Friday, May 14, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Kennesaw State holds the day one lead at the Atlantic Sun Women’s Track and Field Championship with a solid team performance led by Mackenzie Howe and her record breaking performance.

Kennesaw State picked up 73.50 points on day one to give the Owls a 33.50 point lead over defending champion Jacksonville. Howe set a meet record in the 10,000-meters with a time of 35:16.96. With her win she picks up her second consecutve title in the event.

UNF is in third after day one, USC Upstate fourth, Campbell fifth, ETSU sixth and Belmont seventh.

In throws, Zachlynn Blackburn of ETSU took the title in the hammer throw with a toss of 48.84-meters, besting Laura Phillips from Jacksonville, who claimed second with a mark of 48.29m. In the shot put, Hillary Crook of Jacksonville bested the field with a toss of 13.95m. Kennesaw State’s Jessica Lumpkin grabbed second with a heave of 13. 33m.

The Owls Michelle Quimby grabbed the title in the pole vault with a mark of 3.50-meters. USC Upstate Camille Masanotti matched the Owls’ mark but Quimby claimed the title in the tiebreaker.

Jacksonville’s Charlene Charles put together an impressive day one performance, starting with claiming the A-Sun title in the long jump with a leap of 5.77-meters. Jill Arthur of Kennesaw State finished second with a mark of 5.70.

Luise Kiernan and Charles from Jacksonville raced to the finals of the 100-meter dash with top two times in the prelims. Charles also finished with the top time in the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles.

In the women’s heptathlon, Jacksonville’s Tiffany Bromfield leads after four events. The senior finished first in all but the 200-meter dash for a day one total of 2,885 points. Kennesaw State’s Naomi Mack sits in second-place with 2,664 points.

The Dolphins Alana Walker used a first-place finish in the 200-meter dash portion of the heptathlon to grab third in the women’s multi event standings after the first four events. USC Upstate’s Camille Masanotti sits in fourth in the heptathlon standings, with fellow Spartan Laterrica Block fifth while UNF’s Sierra Ball finished the day in sixth-place.
                                                    
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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.