Feb. 2, 2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ---- The Samford track and field team had numerous successes Saturday in its first meet of the indoor season at the Tennessee State Invitational in Nashville, Tenn. Headlining the Bulldogs' achievements in the meet were the men's and women's distance medley teams who won their respective events.

The event, held in Tennessee State's Gentry Center, hosted 37 teams from across the nation and over 60 unattached or professional athletes.

Several freshmen were standouts for the Bulldogs on Saturday. Zac Epperson won the men's pole vault event with a vault of 14'5" while Mary Barron took third in the women's pole vault with a vault of 10'00" and Anna Fearon Brawner took sixth in the same event with a vault of 9'6.25". Marissa Brokaw took fourth in the women's 800-meter event with a time of 2:21.36.

Senior Michael Smith took fourth in the men's 60-meter hurdles event (8.33) while red-shirt junior Bo Brawner took third and red-shirt freshman Ina Ables placed fourth in their respective 5000-meter events. Lauren Pilcher and Katie Almand also placed in the top ten of the women's 5000-meter event. Pilcher placed seventh with a time of 18:51.70 while Almand placed ninth with a time of 19:09.49. Two other Bulldog men placed in the top ten of the 5000-meter event as well - Cameron Bean (15:43.00) in sixth place and Patrick Ollinger (16:10.20) in ninth place.

Other Samford men turning in top ten performances were Michael Schwartz, running the mile in 4:28.66 to take second place with Chas Keithan right behind him at fifth place with a time of 4:36.14. Scott Cope placed ninth in the 800-meter event with a time of 1:58.66. Asa Ackerson placed tenth in the high jump with a height of 5'10". Chris Davis placed seventh in both the shot put (40'11.75") and the weight throw (33'6.5) while Ryan Fee placed sixth in the weight throw (35'0.5").

In other women's action, Jessica Van Ausdall placed fourth in the mile (5:29.61) while Morgan Tyler placed eighth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.21) and jumped a personal best of 18'5" in the long jump. She also placed 12th in the triple jump with a distance of 36'9.75". The women's 4x400 relay team place eighth with a time of 4:08.41.

"This was a really good meet for us," Samford head coach Glenn McWaters said, "considering most of the teams we were competing against had been to two or three meets before this one. Our student-athletes did very well and I am very pleased with our performance today."

The Bulldogs are in action again next Saturday when the head to Carbondale, Ill., to participate in the McDonald's invitational hosted by Southern Illinois University.