March 25, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Four Samford track and field athletes have received the weekly honors of Ohio Valley Conference Track and Field Athletes of the week. Cameron Bean and Hillary Neal were named Male and Female Track Athlete of the Week while Chas Keithan and Morgan Tyler earned Male and Female Field Athlete of the week. It is the first time that Samford has had four athletes receive the honor in the same week.

Bean led the Samford men to a third place finish at the Southern Miss Invitational on March 15 with a seventh place finish in the 5,000-meter run (15:48.26) and a first place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:53.00).

Neal, who shared this week's honor with Jacksonville State's Nolinda Garner, helped lead the Samford women to a third place finish at the Southern Miss Invitational by winning the 1500-meter run. She set a new Samford freshman record with her time of 4:36.87, finishing in front of seniors Lauren Blankenship and Britney Almaguer, while also taking fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:20.05.

Keithan placed seventh in his first collegiate pole vault (12'06.00") at the Southern Miss Invitational and Tyler finished fifth in the long jump at that same meet. Her leap of 18'00.50" currently ranks third in the OVC.

The foursome will join their team this weekend in competing in the annual Alabama Relays, March 27-30, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.