Shareese Woods, who captured two individual titles and ran on two championship relay teams paced the 49ers women to a convincing league title. |
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CHARLOTTE SWEEPS A-10 TITLES IN OUTDOOR TRACK
May 7, 2006
Complete Results |
2006 Atlantic 10 Conference Champions Photo
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Charlotte, N.C. - Charlotte, N.C. - First-year Atlantic 10 member Charlotte completed a sweep of the league's track and field championships by winning both the men's and women's outdoor titles at the league championships, Sunday at The Irwin Belk Track & Field Center. Charlotte won both the men's and women's indoor titles in the winter. The 49er women outdistanced runner-up Richmond by nearly 100 points, outscoring the Spiders, 210-112. The 49er men defeated five-time defending champion Rhode Island, 205-176. It was the first-ever Atlantic 10 Conference Championship hosted by Charlotte.
"This is definitely a program and personal career highlight," said 49ers head track and field coach Bob Olesen, who was named A-10 Coach of the Year for both the men's and women's teams once again, after earning those honors during indoor season as well. "We've accomplished alot in a short time with this program. This is a great way to cap the year."
As with the teams' indoor championships, great depth contributed to high team scoring. Twenty different women's performers contributed to the 210 team points, including a high of 25 from junior Shareese Woods. Freshman Pat Springs contributed 22.5 points, with Sharonda Johnson (22), Cassie Ficken (19.5) and Courtney Patterson (18.5) close behind.
In all, the 49ers women's performers hashed out seven individual and two relay championships, as 90 of 210 team points were earned by event champions.
As with indoor season, there were even more point contributors for the men's team. Twenty-five men combined for 205 team points, led by Ben McCallum's total of 22.5. He was followed by Jason Moore (17.5), Kevin Ryan (16), LaMarcus Outing (14), Montray Gilchrist (12) and Most Outstanding Rookie Chase Eckard (11.5).
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In contrast to the women's victory, the men's team captured only four individual championships and one relay title (50 points). But the men posted seven runner-up finishes overall to add another 56 points to their haul, as they matched the women by scoring over half their team points by All-Conference performances.
All full list of all scorers for both the Charlotte men's and women's teams appears on the final page of the attached PDF document.
The conference champion in each event earns a bid to their respective NCAA Regional Championships, with the East Region meet to be held May 26-27 in Greensboro, N.C. (North Carolina A&T). There were 19 student-athletes that bettered the NCAA-qualifying marks in their respective events to earn an invitation, including nine of those types of qualifications for Charlotte 49ers.
There were also 13 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship meet records established, including seven that now belong to the Niners.
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Charlotte's dominating women's performance was led by a core of national-caliber competitors. NCAA All-America Shareese Woods took titles in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and ran legs on both the championship 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. Woods' perfomances in the 200 (23.74) and 400 (53.70) as well as the team's 4x100 relay (45.39) all constituted new A-10 Championship records.
The 49ers also claimed a league title in the 100-meter dash, where Courtney Patterson led a 49ers' sweep of the top three spots with an NCAA qualifying time of 11.72. She bettered the A-10 Championship record in the event during Saturday's preliminary round, running 11.52.
Senior Cassie Ficken won the 1,500 meters and placed second in the 5,000 meters, while All-America Sharonda Johnson won the title in the triple jump.
Freshman Pat Springs captured the long jump championship in her first collegiate outdoor season on Saturday. Tsehaye Dagnachew won her second straight 3,000-meter steeplechase title after taking the C-USA crown in the event last spring, finishing with an event record 10:32.11. Both the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams cashed in with gold medals as well, with the 4x100 setting a meet record at 45.39. Joining Woods on the meet-record 4x100 relay were Springs, Patterson and freshman Lamarra Currie. The 4x400 consisted of Woods, Aja Jackson, Tina Horne and Angel Moore.
Along with Patterson in the 100, freshmen Currie and Springs finished 2-3 as the 49ers women's team captured 24 points in that event alone, just one example highlighting their overall team depth.
Richmond's Beth Crocus, who won titles Saturday in the hammer and javelin, was named the A-10's Most Outstanding Women's Field Performer. La Salle's Rachel Papin, who won the 5,000 meters and placed second in the 1,500 meters was named the Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer. Dayton's Amy Kremer, who won both the high jump and heptathlon was named the league's Women's Most Outstanding Rookie Performer.
MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
On the men's side, Charlotte battled through a seesaw run with Rhode Island, before taking control late in the meet.
Charlotte's Ben McCallum and James Hanna placed 1-2 in the 100 meter dash to give Charlotte a temporary lead, but Rhode Island swept the top three spots in the 400 hurdles behind Matthew DiMola's 54.35 title run to take the lead back.
Ryan McCarthy's victory in the shot put (16.21 meters) kept Rhode Island on top before Kevin Ryan highlighted a 20-point performance for the 49ers with his victory in the decathlon (6,133 points).
Charlotte placed 1st, 3rd (Terry Watson) and 5th (Jack Waller) in the decathlon to score 20 points and take an insurmountable lead late in the day on Sunday.
"We had a really balanced program across the three major event areas," said Olesen, "and thats the kind of balance it takes to win at the conference level. Associate head coaches Tim Hall and Brad Herbster deserve a lot of credit for enabling that balance to work so well and so effectively because they do such a great job with their areas."
McCallum added a title in the 200 meters (21.29) and ran a leg on the championship 4x100 relay team that set a new A-10 Championship record at 40.91. He led the men's team in scoring with 22.5 points.
LaMarcus Outing won the men's team's fourth title with an A-10 Championship record of 7.50 meters in the long jump.
Charlotte's Chase Eckard was named the Men's Most Outstanding Rookie Performer after finishing second in the 800 meters and 7th in the 1500 meters. He also ran on the third-place 4x800-meter relay team, totaling 11.5 points.
Joining McCallum on the meet-record 4x100-meter relay were Jason Moore, James Hanna and Quincy Smith.
Rhode Island's Ryan McCarthy, who won the shot put, placed second in the discus and hammer throw and was fifth in the javelin to total 30 points, was named the Men's Most Outstanding Field Performer. Mike DiDio, of Saint Joseph's, was named the Men's Most Outstanding Track Performer after capturing the 1500 meter run and placing third in the 5000 meters.
FINAL A-10 Team Standings:
Women's Scores
1) Charlotte 210
2) Richmond 112
3) Rhode Island 97.25
4) Dayton 90.50
5) Duquesne 88
6) Fordham 72
7) La Salle 70
8) Massachusetts 50.25
9) Temple 38.50
10) Saint Joseph's 24.50
11) Xavier 5
Men's Scores
1) Charlotte 205
2) Rhode Island 176
3) La Salle 113
4) Saint Joseph's 105
5) Duquesne 94.33
6) Fordham 45.33
7) Massachusetts 38
8) Temple 37.33
9) Richmond 35
10) Temple 2
Women's Coach of the Year: Bob Olesen, Charlotte
Men's Coach of the Year: Bob Olesen, Charlotte
Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer: Rachel Papin, La Salle
Women's Most Outstanding Field Performer: Beth Crocus, Richmond
Men's Most Outstanding Track Performer: Mike DiDio, Saint Joseph's
Men's Most Outstanding Field Performer: Ryan McCarthy, Rhode Island
Women's Most Outstanding Rookie Performer: Amy Kremer, Dayton
Men's Most Outstanding Rookie Performer: Chase Eckard, Charlotte
A-10 Championship Records Set:
Men's Long Jump: LaMarcus Outing, Charlotte 7.50 meters
Men's 4x100 Relay: Charlotte 40.91
Men's 1500 Meters: Mike DiDio, Saint Joseph's 3:50.19
Men's 5000 Meters: Teddy Meyers, Saint Joseph's 14:33.25
Women's 100 Meter Dash: Courtney Patterson, Charlotte 11.52 (prelim)
Women's 200 Meter Dash: Shareese Woods, Charlotte 23.74
Women's 400 Meter Dash: Shareese Woods, Charlotte 53.70
Women's 4x100 Relay: Charlotte 45.39
Women's 5000 Meters: Rachel Papin, La Salle 16:33.31
Women's 10,000 Meters: Cindy Smith, Rhode Island 36:56.65
Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase: Tsehaye Dagnachew, Charlotte 10:32.11
Women's 5000 Meters: Rachel Papin, La Salle 16:33.31
Women's 4x800 Relay: La Salle 8:54.06
NCAA Regional Qualifying Marks
(Each Event Champion automatically qualifies. The following list includes any competitor that bettered the qualifying standard)):
Men's 100 Meter Dash: Ben McCallum, Charlotte 10:44
Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase: Tom Slosky, Duquesne 9:04.17
Men's Hammer Throw: Michael Bernardo, Rhode Island 55.61 meters
Men's Javelin: Kevin Moore, La Salle 66.67 meters
Women's 4x100 Relay: Charlotte 45.39
Women's 100 Meter Dash: Courtney Patterson, Charlotte 11.52 (prelim)
Women's 100 Meter Dash: Lamarra Currie, Charlotte 11.74 (prelim)
Women's 200 Meter Dash: Shareese Woods, Charlotte 23.74
Women's 200 Meter Dash: Jessica Young, Richmond 23.98
Women's 400 Meter Dash: Shareese Woods, Charlotte 53.70
Women's 400 Meter Dash: Jessica Young, Richmond 54.21
Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase: Tsehaye Dagnachew, Charlotte 10:32.11
Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase: Amy Ruffolo, Duquesne 10:46.2
Women's 5000 Meters: Rachel Papin, La Salle 16:33.31
Women's 5000 Meters: Cassie Ficken, Charlotte 16:49.23
Women's 5000 Meters: Tsehaye Dagnachew, Charlotte 16:51.91
Women's Triple Jump: Sharonda Johnson, Charlotte 12.41 meters
Women's Discus: Sarah Thornton, Rhode Island 47.42 meters
Women's Shot put: Kelly Pohlman Dayton 14.45 meters
05-07-06
