Saturday, March 11, 2000

ACU teams again on track to titles
By LANCE FLEMING
Special Writer

BOSTON — Friday was a solid opening day for both the Abilene Christian University men’s and women’s track and field teams at the NCAA Division II indoor national championships as the women took an early lead on the field and the men qualified every athlete for Saturday’s finals at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

The women scored 26 points and lead second-place St. Augustine’s by 14 points. ACU, however has just four athletes competing in three events Saturday, and those four will need to score big points if the Wildcats are to win their eighth straight indoor championship and 12th in the last 13 years.

The men failed to score a point Friday, but head coach Jon Murray said he believes his team is in good shape to defend its championship.

ACU has eight athletes and the 4x400 relay in finals Saturday, including multiple competitors in the mile, 55 meters and 800 meters.

“We had a really good day (Friday),” Murray said. “We had some second-places, and overall we were very competitive. I thought everybody did a good job of handling the competition, and we didn’t have any bad things happen. Usually when you get to nationals you have something go bad on you, but that didn’t happen.”

The women scored their 26 points with a pair of second-place finishes, a third place and a fourth place.

Meredith Garner, who owns the women’s school pole vault record of 13 feet, one-quarter inch, finished second in the competition Friday with a vault of 12-3.50. The winner, Jennifer Swanson of Cal-Davis, also vaulted 12-3.5, but won the title on the basis of fewer overall misses.

Garner just missed on a couple of chances at 12-7, a height that would have given her the indoor championship.

“I think I could have gone higher,” said Garner, who last Friday vaulted at the USA/Mobil Indoor Championships in Atlanta, “but it didn’t turn out that way today. I had some good jumps today, and I had two good attempts at 12-7, but I just knicked the bar. I felt good out there today and had a good adrenaline flow, but it just didn’t happen for me.”

Defending indoor national champion Jane McNeil finished fourth, clearing 11-11.75 on her third and final attempts, moving up from sixth and securing four points for the Wildcats.

Maresa Cadienhead finished second in the high jump at 5-10, and, like McNeil, cleared the height on her final attempt.

“Jane and Maresa both really competed when we had to have it,” Murray said. “Maresa had poor attempts and then she just went out and jumped the bar pretty easily on her third attempt. Those are some big points those two women picked up for us.”

Dawnyel Newhouse - who will compete Saturday in the triple jump finals — finished third in the long jump with a season-best effort of 20-1.75.

The only other women who will be competing Saturday are Hillerie Shelton in the triple jump, Geraldine George in the shot put and Shawntel Newhouse in the 55-meter hurdles.

“We knew coming up here that the women just didn’t have the ammunition that we’ve had in the past,” Murray said. “But we also knew that thse girls would do the best they could and see what happens after that. We did that (Friday), and where we place is where we place.”

The men set themselves up for a strong run Saturday at another championship, which would be the school’s fifth straight indoor championship and seventh in the last eight years.

“The men were really strong all day,” Murray said. “I feel really good about the position they’ve put themselves in going into the finals.”

ACU qualified three runners in the mile (John Kemboi, 4:12.18; Gilbert Tuhabonye, 4:14.03 and Alfred Rugema, 4:17.30), two more in the 800 meter (Kemboi, 1:53.58 and defending champion Tuhabonye, 1:53.99) and two in the 55 meters (Nic Alexander in a blistering 6.21 seconds and Oscar Meneses in 6.30 seconds).

Alexander, whose qualifying time was the best in the field, said his bad start cost him an even better time.

“They held the start a little bit, and my mind started wandering just a little,” Alexander said. “I think, though, that if I concentrate on my start I can run a 6.15 in the final.”

Alexander will join Jason Prann, Marcus Mars and Julieon Raeburn on ACU’s 4x400 relay team, which will run in Saturday’s finals. Also in the finals on Saturday will be Terrance Woods in both the triple jump and high jump, and Rugema in the 5,000 meters.

“I think we all feel really good about the position we’re in right now,” Alexander said. “I think we can pull this off and win another championship.”

Men

Team Totals — 1. Ashland 18; 2. St. Augustin’es 12; 3. Pittsburg State 10; 4. California-Davis 7; 5. Lewis 6; 6. Kutztown 4; 7. Hillsdale 2; 7. Grand Valley State 2; Virginia State 1.

Long jump — 1. Marshall Grayson, Pittsburg State, 24-7.75; 2. Maurice English, St. Augustine’s, 23-11; 3. Victor Tolstov, Lewis, 23-10; 4. Dane Magloire, St. Augustine’s, 23-10; 5. Marc Hemmerick, Hillsdale, 22 10; 6. Derrick Blount, 22-7.75.

Weight Throw — 1. Rich Ulm, Ashland, 62-0.25; 2. T.J. Koniowsky, Ashland, 60-0.25; 3. Joe Borges, Cal Davis, 59-3; 4. John Frownfelter, Kutztown, 59-1.50; 5. Jason Van Elst, Grand Valley State, 58-9.50; 6. Charles Thomas, Cal-Davis, 58-2.50.

Women

Team Totals — 1. Abilene Christian, 26; 2. St. Augustine’s, 12; 3. (tie) Gardner-Webb, Slippery Rock, Cal-Davis, Ashland and North Dakota State, 10; 8. (tie) Moorhead State, Nebraska-Kearney and South Dakota, 6; 11. (tie) Texas A&M-Kingsville and Truman State, 4; 13. (tie) Fort Hays State, St. Cloud State and Massachusetts-Lowell, 2; 16. Lewis, Southern Connecticut State, North Dakota and Kutztown, 1.

Weight Throw — 1. Jackie Jeschelnig, Ashland, 60-3.75; 2. Diandra Bauer, North Dakota State, 59 4.75; 3. Janet Boettcher, Nebraska-Kearney, 58-3; 4. Natasha Carter, Truman State, 56-2.50; 5. Molly Peppel, North Dakota State, 55-9; 6. Katherine Mason, Southern Connecticut State, 55-8.50.

Long jump — 1. Nikita Lewis, Slippery Rock, 20-5.25; 2. Dolette Blake, St. Augustine’s, 20-2.25; 3. Dawnyel Newhouse, Abilene Christian, 20-1.75; 4. Anna Olsson, Texas A&M-Kingsville, 18-10.50; 5. Jill Croft, Massachusetts-Lowell, 18-10; 6. Vaida Usaite, Lewis, 18-8.50.

High jump — 1. Nicole McClain, Gardner-Webb, 5-11.25; 2. Maresa Cadienhead, Abilene Christian, 5-10; 3. Tonya Kneifl, South Dakota, 5-8.75; 4. Adriane Sims, St. Augustine’s, 5-8.75; 5. Janet Eck, Fort Hays State, 5-7.75; 6. Julie Johnson, North Dakota, 5-5.75.

Pole vault — 1. Jennifer Swanson, Cal-Davis, 12-3.50; 2. Meredith Garner, 12-3.50; 3. Aaron Clark, Moorhead State, 12-3.50; 4. Jane McNeil, Abilene Christian, 11-11.75; 5. Jodi Tarasewicz, St. Cloud State, 11-7.75; 6. Kristi Braine, Kutztown, 11-3.75.