April 14, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Kennesaw State men's track & field team had another outstanding weekend as they competed at the Seminole Track Invitational. Scattered thunderstorms had little effect on the Owls as they raced around the track against teams from Georgia State and Southern Mississippi. KSU responded well to the competition as they set two new school records and claimed first place in the high jump and the 110m hurdles.

High Jumper Jerome McKinzie gained his fourth straight victory of the outdoor season as he posted another NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 6-10.75ft. Competing in a small field of opponents, McKinzie and Timothy Reen of FSU were the only two jumpers to make it into the final round. McKinzie took first place as he tied his personal record for the third time this season. The Marietta High School graduate later competed in the triple jump, where he finished in eighth place with a distance of 43-10.00ft.

Senior Devin Jones also had a successful weekend as he won his first 110m hurdle event of the outdoor season. Trying to chase down a regional qualifying mark, Jones sprinted down the track to earn first place against runners from Clayton State and Bos Elite. The senior edged out his opponents as he crossed the finish line with a time 14.50 seconds. He later returned to the track to compete in the 400m hurdles, where he finished in seventh place (56.65).

"Winning this race means a lot to Devin," said sprint coach Devin West. "We wanted to hit 14.30, but the field just wasn't fast enough and Devin had to compete in multiple races this weekend. Still, I'm confident that he will drop his time far below the regional mark."

Jones later lead the team of Joshua James, Antonio Logan and James Verdi to a second place finish in the 4x100m relay. The team posted a season high time of 42.27. Verdi later competed individually in the 400m dash, where he put together his best race of the season as took seventh place and set a new KSU record of 48.01. Meanwhile, Logan posted a time of 11.01 for tenth place in the 100m dash.

In mid-distance events, Gianni Catalano came in second place in an exciting 800m race. The freshman battled Zaven O'Bryant of GSU for two laps. In the final ten meters, the two runners were neck and neck. Catalano took second place with a time of 1:52.85 just five-tenth of a second behind O'Bryant. Teammate Michael Guntner followed in eighth place (2:01.58) and Matthew Auers came in 11th place.

"This is the kind of race that Gianni needs to be in," said head coach Don McGarey. "He loves to fight for the lead. The runner from GSU put the pressure on him and he responded. Every race makes Gianni a better runner."

Competing in a field of 30 runners, Nathan Haskins completed the 1500m race in 12th place with a time of 4:02.04, while teammate Brett Luna set a personal record with a time of 4:06.22 for 15th place and Matteo DiCecco finished in the 16th (4:17.28).

In long distance events, Maxwell Ndungu took ninth place in the 5k run with a time of 15:52.14. Meanwhile, Haskins completed the 3k in 8:47.09 to earn sixth place and freshman Alex Hay III ran 9:25.24 for 12th place.

On the field, the Owls were led by throwing specialist Joshua McNair as he took second place in the discus with a toss of 162-05.00ft. Teammate Casey Strickland finished in third with a season high 158-10.0ft and Eric Gill placed fifth with a personal best 155-10.0ft. In the javelin throw, Strickland earned sixth place with a distance of 158-00ft, sophomore Jason Fisher finished in seventh (152-00ft) and Aymerick Kolokilagi took eighth place (151-00ft).

"This was a working meet for our guys," said field coach Mike Goss. "We had Josh throwing in four events and Casey competing in five events. It was a long day, but this was meant to help get them in shape for outdoor conference. Each one of them did a great job."

The conclusion of the meet saw KSU put together three teams to compete in the 4x400m relay. Black & Gold filled the track as all three teams ran simultaneously. The "A" team of James, Logan, Verdi, and Catalano took fourth place with a time of 3:17.78, while the "B" team of Guntner, Jones, Auers, and Jeremy Easley took fifth place (3:32.22) and the "C" team of DiCecco, Luna, Fisher and Strickland finished in sixth (3:36.11).

The Owls will be back in action next weekend as they participate in the LSU Twilight Invitational.

Seminole Track Invitational
Individual Results

Hammer
3. Joshua McNair 158-01.0ft
5. Aymerick Kolokilagi 150-08.0ft
6. Eric Gill 136-02.0ft

4x100m Relay
2. KSU 42.27

110m Hurdles
1. Devin Jones 14.50

1500m
12. Nathan Haskins 4:02.04
15. Brett Luna 4:06.22
22. Matteo DiCecco 4:17.28

High Jump
1. Jerome McKinzie 6-10.75ft

Discus
2. Joshua McNair 162-05.0ft
3. Casey Strickland 158-10.0ft
5. Eric Gill 155-10.0ft

100m Dash
10. Antonio Logan 11.01
16. Casey Strickland 11.90

400m Dash
7. James Verdi 48.88
13. Gianni Catalano 50.53
14. Michael Guntner 51.04
16. Matthew Auers 51.58

Long Jump
8. Jerome McKinzie 19-03.25ft
9. Jason Fisher 19-01.50ft

Shot Put
4. Joshua McNair 49-04.5ft
5. Aymerick Kolokilagi 47-11.00ft

4x400m Relay
4. KSU "A" 3:17.78
5. KSU "B" 3:32.22
6. KSU "C" 3:36.11

4x100m Relay
2. KSU 42.27

200m Dash
8. James Verdi 22.36
9. Antonio Logan 22.46

400m Hurdles
7. Devin Jones 56.65
8. Jeremy Easley 57.86

800m
2. Gianni Catalano 1:52.85
8. Michael Guntner 2:01.13
11. Matthew Auers 2:01.58
16. Matteo DiCecco 2:05.46
17. Brett Luna 2:08.24

5k
9. Maxwell Ndungu 15:52.14

3k
6. Nathan Haskins 8:47.09
12. Alex Hay III 9:25.24