May 17, 2008

CLEMSON, S.C. - The Kennesaw State men's track & field team faced strong competition on Friday as they participated in the first day of the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Conference Championship. On the strength of their throwers, the Owls scored a total of 23 points to put themselves within striking distance of the title.

Currently KSU holds fifth place, while Belmont is in the lead with 45 points, Gardner-Webb is in second place with 37 points, ETSU has third place with 26.50 points and Campbell sits in fourth place with 23.50 points.

"We are exactly where we need to be," said head coach Don McGarey. "We knew that we were going to be behind after the first day, but we're not worried. We have the most rounded team of anyone in the conference and our perfect storm is going to begin on Saturday. Our sprint squad will finally have a chance to get on the field and get us some points, while our throwers will continue to do an outstanding job."

KSU's throwing squad got the ball rolling on Friday as Casey Strickland took second place in the javelin with a toss of 166-10.ft and Joshua McNair tacked on points with a second place finish in the hammer throw (162-00). Meanwhile, Aymerick Kolokilagi scored points in both events as he took fourth place in the hammer with a personal best 156-02.0ft and he placed fifth in the javelin with a distance of 162-01.0ft. Also freshman Eric Gill added on an additional point as he finished in sixth place for the hammer with a personal best 149-07.0ft.

"The guys did a solid job," said field coach Mike Goss. "Josh really wanted first place in the hammer, but he missed it by only a few feet. Still, tomorrow is going to be a big day for the throwers as they compete in their best events, the shot put and discus."

Also competing on Friday, Strickland set a KSU record in the long jump of 22-0.25ft to take seventh place, while freshman Steven Murray placed 11th in the 10k with a time of 33:51.91. The race saw Belmont score the majority of their points as they finished in second, third, fifth and sixth place.

The A-Sun Outdoor Conference Championship will resume at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and conclude around 9 p.m.

Team Results
1. Belmont 45 points
2. Gardner-Webb 37 points
3. ETSU 26.50 points
4. Campbell 23.50 points
5. KSU 23 points

Individual Results
Hammer Throw
2. Joshua McNair 162-00ft
4. Aymerick Kolokilagi 156-0.20ft
6. Eric Gill 149-07.0ft

Javelin
2. Casey Strickland 166-10.0ft
5. Aymerick Kolokilagi 162-01.0ft

Long Jump
6. Casey Strickland 22-0.25ft

10k
11. Steven Murray 33:51.91

100m Preliminaries
4. Antonio Logan 10.82