to a 12.97 to win her heat of the 100-meter dash and tie Taylor’s mark.  Besides her efforts, the Laker teams had a flat performance overall in the three-way meet that included Harding University.

“I was disappointed in our finish,” said Clayton State head coach Mike Mead.  “I had expected everyone would have turned in their best performances of the year, but many came up a little short. I was particularly impressed with Ola's (Yusuf) race since she didn't use starting blocks.”

The Lakers’ day did not get off to a good start when the trip took nearly two hours longer because of traffic accidents in Atlanta and outside Chattanooga.

The women’s squad did have respectable efforts from Wynona Rice in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash as she ran season-bests in both events.  Nyisha Nelson and Loretta Ashu both had season-best efforts in the shot put to finish third and fifth, respectively.

Allison Kreutzer, who has run an NCAA Division II provisional time in the 1500-meter run, came up short on Friday night at the Vanderbilt Invitational.  Kreutzer ran 4:44.31 to finish 10th overall in the competitive field and came back on Saturday to finish fourth in the 3,000-0meter run with a season-best 10:19.50, less than two seconds from the provisional mark in the event. 

Teammate Cassandra Bolivar also ran the 3,000m with a season-best 11:39.70.

The Lakes had a lone victory and it came in the men’s competition from Alfred Dixon, who won the high jump with a height of six feet. It was the second straight meet that Dixon has prevailed in the high jump, as he also won the event last week at Emory. The Lakers also got a third-place finish from senior Manuel Aguilar -- running in his final collegiate race -- in the 5,000-meter run and a fourth-place finish from Peter Gajda in the 800-meter run

Freshman Ben Londrillo, competing in only his second javelin competition, improved his best by nearly 23 feet with a toss of 122-7 feet

“We did not have the season-ending performances I thought we were capable of having,” said Mead.  “Several kids were banged up from injuries and that held them back.  It was a disappointing season for the men’s team, but definitely one of our better seasons for the women’s program.  We improved on six women’s team records and I hope we can surpass that next year.”

Kreutzer will be the lone Laker now training to improve her chances of going to the Division II championships next month.  Mead expects that she’ll have two more chances before the end of qualifying on May 13.

“We’ll determine in the next couple of days where she’ll be racing next,” said Mead.

Stokes Leads Clayton State Women to Two School Records at Emory
Dixon wins men’s high jump for the Lakers

ATLANTA --- APRIL 15, 2006 --- Led by freshman Kara Stokes, the Clayton State University women’s track & field team broke two team records and produced three firsts on Saturday at the Emory Mini Meet.  The records came in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay and Stokes was in on both marks.

She bettered teammate Katelyn Stache’s week-old record in the 400-meter hurdles by lowering it by more than a second.  Stokes placed third in 1:08.25 and improved her personal best by 2.6 seconds.  In the 4x400-meter relay, Stokes led off as Stache, Kisha Chaney and Jon Taylor finished up in 4:05.25 to win the event.  The quartet bettered the old mark, set in 2002, by more than five seconds.

“Kara had a very good meet,” said Clayton State head coach Mike Mead.  “She’s been working extremely hard in practice and she hit pay dirt today.  We had several others, like Kisha and Melissa Fernandez, who had breakthrough efforts.  The ladies team has put it together the last two meets and I’m looking for more improvement next Saturday.”

The other first place finishes came from Taylor in the 200-meter dash and Allison Kreutzer in the 3,000-meter run.  Earlier in the day, Kreutzer finished second in the 1500-meter run, an event she provisionally qualified last weekend for the NCAA Division II championships.  Chaney finished fourth in the 400-meter and is within 1.2 seconds of the five year old team record.  Fernandez ran a season-best 2:31.73 in the 800-meter run and Wynona Rice finished sixth in the 100-meter dash.

The squad had another solid day in field events, led by Sharon Wiles’ fourth place in the shot put and Nyisha Nelson’s fourth in the discus.  In addition, the squad earned sixth place finishes from Nelson in the shot put, Rice in the long jump and Basia Bukowska in the javelin.

Meantime, the Clayton State men had only three compete, led by freshman Alfred Dixon’s first place in the high jump.  Dixon, a former Mundy’s Mill H.S. jumper, cleared 6-4 for the win and his best jump of the outdoor season. Peter Gajda ran his best collegiate 800-meter run, finishing fourth in 1:57.63 while Ben Londrillo placed fourth in the pole vault.

The Clayton State squads head back to Alabama next Saturday for a meet near Huntsville, Ala.  The D-II Southern Championships, hosted by Alabama-Huntsville, will be held at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Ala.

Clayton State Women Set Three Records at Jacksonville State
Kreutzer Runs NCAA Provisional Time in 1500m

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. --- APRIL 8, 2006 --- The Clayton State University women’s track & field team came way with three team records and a NCAA Provisional mark Saturday at the Gamecock Invitational, held here at Jacksonville State University. The squad set records in the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay, while sophomore Allison Kreutzer ran an NCAA Division II provisional time in the 1500-meter run.

Kreutzer, a two-time cross country All-American, won the women’s 1500-meter event by edging out Jacksonville State’s Sarah Caine by .07 at the finish line. Kreutzer’s time of 4:43.48 makes the provisional list for consideration for this spring’s NCAA Division II outdoor championships.

Meantime, freshman Jon Taylor and sophomore Katelyn Stache each contributed to the school records set on Saturday. Taylor bettered the 200-meter record by running 25.52 to finish second in the event. Stache improved her own record in the 400-meter hurdles by running 1:09.66 and also finished second. Earlier in the day, the pair combined with freshmen Kara Stokes and Wynona Rice to set a new 4x100-meter relay record in 50.41.

“We had a much better meet today than we had two weeks ago,” said Laker head coach Mike Mead. “The hard work is beginning to pay off. We’re a young team and I hope some of them are beginning to believe in themselves and what they are capable of doing.”

The squad just missed a fourth record in the 4x400-meter relay.

“Jon ran the fastest leg (58.9) we’ve had a lady Laker run,” said Mead. “Then Kisha Chaney runs the second-fastest leg of the day, but she was on our B Team relay. Had we had her on the A Team, we would have blasted that record, too. There’s always next week.”

Mead also cited Stokes’ run in the 400-meter hurdles and junior Cassandra Bolivar in the 1500-meter. Stokes finished third while Bolivar ran 5:12.50, an 11-second improvement from her last race two weeks ago.

The men’s team, banged up by injuries, ran only four with freshman Alfred Dixon leading the squad with a win in the high jump and a third in the triple jump. Freshman Ben Londrillo placed third in the pole vault while sophomore Peter Gajda finished fifth in the 800-meter run.

Both Clayton State teams are back in action Saturday with a return visit to Emory University for the Emory Mini-Meet. Field events will begin at 11 a.m., followed with running events at 12 noon.
 

Clayton State Track Sets Four Records at Emory

ATLANTA - MARCH 26, 2006 - Setting a combined four school records, Clayton State University’s track & field teams opened their ninth outdoor season on Saturday at the Emory University Invitational in Atlanta. The women’s team, led by freshman Jon Taylor, set three records while the men’s team established one in the pole vault.

Taylor, from Albany, Ga., improved two team marks in the long jump (17-0) and the 100m (12.97), finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. The third record was improved by sophomore Katelyn Stache in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:11.55, good enough for fifth place. The Laker women’s top finish of the meet came from sophomore Allison Kreutzer in the 1500m run, posting a time of 4:55.28.

“Despite setting four records, we were not as competitive as I thought we should be,” said Laker head coach Mike Mead. “I definitely saw a long of potential from our ladies, but we’re still not there. We have some soft school records in certain events and they’re not falling as fast as I thought they would this season. I do have to keep reminding myself that we have a very young team.”

Ben Londrillo established the men’s lone record in the pole vault, clearing 11-6 to finish seventh. The Fayetteville freshman is the Lakers’ first vaulter. The top finish for the men came from another freshman in Alfred Dixon finishing third in the high jump with a leap of 6-1. The former Mundy’s Mill High School trackster also finished sixth in the triple jump.

“Because of injuries, our men’s team is going to be a shell of what it has been the past fourth years,” said Mead. “But the guys we have out are going to be the core for next year’s team.”

The Lakers will take a week off from competition before they resume their schedule on April 8 when they compete in the Gamecock Invitational at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala.

CSU Track Opens Outdoor Schedule at Emory

Morrow, GA – March 24, 2006 – Clayton State University’s track & field teams open their outdoor season on Saturday at the Emory Invitational in Atlanta.  The women’s team will be gunning for several team records this season while the men’s team will be going through a rebuilding year.  Saturday’s meet will be an all day affair, with events beginning at 8 a.m. and concluding at 4 p.m.

After a month layoff following indoor competition, the Clayton State squads open their ninth outdoor season at Emory against competition ranging from the likes of NCAA Division I Georgia State University to NCAA Division III schools like Hope College from Michigan. “We’ve had a good month of training and I’m anxious to see where everyone is at following our indoor season,” said head coach Mike Mead.

The Laker women will field its largest team this season, led by two-time cross country All-American sophomore Allison Kreutzer.  Last season as a freshman, Kreutzer ran a NCAA Division II provisional time in the 3,000m run, but did not make the national meet.  This season she could qualify in distances ranging from the 1500m to the 5,000m events.

For the first time, the women’s team will also have coverage in the sprints, led by freshman Jon Taylor who’s main events will be the 100 and 200m sprints and the long jump.  Taylor will get support from fellow freshmen Kisha Chaney, Wynona Rice and Kara Stokes, as well as returnee, sophomore Katelyn Stache.

Kreutzer and senior Heather Krehbiel will cover the distance events with added support from newcomers Cassandra Bolivar, Melissa Fernandez and Basia Bukowska.

The squad will also have several of the field events covered by Taylor and Rice, as well as Loretta Ashu, Cynthia Conseil, Nyisha Nelson, Jasmine Patterson and Cassandra Rapaich.

“We are a very young team, but they’ve steadily improving,” said Mead.  “Several of them struggled earlier in the year as they adjusted to your training methods and philosophy.  By the time we get to the end of the season, we should have one of the best women’s track teams in school history.”

The men’s team will be a shell of what it had been the previous four seasons as injuries and mid-year departures have depleted the roster.  The squad’s top returnee, junior Eric Simmons, will redshirt this outdoor season to recover from minor injuries suffered during indoor season that hampered him at the NCAA Division II indoor championships two weeks ago.

Leading the squad this spring will be seniors Manny Aguilar and Jose Garduno in the distance events.  They will receive support from sophomore Peter Gajda in the middle distances.  Newcomers include sophomore Josh Myers (distance) and freshmen Billy Joe Brown (distance), Alfred Dixon (jumps) and Ben Londrillo (pole vault).

“Our men’s team took a hit this year,” said Mead.  “We’ll get through this season and gear up for next year.  Eric will be healthy and stronger and we’ll return seniors Joshua Tiggs (hurdles) and Greg Galloway (sprints).  With the addition of a couple of key recruits, we can be as good as we were in 2004.”

 

Mead named Women's South Region Coach of the Year

Simmons Finishes 10th in 400m Prelims at NCAA Indoor Meet

 

Boston, Mass. -- March 10, 2006 -- Clayton State University's Eric Simmons, making his first appearance at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, finished a disappointing 10th in the prelims of the 400m dash on Friday at the Reggie Lewis Center.  Simmons (Carrollton, Ga.) ran 48.91 and just missed making it to Saturday's finals by one place.

 

"He was ahead (in his heat) on the last turn, but broke down the last 60," said Laker assistant coach Clive Caesar, who accompanied Simmons to Boston. 

 

Simmons had been bothered by minor injures the past few weeks after running 48.70 on February 4, winning the 400m event at the Carolina Invitational at UNC-Chapel Hill.  Before Friday's preliminary race, Simmons had raced only once since the UNC meet.

 

Simmons experienced a similar outcome last spring at the NCAA Division II outdoor championships in which he missed making the finals of the 400m by tying for 10th place.

 

Meanwhile, it was learned Friday night that for the second year in a row, Laker head coach Mike Mead was named women's South Region Coach of the Year.  Last season, Mead was the men's selection.

 

Both Clayton State teams will now turn their attention to their outdoor schedule which begins March 25 at the Emory Invitational.

Women’s Team Finishes Second

Clayton State Track Teams Set Six Records at Indoor Finale 

Sewanee, Tenn. - February 25, 2006 -The Clayton State University track and field teams ended their indoor regular-season on a high note as the women’s team finished a narrow second while both teams combined with eight wins and six team records at the Sewanee Indoor invitational here Saturday. 

The Laker women finished two points behind Anderson College’s 93 points as Clayton State narrowed the gap late by winning the last two events, the 4x 400 and 4 x 800m relays.  Led by Allison Kreutzer and Jon Taylor, the Lakers collected five firsts, three team records and a field house mark.  Kreutzer, who was trying to lower her NCAA Division II provisional time in the mile, came up short in her quest but set a facility record of 5:06.82.  She also won the 800m and anchored the 4 x 800m relay team in a come-from-behind victory.  Meanwhile, Taylor won the 200m, helped the 4 x 400m relay to victory and placed second in the 55m dash. 

“Our women’s team showed us something today,” said head coach Mike Mead.  “We end our indoor season on a high note and look forward to outdoor track next month.  “This gives us some momentum going into the outdoor season.” 

The Lakers also got a record effort from senior Heather Krehbiel who bettered her own 3,000m record by almost seven seconds as she placed second in the meet with a time of 11:05.81. 

The Laker men finished third behind Mississippi College and the University of the South, the meet hosts, and were led by freshman Alfred Dixon (Mundy’s Mill H.S.) who bettered team records in the long and triple jumps and anchored the 4 x 400m to one of the team’s three victories.  The other two wins came from Eric Simmons in the 200m and Joshua Tiggs in the 55m hurdles.  Simmons, who is likely headed to the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in two weeks, got in one final tune-up while Tiggs bettered his own team record in the hurdle event. 

With the likelihood of Simmons headed to the NCAA indoor meet, he will run the 400m on March 10 in Boston.  Confirmation of Simmon’s and Kreutzer’s status will be finalized by Wednesday.  Meantime, both Laker teams will be preparing for their first outdoor meet of the season on March 25 at the Emory Invitational.

Myers Breaks 3,000-meter mark at Tennessee Meet 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - February 17, 2006 - Clayton State University sophomore Josh Myers set a new 3,000m team indoor record while finishing third Friday night at the Tennessee Indoor Classic in the Stokely Athletic Center at the University of Tennessee.  Myers was one of three Laker men to finish third in the meet. 

Myers ran 9:17.72 to better teammate Manny Aguilar’s year old record by over a second.  Aguilar, a senior distance runner, equaled a career-best in the 800m with a 2:04.51 to finish third while freshman Alfred Dixon, a former Mundys Mill High School jumper, finished third in the high jump with a leap of 6-2 ¾.  

The only other Top 10 finish from a Clayton State individual came from Joshua Tiggs in the 55m hurdles in which he ran 8.17. 

Both Laker track and field teams will conclude their indoor season next Saturday at the Sewanee Indoor Invitational at the University of the South.

Kreutzer Hits D-II Provisional Time; third at Clemson Meet

CLEMSON, S.C. - February 11, 2006 - While the majority of her teammates were off from racing, sophomore distance runner Allison Kreutzer (Lilburn, Ga.) made Clayton State University women’s running history on Saturday as she became the first Laker to run an NCAA Division II indoor provisional time while finishing third in the mile run here at the Tiger Invitational.

Kreutzer, a two-time cross country All-American, bettered the provisional time by more than two seconds with her time of 5:03.54 and improving her school record she established last weekend in North Carolina. Kreutzer is vying for a trip to the Division II indoor championships next month in Boston.

Freshman Jon Taylor (Albany, Ga.) also competed in the two-day meet held at Clemson University. Taylor ran the 60m dash on Friday in 8.04 and came back on Saturday to run 26.43 in the 200m dash. Taylor was also vying for provisional times in both events but came up short.

“Allison had a nice race, particularly the second half,” said Laker Head Coach Mike Mead. “Her time should get her ranked near the Top 10 in Division II. She needs to be in the Top 14 by the end of the season in two weeks to go to nationals. Meantime, Jon did not hit the times she needed to get ranked, but she’s still adjusting to college racing. She has made some tremendous gains the previous two meets and perhaps she needs a bit of a break from the training and racing.”

Last weekend in Tennessee, Taylor ran 25.98 in the 200m on a tight-turn 160m track. “We’ll get both of them ready for one more quality effort in two weeks,” said Mead.

Friday, the men’s team returns to action with a meet at the University of Tennessee. The men’s squad already has Eric Simmons on the provisional list in both the 200 and 400m races. The Division II indoor qualifying ends February 26. Those who make the cut will compete March 10-11 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston for the 2006 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Simmons wins 400m at Carolina Invitational at UNC; Lakers combine for six school records in weekend meets 

Morrow, GA --- February 6, 2006 --- Clayton State sprinter Eric Simmons led the Laker track & field team Saturday, winning the 400m race at the Carolina Invitational, defeating a host of NCAA Division I runners at the meet in Chapel Hill, NC.  

Simmons won the race with a time of 48.70, lowering his NCAA Division II provisional time for the national meet in the event.  Also in his first 200m race of his career, he provisionally qualified for the 200m with a time of 22.23, placing sixth in the race.  

“Congratulations to Eric,” said head coach Mike Mead. “In improving his time and winning the race, he is pretty close to securing a trip to the NCAA D-II indoor nationals in March Also in his first-ever 200m race, he just bettered the provisional mark. He might be in line to equal former teammate Carlos Guyton’s feat of going to indoor nationals in the 200 and 400m.”  

In addition to Simmons’ accomplishments at the North Carolina meet, the Laker women set two school records. Allison Kreutzer came just two seconds from hitting a provisional time in the mile, placing eighth with a time of 5:07.81. She joined Kisha Chaney, Katelyn Stache and Heather Krehbiel to place third in the distance medley relay with a school record time of 12:55.69.  

Along with the Clayton State runners at the UNC meet, the men’s and women’s teams also set four school records at the Tiger Invitational at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN Saturday.  

Jon Taylor had the top performances with two school records, placing second and third in the 200m and 55m events, respectively. Her time of 7.33 in the 55m was a tenth of a second from the provisional mark and her time of 25.98 was three-tenths of a second from a provisional mark. She, along with Kara Stokes, Wynona Rice and Cassandra Bolivar, placed fourth in the 4x400m relay team with a time of 4:28.17.  

On the men’s side, Joshua Tiggs won the 55m hurdles with a school record time of 8.02, while Alfred Dixon cleared a school best 6-foot-4 to win high jump competition. Peter Gajda finished second in the 800m with a time of 2:06.67, Manny Aguilar third in the mile with a time 4:44.06 and Josh Myers fourth in the 3000m with a time of 9:24.46.  

The Clayton State teams will return to action on Friday, February 17th in the Tennessee Indoor Classic in Knoxville, TN.

Clayton State’s Simmons hits indoor provisional qualifying mark in 400-meters at Tennessee State

 Morrow, GA --- January 31, 2006 --- Clayton State’s Eric Simmons provisional qualified for the 2006 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships Sunday, finishing third in the 400m race at the Tennessee State Invitational in Nashville, TN. 

Simmons, a former outdoor All-America in the 1600m relay, finished with a time of 48.96 and had the top performance for the squad. He is currently 18th on the list of the top performances in the 400m this year after the top-20 made last year’s event in Boston, MA, also this year’s host for the national meet. 

“Eric has already run a faster time at this point in the season than former teammate Carlos Guyton’s time that got him to last year’s indoor national meet where he earned All-American honors,” said head coach Mike Mead. “Eric didn’t have anyone to push him (Sunday) so we know he has plenty of room for improvement.” 

On the women’s side, freshman Jon Taylor came within 15-hundredths of a second of the provisional mark in the 55m dash in only her second collegiate meet.  She placed 13th in the race with a school record time of 7.38 and also set a new school mark in the 200m with a time of 26.38, placing 16th. 

Josh Myers finished fifth in the 3,000m with a time of 9:20.62 and was a member of the squad’s distance medley relay team that set a new school record of 11:16.01. Also on the relay team were Peter Gajda, Billy Joe Brown and Manuel Aguilar. Clayton State freshman Alfred Dixon set a school record in the high jump, clearing 6-4 ¾ to finish eighth in the event. 

Other top finishes for the women’s squad was turned in by the team’s distance medley and 4x200m relay squads. The DMR team of Heather Krehbiel, Wynona Rice, Katelyn Stache and Allison Kreutzer finished sixth with a time of 13:04.50, while the 4x200m relay team of Rice, Stokes, Stache and Taylor finished ninth with a school record time of 1:57.21. 

Up next, Clayton State will compete on Saturday, Feb. 4th , at the Tiger Invitational at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN.

Clayton State track & field opens indoor season at Clemson Opener  

Morrow, GA --- December 6, 2005 – The Clayton State University women’s track & field team opened its indoor season along with a select group of participants off the men’s team last weekend at the Clemson Opener in Clemson, SC.  

Clayton State’s top performance in the meet, which featured a number of NCAA Division I teams, was junior Eric Simmons coming a tenth of second shy from hitting the NCAA Division II provisional time in the 400 meters. He finished 13th in the race with a time of 49.61.  

On the women’s side, the top finish for the team was a fifth place in the distance medley relay. The team of Heather Krehbiel, Kisha Chaney, Katelyn Stache and Allison Kreutzer placed fifth with a time of 13: 03.61. The DMR team bettered the old indoor record by 30 seconds and was within three seconds of the program’s outdoor DMR mark.  

Jon Taylor also set new indoor records in the 60m and 200m events with times of 8.08 and 26.67 seconds, respectively. The 4x400m relay team of Stache, Kara Stokes, Chaney and Taylor set a new indoor mark in the 1600m relay with a time of 4:23.66.  

Clayton State will take off for the holidays before returning to action in January at the Tennessee State Invitational on Jan. 29 in Nashville, TN.   

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