Thursday, April 14, 2011

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Kennesaw State and Jacksonville left last year’s Atlantic Sun Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship with hardware and are looking to repeat their efforts on Friday and Saturday at the 16th edition of the conference meet. The Dolphins are eyeing their sixth-straight conference outdoor crown, while Kennesaw State is in search of their third title in five years.

ETSU and Campbell are the main contenders to Kennesaw State on the men’s side as the two teams finished second and third last season, while the Bucs earned the indoor title earlier this season. Kennesaw State and ETSU have split the outdoor championships the past four seasons with the Bucs winning in 2007 and 2009, while the Owls claimed the trophy in 2008 and 2010.

With a conference championship on Saturday, Jacksonville would tie UCF (2000-05) for most consecutive women’s championships with six and would also earn the Dolphins a sweep of the indoor and outdoor titles for the past six seasons. The Dolphins crosstown rivals, UNF, finished runner-up to the Dolphins at the indoor championships and are looking to close the gap on JU to claim their first championship. Kennesaw State, the 2009 and 2010 outdoor runner-up, nearly broke through and trumped Jacksonville last season but fell 26 points short of the outdoor crown.

Action begins on Friday, April 15 at 9a.m. from Hodges Stadium being hosted by the University of North Florida.

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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.