Saturday, February 19, 2011

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Jacksonville Dolphins capped a dominant weekend on Saturday by compiling 219 points, 65 ahead of runner-up UNF, by winning nine of 17 events in total. Charlene Charles earned the Championship Most Valuable Performer and Most Outstanding Field Performer awards for the second-straight season as the sophomore dominated the two-day event placing in five different events including two wins, good for 42 points.

The championship marks the sixth-straight for the Dolphins, who have won every women’s indoor championship since the inaugural meet in 2006. After leading by 30 points heading into the final day, the Dolphins secured their title defense by posting six top-finishes in the day’s 11 events including two by sophomore Joanne Pierre, the Most Outstanding Track Performer, in the 800-meter run and the mile. Stacey Young led the Dolphins to a 1-2-3 sweep in the women’s hurdles.

Runner-up UNF scored four event wins during the meet highlighted by a pair of A-Sun meet record breaking performances by Christina King in the pole vault at 3.70m and freshman Briana Frazier in the 400m dash in 54.26. Frazier earned Most Outstanding Freshman Performer making her the first Osprey to win the award as she also earned the 200m dash title. The Ospreys 154 points and second-place finish both are program records at the indoor championship.

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Kennesaw State’s Mackenzie Howe set the meet record in the 5,000m run with a time of 16:54.97, which broke the previous mark by 19 seconds to help the Owls to a third-place finish. ETSU finished fourth at the championship with 72 points, while Lipscomb posted a program-best fifth-place finish by accumulating 53 points, which is more than their previous five meets combined.

Campbell finished in sixth place with 41 points ahead of USC Upstate at 15 and Belmont with 10 points to wrap up the standings.

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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 five 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.