Saturday, May 12, 2007

Johnson City, Tenn. – It was a close race after the first day of competition, but Jacksonville made it clear it would not end that way as the Dolphins claimed their second consecutive title, winning the 2007 Atlantic Sun Women’s Outdoor Track and Field crown with a total of 179 points.

Day 1 ended with Jacksonville trailing by one point, but the Dolphins quickly took over the leaderboard and continued to extend their lead throughout the competition.

The Dolphins earned 146 of their 179 points during the second day with individual wins from Janel Grooms, Alison Ritter, Natasha Harvey, and Janita Ocana. Grooms won the 400-meter dash and the 400-meter hurdles en route to being tabbed the Championship’s Most Outstanding Female Track Athlete.

Along with Grooms’ 20 individual points, Harvey and Ocana finished with a meet-high 36 individual points apiece.

Belmont also made its move during Day 2. The Bruins trailed Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, and ETSU after the first day, but gained points in every running event in which they entered, including a sweep of first-place points in both relay events. Belmont received a first place finish in the 200-meter dash and a second place finish in the 100-meter dash from Lynette Rives. The Bruins also earned second place finishes from Liz Pollock and Brittany Thune on the track.

Elsewhere, Campbell’s Alicia Valtin set a new meet record after finishing the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:37.34. Valtin also captured a first-place finish in the 5,000-meter run, finishing with a time of 17:55.73. Valtin garnered 20 points in just two events for the Fighting Camels, which finished in sixth place overall.

OTHER AWARD WINNERS: Ron Grigg (Coach of the Year), Zacklynn Blackburn (Most Outstanding Freshman Athlete), Elizabeth Maxwell (Most Outstanding Field Athlete), and Janel Grooms (Most Outstanding Track Athlete).