March 31, 2008

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Running in the Alabama Relays, the Kennesaw State men's track & field team had a strong showing against tough schools including Southern Miss, Arkansas State and the University of Alabama. The Owls had success on both the track and the infield as they broke seven school records and had sophomore Jerome McKinzie claim his second high jump victory of the outdoor season.

Competing in a field of 15 jumpers, McKinzie took home first place after facing Timothy Williams of Southern Alabama. The two athletes both cleared a height of 6-8.75ft to make it to the final round of the event. Neither competitor was able jump over 6-10.75ft, but since Mackenzie was able to remain error free throughout the contest, he was awarded first place.

Also on the field, sophomore Joshua McNair set the school record in the shot put as he finished in third place with a distance of 52-0.10ft. Freshman Eric Gill also broke into the top three in throwing events as he took third in the hammer throw with a personal best distance of 149-04.0ft. The pair also had a solid performance in the discus as Gill finished in fourth place (153-02.0ft) and McNair came in fifth (149-00).

"The guys are doing great," said field coach Mike Goss. "This was a competitive meet and they were able to place very well without setting personal records in every event. Jerome and Josh had a good meet, but Eric is really starting to step up and perform at whole new level."

Racing in the harsh Alabama sun, the Owls had outstanding performances in the relay events. The team of Nathan Haskins, Devin Jones, Matteo DiCecco and Scott Burley had the strongest performance of the meet as they grabbed second place in the distance medley and broke the school record by 15 seconds (10:14.06). KSU also set a new record in the 4x800m as the team of Gianni Catalano, Michael Guntner, Brett Luna and Matthew Auers completed the race in 7:52.99, good for a sixth place finish.

The 4x400m proved to be the most exciting relay of the meet as the KSU coaching staff switched the order of their runners to improve on position. The all freshmen team of Antonio Logan, James Verdi, Catalano and Joshua James won their heat and came in fourth place overall as they shaved one and half seconds from their time (3:17.55).

"We had some solid racing this weekend," said head coach Don McGarey. "After running two meets we have broken every KSU relay record save one. Every week we are facing some of the best teams out there and were right in the mix with all of them. The competition is what makes us better and it's going to get us ready for conference."

In hurdling events, the Black & Gold was led by senior Devin Jones and freshman Joshua James. In the 110m hurdles Jones edged closer to obtaining a NCAA qualifying time as he crossed the line in 14.48 to finish fourth. He later returned to race in the 400m hurdles where James narrowly beat him for fourth place and set a KSU record of 53.82.

In the 400m dash, Verdi took home sixth place and became the first KSU sprinter to drop below 49 seconds. Catalano also set an individual record as he finished the 800m dash in 1:53.83 for eighth place.

"We are getting down to where we need to be," said sprint coach Devin West. "Every time we run a race our guys are perfecting their techniques. Devin is close to getting his first NCAA mark. He has the speed and the talent to make 14.30 easy. Also our relay guys are turning in some incredible individual times."

Finally in distance events, freshman Steven Murray and junior Michael Johnson raced in their first 10k of the outdoor season. Murray took home fifth place with a time of 33:47.43, while Johnson placed sixth with a time of 34:11.54. Later the duo of Scott Burley and Nathan Haskins raced in the 3k steeplechase. Burley narrowly missed placing in the top three as he finished in fourth place (9:31.77) and Haskins came in ninth (10:08.02).

The Owls will be back in action next week as the travel to Gainesville, Fla. to participate in the Florida Relays.

Alabama Relays
Individual Results

10k
5. Steven Murray 33:47.43
6. Michael Johnson 34:11.54

Hammer
3. Eric Gill 149-04.0ft
5. Joshua McNair 130-03.0ft

5k
25. Maxwell Ndungu 17:15.51

110m Hurdles
4. Devin Jones 14.48
13. Jeremy Easley 15.64

800m Dash
8. Gianni Catalano 1:53.83
27. Matthew Auers 1:57.35

3k Steeplechase
4. Scott Burley 9:31.77
9. Nathan Haskins 10:08.02

200m
15. James Verdi 22.16
19. Antonio Logan 22.36

Javelin
17. Casey Strickland 145-08.0ft
18. Eric Gill 145-03.0ft

400m Hurdles
4. Joshua James 53.82
5. Devin Jones 53.97

400m
6. James Verdi 48.58
23. Antonio Logan 50.49
31. Michael Guntner 52.94

Discus
4. Eric Gill 153-02.0ft
5. Joshua McNair 149-0.0ft

4x100m
7. KSU 42.79

High Jump
1. Jerome McKinzie 6-08.75

4x800m
6. KSU 7:57.99

Distance Medley
2. KSU 10:14.06

4x400m
4. KSU 3:17.55