Troy University Athletics
Final Day, Best Day for Trojans
5/10/2010 3:00:00 AM | Track & Field
DENTON, Texas - The final day of the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships proved to be the best for the Troy University track and field program.
Both teams made a charge up the leaderboard on the final day, several student-athletes finished as medalists in their respective events and the Trojans were able to bring home more individual conference titles on the final day of the competition.
The Trojan women were the top finisher among the two teams, as they narrowly missed out on a top three finish. The Trojans finished fourth overall with 93 total points, finishing behind North Texas for third place with 120 points. Meanwhile, on the men's side seventh overall with 68 total points after entering the final day of competition with just six points overall.
Senior Tiphanie Baker became the only two-time conference champion on the Trojans roster this season when claimed the title in the hammer throw early Sunday afternoon. The senior narrowly missed the championship record of 56.19 meters, but throwing 56.07 meters (183-11.00) to claim the title by over 11 feet. The next-closest competitor to Baker was Middle Tennessee senior Brittany Cox at 52.51 meters (172-03.00)
The title was the fourth career title for Baker in the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships, and is the second consecutive championship in the hammer competition.
Senior Leander McKenzie didn't disappoint in the 110-meter hurdles this weekend, running the event for the first time this season due to injuries. The senior qualified for the finals with the fastest time in the preliminary round, and he was able to win his second consecutive conference championship in the event with a time of 14.00 seconds - finished 0.14 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, Soloman Williams of Arkansas State.
In the relay competition, the Trojan men proved they were the best in the Sun Belt Conference as they recorded a meet-best 40.32 seconds to claim the gold medal. The team of Neko Freeman, Antonio McLeod, Payton McGhee and Burke Leonce finished 0.17 seconds ahead of their closest competitor in WKU. The time would be the fourth-best time in school history, but this relay team holds the second-best time in school history currently.
The last event for the women ended in fine fashion as the 4x400-meter relay team of Ariel Cavazos, Veronica Bryant, Ja-Courteny Alexander and Kapri Hockaday claimed the conference championship by nearly two seconds. The team crossed the line in a time of 3:48.51; finishing ahead of Florida Atlantic and North Texas. The time is also the fourth-fastest time in school history, knocking off a mark set back in 1985.
Freshman Lizzie Clough joined the lists of medalists for the Trojans as she finished as the conference runner-up in the javelin with a throw of 46.70 meters (153-02.00). She finished just behind Angela McCord of South Alabama at 46.84 meters (153-08.00) The throw by Clough broke a 10-year old school record on Sunday, eclipsing the previous mark of 44.40 meters (145-07.00) held by Amanda Mason in 2000.
Freshman Matt Braswell also medaled in the javelin as he finished third on the men's side with a throw of 59.92 meters (196-07.00). He finished behind a pair of throwers from ULM - Kyle Kent and Richard McKay.
Junior Latoya Ragland came up short in her bid for the 100-meter hurdles, although she was able to garner a spot on the podium with a third place finish. The junior finished with a time of 13.74 seconds, finishing just ahead of Samantha Smith of WKU at 13.79 seconds.
While Ragland finished third, freshman Ja-Courteny Alexander proved to be a force in the Sun Belt Conference for years to come as she finished second overall in the 400-meter dash. She crossed the line in a time of 55.49 seconds, just 0.03 seconds behind Ciara Smith, a senior from North Texas.
Alexander was not the only silver medalist for the Trojans on Sunday, as Neko Freeman finished second overall in the 100-meter dash. The freshman finished with a time of 10.37 seconds, finishing 0.14 seconds behind Luther Ambrose of ULM.
Other Trojans who scored points for the Trojans on Sunday included freshman Brynn Forsythe. The freshman finished sixth, scoring three points, in the hammer with a distance of 46.25 meters (151-09.00).
A pair of Trojans were able record points in the men's triple jump on Sunday as Terrell Irons finished sixth overall with a jump of 14.88 meters (48-10.00); while teammate Lamontrey Stamper finished seventh overall with a jump of 14.68 meters (47-08.00). The jump by Irons eclipsed his previous personal best of 14.65 meters in the triple jump.
Sophomore Mackenzie Howell turned in his second good performance in a row at the conference championships as he was able to score points with a throw of 58.91 meters (193-03.00). The throw was good enough for a fifth-place finish.
On the men's side, graduate student Jeff Rhodes scored points in a couple of events for the Trojans on Sunday. He was able to chip five points with a fourth place finish in the 1500-meters, crossing the line in a time of 4:01.57. He finished just over a second out of medalist honors, finishing behind Aaron Batey of UALR. He was able to follow that up with an eighth-place finish in the 800-meters later in the night. Rhodes crossed the line with a time of 2:03.44, just minutes after his 1500-meter race earlier in the evening.
Chris Upshaw, competing in his first conference championships, scored a point for the Trojans in the finals of the 400-meters. He finished eighth overall with a time of 49.35 seconds for the Trojans.
Meanwhile, sophomore Payton McGhee finished fifth overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.45 seconds. He was 0.01 seconds out of fourth and 0.03 seconds out of medalist contention.
As the night drew closer to an end, the points did not for the Trojans. A trio of female student-athletes scored points for the Trojans in the 400-meter hurdles - led by a fifth-place finish by Kapri Hockaday with a time of 1:02.80. Junior Naquita Rowe finished seventh overall with a time of 1:05.36, while freshman Luv Dean finished in eighth place with a time 1:06.24.
On the men's side, O'Jike Maat scored points in his first conference meet with an eighth place finish. The freshman ran a time of 55.83 seconds, finishing just behind a pair of runners from Arkansas State University.
In the last sprint competition of the night, McGhee finished fifth overall in the 200-meter dash on the men's side with a time of 21.26. He finished just 0.02 seconds behind Curtis King of Middle Tennessee and just 0.33 seconds out a place on the medal stand. Meanwhile, Neko Freeman finished seventh overall with a time of 21.49 seconds.
In the last distance competition of the conference championships, Syliva Chirchir was able to muster up points for the Trojans as she finished sixth overall. She crossed the line in a time of 17:59.39, just nine seconds out of a top-five finish.
The Trojan women were able to score points in the relay competition as they finished fourth overall in the 4x100-meter relay. The team ran a time of 45.92 seconds, finished just behind Middle Tennessee (45.52) for medalist honors. The team of Ariel Cavazos, Ja-Courteny Alexander, Latoya Ragland and Simone Pugh finished a full second ahead of the fifth-place team in South Alabama.
In the final event of the night for either the men or women, the Trojan men scored points in the 4x400-meter relay. The team of Stanley Arukwe, Burke Leonce, Andre McElroy and Chris Upshaw finished eighth overall with a time of 3:41.59.
Meanwhile, Cody Bahrke narrowly missed out on scoring for the Trojans in his first-ever conference championship meet. The freshman recorded a distance of 47.49 meters (155-10.00) to finish ninth, finishing just behind Josh Castaldo from FIU (47.51 meters).
Another freshman, Veronica Bryant finished ninth in the triple jump competition - a day after winning the conference title in the high jump - with a jump of 11.92 meters (39-01.25). She finished just behind Jerrica Thomas of ULM (11.93 meters) for eighth place.
Several Trojan student-athletes will compete next weekend in a Last Chance Meet to better their standings in the East Region. Meanwhile, all of the student-athletes must wait to see if they are in the top 48 in the East Region in order to advance to the East Region meet, which starts May 27.
Both teams made a charge up the leaderboard on the final day, several student-athletes finished as medalists in their respective events and the Trojans were able to bring home more individual conference titles on the final day of the competition.
The Trojan women were the top finisher among the two teams, as they narrowly missed out on a top three finish. The Trojans finished fourth overall with 93 total points, finishing behind North Texas for third place with 120 points. Meanwhile, on the men's side seventh overall with 68 total points after entering the final day of competition with just six points overall.
Senior Tiphanie Baker became the only two-time conference champion on the Trojans roster this season when claimed the title in the hammer throw early Sunday afternoon. The senior narrowly missed the championship record of 56.19 meters, but throwing 56.07 meters (183-11.00) to claim the title by over 11 feet. The next-closest competitor to Baker was Middle Tennessee senior Brittany Cox at 52.51 meters (172-03.00)
The title was the fourth career title for Baker in the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships, and is the second consecutive championship in the hammer competition.
Senior Leander McKenzie didn't disappoint in the 110-meter hurdles this weekend, running the event for the first time this season due to injuries. The senior qualified for the finals with the fastest time in the preliminary round, and he was able to win his second consecutive conference championship in the event with a time of 14.00 seconds - finished 0.14 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, Soloman Williams of Arkansas State.
In the relay competition, the Trojan men proved they were the best in the Sun Belt Conference as they recorded a meet-best 40.32 seconds to claim the gold medal. The team of Neko Freeman, Antonio McLeod, Payton McGhee and Burke Leonce finished 0.17 seconds ahead of their closest competitor in WKU. The time would be the fourth-best time in school history, but this relay team holds the second-best time in school history currently.
The last event for the women ended in fine fashion as the 4x400-meter relay team of Ariel Cavazos, Veronica Bryant, Ja-Courteny Alexander and Kapri Hockaday claimed the conference championship by nearly two seconds. The team crossed the line in a time of 3:48.51; finishing ahead of Florida Atlantic and North Texas. The time is also the fourth-fastest time in school history, knocking off a mark set back in 1985.
Freshman Lizzie Clough joined the lists of medalists for the Trojans as she finished as the conference runner-up in the javelin with a throw of 46.70 meters (153-02.00). She finished just behind Angela McCord of South Alabama at 46.84 meters (153-08.00) The throw by Clough broke a 10-year old school record on Sunday, eclipsing the previous mark of 44.40 meters (145-07.00) held by Amanda Mason in 2000.
Freshman Matt Braswell also medaled in the javelin as he finished third on the men's side with a throw of 59.92 meters (196-07.00). He finished behind a pair of throwers from ULM - Kyle Kent and Richard McKay.
Junior Latoya Ragland came up short in her bid for the 100-meter hurdles, although she was able to garner a spot on the podium with a third place finish. The junior finished with a time of 13.74 seconds, finishing just ahead of Samantha Smith of WKU at 13.79 seconds.
While Ragland finished third, freshman Ja-Courteny Alexander proved to be a force in the Sun Belt Conference for years to come as she finished second overall in the 400-meter dash. She crossed the line in a time of 55.49 seconds, just 0.03 seconds behind Ciara Smith, a senior from North Texas.
Alexander was not the only silver medalist for the Trojans on Sunday, as Neko Freeman finished second overall in the 100-meter dash. The freshman finished with a time of 10.37 seconds, finishing 0.14 seconds behind Luther Ambrose of ULM.
Other Trojans who scored points for the Trojans on Sunday included freshman Brynn Forsythe. The freshman finished sixth, scoring three points, in the hammer with a distance of 46.25 meters (151-09.00).
A pair of Trojans were able record points in the men's triple jump on Sunday as Terrell Irons finished sixth overall with a jump of 14.88 meters (48-10.00); while teammate Lamontrey Stamper finished seventh overall with a jump of 14.68 meters (47-08.00). The jump by Irons eclipsed his previous personal best of 14.65 meters in the triple jump.
Sophomore Mackenzie Howell turned in his second good performance in a row at the conference championships as he was able to score points with a throw of 58.91 meters (193-03.00). The throw was good enough for a fifth-place finish.
On the men's side, graduate student Jeff Rhodes scored points in a couple of events for the Trojans on Sunday. He was able to chip five points with a fourth place finish in the 1500-meters, crossing the line in a time of 4:01.57. He finished just over a second out of medalist honors, finishing behind Aaron Batey of UALR. He was able to follow that up with an eighth-place finish in the 800-meters later in the night. Rhodes crossed the line with a time of 2:03.44, just minutes after his 1500-meter race earlier in the evening.
Chris Upshaw, competing in his first conference championships, scored a point for the Trojans in the finals of the 400-meters. He finished eighth overall with a time of 49.35 seconds for the Trojans.
Meanwhile, sophomore Payton McGhee finished fifth overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.45 seconds. He was 0.01 seconds out of fourth and 0.03 seconds out of medalist contention.
As the night drew closer to an end, the points did not for the Trojans. A trio of female student-athletes scored points for the Trojans in the 400-meter hurdles - led by a fifth-place finish by Kapri Hockaday with a time of 1:02.80. Junior Naquita Rowe finished seventh overall with a time of 1:05.36, while freshman Luv Dean finished in eighth place with a time 1:06.24.
On the men's side, O'Jike Maat scored points in his first conference meet with an eighth place finish. The freshman ran a time of 55.83 seconds, finishing just behind a pair of runners from Arkansas State University.
In the last sprint competition of the night, McGhee finished fifth overall in the 200-meter dash on the men's side with a time of 21.26. He finished just 0.02 seconds behind Curtis King of Middle Tennessee and just 0.33 seconds out a place on the medal stand. Meanwhile, Neko Freeman finished seventh overall with a time of 21.49 seconds.
In the last distance competition of the conference championships, Syliva Chirchir was able to muster up points for the Trojans as she finished sixth overall. She crossed the line in a time of 17:59.39, just nine seconds out of a top-five finish.
The Trojan women were able to score points in the relay competition as they finished fourth overall in the 4x100-meter relay. The team ran a time of 45.92 seconds, finished just behind Middle Tennessee (45.52) for medalist honors. The team of Ariel Cavazos, Ja-Courteny Alexander, Latoya Ragland and Simone Pugh finished a full second ahead of the fifth-place team in South Alabama.
In the final event of the night for either the men or women, the Trojan men scored points in the 4x400-meter relay. The team of Stanley Arukwe, Burke Leonce, Andre McElroy and Chris Upshaw finished eighth overall with a time of 3:41.59.
Meanwhile, Cody Bahrke narrowly missed out on scoring for the Trojans in his first-ever conference championship meet. The freshman recorded a distance of 47.49 meters (155-10.00) to finish ninth, finishing just behind Josh Castaldo from FIU (47.51 meters).
Another freshman, Veronica Bryant finished ninth in the triple jump competition - a day after winning the conference title in the high jump - with a jump of 11.92 meters (39-01.25). She finished just behind Jerrica Thomas of ULM (11.93 meters) for eighth place.
Several Trojan student-athletes will compete next weekend in a Last Chance Meet to better their standings in the East Region. Meanwhile, all of the student-athletes must wait to see if they are in the top 48 in the East Region in order to advance to the East Region meet, which starts May 27.
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