Heavy Favorite Charlotte Heads to Massachusetts for 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship
May 1, 2008
Charlotte, N.C. - The Track & Field Complex on the campus of the University of Massachusetts will be the setting for the 12th annual Atlantic 10 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 3-4. The Charlotte 49ers, who have amassed over a dozen NCAA Regional qualifying times thus far this season, were chosen in the preseason coaches poll to take the titles on both the men's and women's sides.
"We've seen the final entries for all teams for the championship and everything looks good," head coach Robert Olesen said. "My predictive scoring puts us as the favorites for both men and women, but anything can happen in a championship. We've won a number of championships since joining the conference but this one poses a big challenge because we will be traveling in the middle of final exams. Because of this, we are cutting our travel plans as tightly as possible, which means early mornings and late nights on top of the fact that the athletes will have to effectively shift focus from exams to competition back to exams in a 72 hour period--a true test of the term student-athlete."
"I'm confident we can handle it effectively and come back from Amherst with positive results."
Rhode Island claimed the 2007 men's title after amassing 230 points, besting then-defending champion Charlotte's 149. The Rams, who have won a league-high six outdoor crowns, will contend with the 49ers, Duquesne, Fordham, La Salle, Massachusetts, Richmond, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier in the quest for the men's title.
Senior Sean Quigley of La Salle, who qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 5,000m (13:30.25) just two weeks after qualifying in the 10,000m (28:03.72), will look to defend his title in the 5,000m after setting a Championship record in 2007 with a time of 14:10.79. Senior LaMarcus Outing of Charlotte looks to extend his streak of gold metals in the long jump to three straight years, as will Rhode Island senior Ryan McCarthy in the shot put. McCarthy's distance of 223-4 in the javelin ranks as the Conference's top mark of the season.
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On the women's side, Charlotte tallied 195 points a year ago en route to capturing its second consecutive A-10 crown. Richmond finished second for the second straight year with 121.5 points, while four-time champion Rhode Island (2002-05) placed third with 121 points. Others vying to dethrone Charlotte are Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, La Salle, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier.
Charlotte junior Pat Springs is vying for her third consecutive long jump title and currently leads the A-10 with a mark of 20-10 3/4. La Salle senior Rachel Papin, who has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000m (16:33.39), looks to defend her back-to-back Conference crowns in the event. Rhode Island senior Sarah Thornton, who currently ranks in the top five of the Conference in both the hammer throw (189-11) and shot put (40-2) events, seeks her third league title in the discus after registering wins in 2005 and 2006.
The first day of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships will begin at 8:45am on Saturday, May 3, with the women's heptathlon. On Sunday, May 4, the men's decathlon begins the second day of competition at 8:45am.
For the second consecutive year, live audio and video streaming of the Championship will be available for $7.95 per day. Annual subscribers to All-Access for A-10 teams participating in the Championship and XXL annual subscribers will be able to view the action at no charge. Log on to www.atlantic10.org for complete coverage of the Championship.
