Personal and Season Bests Abound at Virginia Tech
Feb. 29, 2008
Blacksburg, Va. - With specific individual events in mind, the Charlotte 49ers indoor track and field team, fresh off sweeping the Atlantic 10 Championships, traveled a limited squad to Virginia Tech this weekend.
"We traveled athletes this weekend for one of four reasons: to record an NCAA qualifying performance, for freshmen to record a USATF Junior Championship qualifying performance, for seniors to have a last chance to improve their rank in school history, and/or to simply realize unseen potential we felt could be relatively easily accomplished based on the previous meets at a very good Virginia Tech facility," head coach Bob Olesen said.
"Overall, it was a very worthwhile trip, as we met many of our expectations for the weekend with a limited squad, recording one school record, one NCAA provisional qualifier, 10 personal bests and six season bests."
Pat Springs recorded yet another NCAA provisional qualifying distance in the long jump, winning with a 20'4.5" (6.21m) leap. The result is just one centimeter less than the school record she sets earlier this season, which placed her 17th in the national rankings.
"Pat is having a great season and, although she is currently on the bubble with regards to NCAA championship qualifying, based on what I saw Saturday, she has a great chance of improving her ranking and making the cut when we return to Blacksburg for the Virginia Tech Last Chance meet on March 8th."
Sunita Brathwaite lowered the 60m hurdle school record set by Paris Smith in 2004 by almost a tenth of a second, finished second in 8.56.
"Brathwaite continues to impress us with personal bests and now both the 55m and 60m hurdle records," Olesen said. "This time puts her only .13 seconds from the NCAA provisional standard which she will attempt at the Last Chance meet."
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In the 60m dash, senior Lajarsha Moses finished second with a lifetime best 7.45, ranking her fourth all-time for Charlotte and only 0.01 seconds from the NCAA provisional qualifying time. Teammate Lamarra Currie, who recorded a qualifier at the A-10 Championship, was fifth at 7.51. In the 200m dash, the pair reversed, with Currie in fourth and Moses in ninth, both with lifetime bests of 24.27 and 24.56, respectively.
Freshmen 400m runners Ebonie Cunningham and Yvonna Hines ran well at 55.70 and 57.30, respectively, with fellow newcomer Shanice Jones recording a lifetime best of 58.02, ranking her ninth all-time.
In the triple jump, senior Lindsey Clayborn set a season-best distance of 38'2" (11.63m). In the men's action, senior Jason Moore recorded season-bests in the 60m and 200m dashes, running a 6.80 preliminary and 6.85, good for eighth, in the 60m and a third-place 21.42 in the 200m. Also in the 200m, freshmen Reggie Hill and Korel Mack set personal bests of 22.38 and 22.85, respectively.
Senior LaMarcus Outing and Mack both recorded fourth-place finishes. Outing leapt a season-best 23'11" (7.29m) in the long jump, only four centimeters off his lifetime best, while Mack lowered his lifetime best in the 60m hurdles in both the preliminaries and finals with successive 8.05 and 8.02 times. The pair is now ranked third and second, respectively, all-time in these events.
"Along with Jason Moore, both of these guys had good days and are within striking distance of NCAA provisional qualifying marks moving into the last chance weekend," Olesen said.
Also in the hurdles, sophomore Dewayne Chandler ran a lifetime best of 8.15 seconds, ranking him fifth all-time. Chandler nearly matched this all-time ranking with a sixth all-time best jump of 23'0.75" (7.03m). Freshman Darius Law was ever so close to his lifetime best from earlier this season, just 0.01 seconds off at 48.56 for eighth place. One final lifetime best was recorded by sophomore Ryan Thompson in the triple jump with a distance of 48'0.5" (14.64m), making him ninth all-time.
The teams will have next weekend off and then return to action as the indoor season nears its end at Virginia Tech and Notre Dame on March 7-8th. March 8th is the last day to record a qualifying performance for the NCAA Indoor Championship March 14-15 at the University of Arkansas. Limited squads will represent the 49ers at each meet with sprinters, hurdlers, and jumpers at Virginia Tech and the top distance runners looking for fast competition and NCAA qualifying times in South Bend.
