April 12, 2008

CUMBERLAND, KY – Today’s meet featured more than 20 D-II, D-III and NAIA teams.  It was bright and sunny but the sustained 20 mph winds definitely added to the challenge in many of the 20 events.  It was an especially strong showing for the women's team who finished the meet in fifth place overall.  It was a true team effort that was highlighted by the performances of Gabby Walker (Chattanooga, TN) and Erin Stowe (Cincinnati, OH).  Gabby once again continued her assault on the Mars Hill record book with two more record breaking performances.  She recorded a time of 12.92 seconds in the 100 meter dash earning a 5th place among the 28 competitors.  Then in the triple jump she crushed the previous mark by over 3 feet with a jump of 35’ 4 ¾” to earn a first place overall.  Erin opened up with her best through of the season in the shot put with a toss of 32’ 4” earning her 4th place overall.  She followed up with a huge personal best throw in the discus with a toss of 107’ 11”, the 2nd furthest toss in school history earning 3rd place overall.  Other highlights for the team included Ashley McCarthy (Clearwater, FL) in the high jump where she tied the school record with a jump of 5’ 2”.  The women’s 4 X 100 meter relay again turned in another strong performance with a time of 50.40 seconds good for 3rd place overall.

The men had a number of strong performances too.  Brad Nagel (King, NC) brought home a 4th place in the pole vault in spite of the strong headwind which really affected the event.  He finished with a vault of 12 feet.  In the shot put Richard Clarke (Lookout Mountain, GA) recorded his best throw of the season with a mark of 39’ 5”.  Will Mikolajczak (Triangle, VA) took 4th place overall in the steeplechase with at time of 10:10.24.

Complete results can be found at: http://www.ucumberlands.edu/athletics/track/results/2008/041208UCInvite.pdf

Next up for the teams is the Tri-Conference Championships hosted by Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC this coming weekend.  It is a two-day meet with a limited number of events Friday night (April 18th) beginning at 5:00 P.M.  The action resumes Saturday morning (April 19th) at 9:30 A.M.  The Lady Lions are looking to defend their SAC title from last year.  The Mars Hill men finished 2nd at last year’s championships and are looking to bring home the title this year.      

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