Troy University Athletics
Trojans Fare Well, Day Two Canceled
1/30/2010 3:00:00 AM | Track & Field
CHAPEL HILL, NC - There are not many times where one can say an indoor event was canceled due to inclement weather outside, well this is one of those chances. And for the first time in recent memory, the inclement weather affected the women's indoor track and field program in their second meet of the season.
The Dick Taylor Carolina Classic was canceled late Friday evening after consulting with National Weather Service about the threat of inclement weather to hit the state of North Carolina.
Although the first day of the meet was canceled, some events with Troy student-athletes competing were able to finish.
"We challenged the team to step up to the elite competition," Troy Director of Track and Field/Cross Country, Jill Lancaster said. "They responded well and competed well in the events in which they were entered."
In the events that were completed, freshman Ja-Courteny Alexander and Simone Pugh continued to impress in the sprint competitions as they finished in the top 14 of the 60-meter dash preliminaries. Alexander finished in the top 10, as she rounded out the top finishers with a time of 7.81 seconds; while Pugh finished 14th overall with a time of 7.90 seconds. Other runners in the 60-meters for the Trojans were Ariel Cavazos with a time of 7.99 seconds as she finished 18th overall.
In the final round of the 60-meter dash, Alexander finished eighth overall with a time of 7.78 seconds, while Pugh finished 12th overall with a time of 7.88 seconds.
Meanwhile, Pugh also ran in the 300-meters for the Trojans, finishing 15th overall in her first time in the competition. The freshman crossed the line in a time of 42.89 seconds, while Ashley Hall finished 23rd overall with a time of 44.48 seconds.
Kapri Hockaday, scheduled to compete in the pentathlon, instead ran in the 500-meters and finished ninth overall with a time of 1:21.63. She was less than two seconds out of medal contention for the Trojans and seven seconds behind the winner, Tasha Stanley of North Carolina. Freshman Luv Dean also ran in the 500-meters, finishing with a time of 1:22.23; while Chalyce Stancil finished 16th overall with a time of 1:22.81 and Tamara Curtis 23rd overall with a time of 1:25.03.
Kelly Harrington competed in middle distance competition for the Trojans on Friday, earning a seventh place finish in the 1000-meters with a time of 3:14.49, while Sylvia Chirchir finished ninth overall in the event with a time of 3:30.58.
Freshman twins Morgan Paulson and Allison Paulson ran well in the distance competition for the Trojans, with Morgan finishing 17th (5:40.43) and Allison 21st (5:44.21) in the one mile run.
Latoya Ragland and Naquita Rowe continue to burn the track in the hurdle competition, as both finished in the top 10 of the finals of the 60-meter hurdles. Rowe advanced to the finals with a time of 8.67 seconds, before finishing sixth overall with a time of 8.71 seconds. Meanwhile, Ragland qualified for the finals with a time of 8.77 seconds, before finishing eighth overall in the finals with a time of 8.89 seconds. Chontia Allen (18th) and Veronica Bryant (24th) also competed in the 60-meter hurdles for the Trojans.Latoya RaglandNaquita Rowe
Bryant also competed in the jumps for the Trojans, finishing ninth overall in the triple jump with a distance of 11.35 meters (37'3").
Tiphanie Baker competed against some of the nation's best on Friday in the weight throw, throwing a distance of 16.04 meters (52'7.50") and finishing just three feet out of medal contention.
Dee Richards finished 12th overall in the weight throw with a distance of 13.02 meters (42'8.75") and Brynn Forsythe 13th overall with a distance of 12.83 meters (42'1.25")
"We competed hard today," Troy assistant track and field coach Chip Brundage said. "We showed we can handle this type of competition, and we will still see the opportunity to get better in all events. Since we will not be able to compete tomorrow, we have two weeks to train before our next meet at Clemson."
The UNC coaches and staff would like to wish everyone who attended and competed a safe trip home and a congratulations on good competition. All individual performances and the women's pentathlon results are eligible to count, but the men's heptathlon which still had three events to be completed will not be finished along with Saturday's individual events (as posted on TarHeelBlue.com).
Results from the Dick Taylor Carolina Classic will posted when they become available on TroyTrojans.com.
