Thursday, May 25, 2000

Division II track & Field
ACU seeks another four-peat
By Lance Fleming
Special to the Reporter-News

Abilene Christian University is going for an unprecedented “four-peat” repeat this weekend in Raleigh, N.C.

ACU — the only school in NCAA history to sweep all four national track and field championships in one season — will try to complete another sweep of this year’s NCAA Division II championships this weekend when it competes in the national outdoor track and field championships at Paul Derr Stadium on the North Carolina State campus.

ACU, which has swept the NCAA Division II championships twice in its history (winning both the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor titles in 1996 and 1999), can become the first school in NCAA history to do it under two different head coaches if it can win both titles this weekend.

The 1996 and 1999 sweeps came under the direction of Wes Kittley, now the head coach at Texas Tech. A sweep this year would be under the guidance of interim head coach Jon Murray, whose men’s team is the undisputed favorite.

Fourteen Wildcats will be competing in 12 events, though only three of those are field events.

“I think we’re sitting pretty well right now with the guys,” Murray said. “We just have to go out there and take care of our business, and I believe we’ll have good results.”

The Wildcats will spend today and Friday qualifying athletes for Saturday’s running finals — and falling farther and farther behind the leaders. Only Terrance Woods in the high jump and triple jump, and Kris Jenkins in the pole vault, will have a chance to score points for ACU in the first two days of the meet.

“We don’t have many field event people, so I would expect us to be significantly behind in the points race going in Saturday,” said Murray. “The key for us on Saturday will be the 1,500 meters. We have three guys in that race (top-ranked Alfred Rugema, fifth-ranked John Kemboi and eighth-ranked Gilbert Tuhabonye). If we can get all those guys to finish in the top five, I believe that will set the tone for us.”

The Wildcats should also score big with its sprinters. Nic Alexander and Oscar Meneses are both qualified in the 100 and 200, and Julieon Raeburn in the 200 and 400. Alexander has the best time in the nation this year of 10.19 in the 100 and 20.55 in the 200. Raeburn is second in both the 200 and 400. Freshman Nick Gaffney is seeded ninth in the 400 field with a 47.14 time.

The Wildcats are also counting on points from Kemboi and Tuhabonye in the 800, Shaka Huggins in the 110 hurdles, Jason Prann in the 400 hurdles and their 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

The women’s championship should come down to a battle among ACU, host St. Augustine’s, North Dakota State and Adams State (Colo.).

Murray said the women’s outdoor championship will be as close and intense as the indoor championship, which ACU held on to win, 48-47, over North Dakota State.

“We really have to do well in the jumps, because everybody knows that’s where our strength is,” Murray said. “The pole vault, high jump, triple jump and long jump won the indoor championship for us, and we’ll have to score well outdoors to do the same.”

Meredith Garner is the No. 2-ranked vaulter in Division II with a best mark of 13- 3/4 , Dawnyel Newhouse (20-5) is ranked third and Hillerie Shelton (18-1/4 ) of Cisco 21st in the long jump and Shelton (41-1) second and Newhouse 11th (39-21/4 ) in the triple jump.

Maresa Cadienhead (5-10) and Tracey Gust (5-8 1/2 ) are ranked third and eighth, respectively in the high jump.

Geraldine George should rack up some big points for the Lady Wildcats. She has the nation’s top javelin throw (177-6) and is ranked fifth in the shot put (47-4 3/4 ). Selena Bettis is ranked 11th in the hammer throw.

Shawntel Newhouse has the nation’s top time in the 100 hurdles (13.70). Wendy Seitz is also in the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles and Newhouse in the open 100. Marichea Austin will run in the 200 and 400 and Angie Waters the 800. ACU also has both its 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams entered in the meet.

The last time the meet was in Raleigh, St. Augustine’s won the men’s championship, 118-117, over Abilene Christian, and ACU won the women’s title, 89 1/2 -72, over Cal State-Los Angeles.