Troy University Athletics
Veronica Bryant Claims Championship
5/9/2010 2:00:00 AM | Track & Field
DENTON, Texas - The second day of the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships proved just as successful as the opening day of the meet at Fouts Field on the campus of the University of North Texas.
A day after senior Tiphanie Baker claimed the team's first individual conference championship, freshman Veronica Bryant become the second Trojan to claim an individual championship on Saturday afternoon.
Bryant claimed a championship in her first conference championship, winning in a jump off with Ann Dudley of Middle Tennessee State University. Bryant claimed the title with a personal best jump of 1.72 meters (5-07.75), while Dudley could only clear 1.69 meters in the jump off. The jump by Bryant is the third best jump in school history, and missed the championship record by just three inches.
Senior Kapri Hockaday was able to finish tied for seventh in the same event, clearing the bar at 1.59 meters (5-02.50).
In other finals action on Saturday, Chontia Allen finished 14th in the heptathlon with 3,520 points. She finished with a distance of 4.43 meters in the long jump, 22.70 meters in the javelin and a time of 2:56.44 in the 800-meters.
Junior Latoya Ragland scored points in one final event, hours before she qualified for the finals in a second event. Ragland finished sixth overall with a jump of 5.79 meters (19-00.00) in the long jump, and then qualified for the finals of the 100-meter hurdles. She was able to qualify for the finals in third place with a time of 14.06 seconds, putting her in the middle of the track on Sunday for the finals - an event in which she finished second last season.
Baker missed on a chance for a second championship on the second day of competition, finishing fifth overall in the shot put with a distance of 13.69 meters (44-11.00). She will now put her focus towards one of her best events, the hammer throw which will take place on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, freshman Brynn Forsythe narrowly missed out on scoring points for the Trojans on Saturday as she finished ninth in the shot put with a distance of 12.63 meters (41-05.25).
While Ragland was finishing fifth in the women's long jump, senior Lamontrey Stamper did the same in the men's event. The senior finished with a jump of 7.21 meters (23-08.00), finishing just over a foot behind the eventual champion who finished with a distance of 7.52 meters (24-08.25).
In the final events of the night, Kelly Harrington earned points for the Trojans in the 3000-meter steeplechase as she ran under the lights. Harrington crossed the line in a time of 11:50.18, less than a minute behind the eventual champion in the event. The time is 0.10 seconds better than Harrington's previous personal best and is the second best time in school history.
With all of the finals out of the way, many of the Trojans who made the trip to Denton had to qualify on the track through the preliminary round ... and many did.
Running his first race of the season in the 110-meter hurdles, senior Leander McKenzie did not disappoint. The senior crossed the line first in the preliminary round with a time of 13.92 seconds which was 0.58 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. The time was just 0.05 seconds away from the school record that McKenzie all ready owns, was just 0.19 seconds away from the championship record.
A pair of runners qualified for the finals in the 400-meter dash, one on each side for the Trojans. Freshman Ja-Courteny Alexander, who did not compete in the 100-meter dash, qualified for the finals by crossing the line first in the preliminary round with a time of 55.05 seconds. The time is a new personal best for Alexander, and is just 0.93 seconds shy of the school record held by Carrie Wallace (2005).
Meanwhile, on the men's side, Chris Upshaw qualified for the finals with a time of 48.55 seconds. He was able to cross the line seventh overall, and beat his previous personal best of 49.03 seconds set earlier this season.
In the 100-meter dash, a pair of Trojans qualified for the finals with a third and fourth place finish in the preliminary round. Payton McGhee qualified third, as he finished just behind the fastest in the Sun Belt in Luther Ambrose (ULM) and Gavin Smellie (WKU), with a time of 10.59 seconds. He was followed closely by his teammate, freshman Neko Freeman who crossed the line fourth with a time of 10.61 seconds.
Graduate student Jeff Rhodes qualified for the finals in his first conference championships, as he crossed the line seventh in the 800-meter dash with a time of 1:55.00.
A trio of runners qualified for the finals, meaning the Trojans will score points in the finals, of the 400-meter hurdles on the women's side. Freshman Luv Dean qualified first, as she finished fifth with a time of 1:03.59; while teammate Kapri Hockaday finished seventh with a time of 1:04.18. Meanwhile, junior Naquita Rowe finished eighth with a time of 1:04.34.
On the men's side, freshman O'Jike Maat qualified for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles in first conference championships. Maat crossed the line fifth overall in the preliminaries with a time of 54.69 seconds, narrowly missing his personal best.
In the final preliminary event of the day, the Trojans forced the conference to have to line nine runners up in the finals. Both Freeman and McGhee qualified for the finals with identical times of 21.51 seconds. The duo tied for eighth, forcing the timing company and the conference to extend their times out and when they did, the duo ran the exact time of 21.504 in different heats.
Entering the final day of competition, with several student-athletes in competition in final events, the Trojan women are in fourth place overall and the Trojan men in ninth place with several points left to score.
The Trojans will conclude the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Mother's Day Sunday. The events will run all day at Fouts Field on the campus of the University of North Texas.
A day after senior Tiphanie Baker claimed the team's first individual conference championship, freshman Veronica Bryant become the second Trojan to claim an individual championship on Saturday afternoon.
Bryant claimed a championship in her first conference championship, winning in a jump off with Ann Dudley of Middle Tennessee State University. Bryant claimed the title with a personal best jump of 1.72 meters (5-07.75), while Dudley could only clear 1.69 meters in the jump off. The jump by Bryant is the third best jump in school history, and missed the championship record by just three inches.
Senior Kapri Hockaday was able to finish tied for seventh in the same event, clearing the bar at 1.59 meters (5-02.50).
In other finals action on Saturday, Chontia Allen finished 14th in the heptathlon with 3,520 points. She finished with a distance of 4.43 meters in the long jump, 22.70 meters in the javelin and a time of 2:56.44 in the 800-meters.
Junior Latoya Ragland scored points in one final event, hours before she qualified for the finals in a second event. Ragland finished sixth overall with a jump of 5.79 meters (19-00.00) in the long jump, and then qualified for the finals of the 100-meter hurdles. She was able to qualify for the finals in third place with a time of 14.06 seconds, putting her in the middle of the track on Sunday for the finals - an event in which she finished second last season.
Baker missed on a chance for a second championship on the second day of competition, finishing fifth overall in the shot put with a distance of 13.69 meters (44-11.00). She will now put her focus towards one of her best events, the hammer throw which will take place on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, freshman Brynn Forsythe narrowly missed out on scoring points for the Trojans on Saturday as she finished ninth in the shot put with a distance of 12.63 meters (41-05.25).
While Ragland was finishing fifth in the women's long jump, senior Lamontrey Stamper did the same in the men's event. The senior finished with a jump of 7.21 meters (23-08.00), finishing just over a foot behind the eventual champion who finished with a distance of 7.52 meters (24-08.25).
In the final events of the night, Kelly Harrington earned points for the Trojans in the 3000-meter steeplechase as she ran under the lights. Harrington crossed the line in a time of 11:50.18, less than a minute behind the eventual champion in the event. The time is 0.10 seconds better than Harrington's previous personal best and is the second best time in school history.
With all of the finals out of the way, many of the Trojans who made the trip to Denton had to qualify on the track through the preliminary round ... and many did.
Running his first race of the season in the 110-meter hurdles, senior Leander McKenzie did not disappoint. The senior crossed the line first in the preliminary round with a time of 13.92 seconds which was 0.58 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. The time was just 0.05 seconds away from the school record that McKenzie all ready owns, was just 0.19 seconds away from the championship record.
A pair of runners qualified for the finals in the 400-meter dash, one on each side for the Trojans. Freshman Ja-Courteny Alexander, who did not compete in the 100-meter dash, qualified for the finals by crossing the line first in the preliminary round with a time of 55.05 seconds. The time is a new personal best for Alexander, and is just 0.93 seconds shy of the school record held by Carrie Wallace (2005).
Meanwhile, on the men's side, Chris Upshaw qualified for the finals with a time of 48.55 seconds. He was able to cross the line seventh overall, and beat his previous personal best of 49.03 seconds set earlier this season.
In the 100-meter dash, a pair of Trojans qualified for the finals with a third and fourth place finish in the preliminary round. Payton McGhee qualified third, as he finished just behind the fastest in the Sun Belt in Luther Ambrose (ULM) and Gavin Smellie (WKU), with a time of 10.59 seconds. He was followed closely by his teammate, freshman Neko Freeman who crossed the line fourth with a time of 10.61 seconds.
Graduate student Jeff Rhodes qualified for the finals in his first conference championships, as he crossed the line seventh in the 800-meter dash with a time of 1:55.00.
A trio of runners qualified for the finals, meaning the Trojans will score points in the finals, of the 400-meter hurdles on the women's side. Freshman Luv Dean qualified first, as she finished fifth with a time of 1:03.59; while teammate Kapri Hockaday finished seventh with a time of 1:04.18. Meanwhile, junior Naquita Rowe finished eighth with a time of 1:04.34.
On the men's side, freshman O'Jike Maat qualified for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles in first conference championships. Maat crossed the line fifth overall in the preliminaries with a time of 54.69 seconds, narrowly missing his personal best.
In the final preliminary event of the day, the Trojans forced the conference to have to line nine runners up in the finals. Both Freeman and McGhee qualified for the finals with identical times of 21.51 seconds. The duo tied for eighth, forcing the timing company and the conference to extend their times out and when they did, the duo ran the exact time of 21.504 in different heats.
Entering the final day of competition, with several student-athletes in competition in final events, the Trojan women are in fourth place overall and the Trojan men in ninth place with several points left to score.
The Trojans will conclude the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Mother's Day Sunday. The events will run all day at Fouts Field on the campus of the University of North Texas.
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