Friday, May 14, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Kennesaw State grabbed the day one lead at the Atlantic Sun Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship with two athletes claiming conference titles and Josh McNair putting together a record breaking performance.

The Owls racked up 63 points on the first day of the championship placing them 15 points ahead of second-place ETSU. Campbell ranks third, Belmont fourth, USC Upstate fifth, Lipscomb sixth and UNF seventh.

In the shot put, Kennesaw State’s McNair claimed the A-Sun crown with a meet record toss of 16.89-meters, breaking the previous record held by Matt Knippen of Gardner-Webb by 0.82m. The Owls’ Adam Reed claimed the pole vault title after he failed to clear a height at the indoor championship. Reed and USC Upstate’s Justin Crawford tied for the best leap with a mark of 4.67-meters but Reed claimed the conference crown by virtue of a tie breaker.

Kenneth Rotich of ETSU shattered his own meet record in the 10,000-meter run to claim the A-Sun crown in the event. The Bucs’ senior bested the field by nearly 32 seconds and topped his old meet record by 23 seconds, winning the event in a time of 30:30.68.

Belmont’s Joe Frye set a conference meet record in the hammer throw with a toss of 57.41-meters. The junior’s toss bested the leagues championship’s best mark by 3.21m. The Owls’ McNair took second with a heave of 55.32m.  

Campbell’s Diego Lawerence started his A-Sun outdoor career one-for-one taking the conference title in the long jump. The freshman’s leap of 7.19-meters bested teammate Robert Bruson, who finished second with a mark 6.82m.

In preliminary action, ETSU’s Duronal Monal raced to the top time in the 100-meter dash, 10.50, and into Saturday's finals. Kendall Parks of Kennesaw State grabbed the top time in the first round of the 110-meter hurdles with a mark of 14.05.

Belmont’s Matt Fielder earned the first day lead in the decathlon with wins in the long jump and high jump. The Bruins junior posted 3,460 points and holds an 84 point lead over Burton Elrod of Lipscomb. Nic Chernikow of ETSU sits in third with 3,235 points. The Buccaneer senior set the Atlantic Sun meet record a season ago in the decathlon and entered the championship with the league’s top decathlon performance this season.

Brian Graham of Kennesaw State finished day one in fourth-place in the decathlon. Jordan Briggs finished day one fifth in the multi event while teammate Matt Hill ranks sixth, the Owls’ Damarcus Henley sits in seventh.

The conference championship competition resumes tomorrow at Hodges Stadium at 9:00 a.m. as the decathlon concludes.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.