Smith Wins Steeplechase For Second Straight Year
4/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track
April 16, 2004
Chapel Hill, N.C. - After one day of competition, the NC State men's track and field squad sits in second place with 40 points, while the women's team is in third place with 36 points at the 2004 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships being held at Chapel Hill. The NC State men brought home titles in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and the discus, while the women's side notched a NCAA Automatic time in the 10,000 meters and set itself up for an impressive showing in all the sprint finals tomorrow. Florida State was the leader after the first day for the men with 52 points, while North Carolina was the top women's squad with 81.5 points.
For the fifth straight year, a NC State runner won the 3,000 meter steeplechase for the men's team. Andy Smith won his second straight ACC title in that race when he crossed the finish line in 8:47.97. Also in that race, Matt Kassouf was 11th (9:34.53) and John Henderson placed 13th (9:37.32). A pair of NC State freshmen placed in the top-10 of the 10,000 meters. Bobby Mack was fourth with a time of 30:02.57, while Stephen Furst took ninth with his time of 30:59.13. Also in that race, Allen Bader was 12th (31:26.07).
James Rowell won the discus throw for the men's team with a top heave of 170'08". Also earning All-ACC honors were NC State football players Manny Lawson and A.J. Davis in the long jump. Lawson placed second with a top mark of 24'05", while Davis was close behind in third (24'00.75"). Eric Hoverstad placed eighth in the pole vault clearing 15'03".
Monterrio Adams qualified for the finals of the 400 meters, as he placed fifth in the prelims with a time of 47.61. Adams was also 13th in the 200 meters running a 21.48. Jesse Rhodenbaugh missed qualifying for the finals of the 1,500 meters by less then a second when he took 13th with a time of 3:53.75. Antwan Graves was 17th in the 110 meter hurdles (15.64), and was Omar Wells in the 400 meters (50.98). In the 400 meter hurdles, it was Kevin Davis in ninth (54.53) and Jeff Baird in 17th (58.40). Matt Minnick was 15th in the 100 meters (11.25), and Sajid Reshamwala was 15th in the 800 meters (1:54.61).
Kristin Price ran a NCAA Automatic time of 34:07.88 in the 10,000 meters to finish second and earn All-ACC honors. Josianne Lauber was seventh (35:19.97), Ginger Wheeler placed ninth (35:54.39), and Abigail Nelkie took 16th (38:19.57) in that race as well. Lucinda Hull earned All-ACC honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase as she finished second with a time of 10:33.24. Two other Wolfpack runners finished in the top-five, as Kristina Roth was fourth (10:38.37) and Claudin Hull was fifth (10:42.75). Also in that race, Leslie Jimison was 14th with a time of 11:15.12.
Ebony Foster had a strong day, qualifying for the finals in all three of her sprints. In the 60 meter hurdles, Foster set a new ACC meet record with a time of 13.10 and will be the top seed in the finals. Foster also ran the fastest prelim time in the 200 meters (23.51), and was third in the prelims of the 100 meters (11.75). Felicia Fant will also be busy tomorrow, as she qualified for the finals in two races. Fant ran the fastest time in the prelims of the 100 meters (11.69) and was fourth in the 200 meters (24.18). Courtney Patterson finished ninth in the 100 meters (12.23) and 21st in the 200 meters (25.44), while Joya Rodgers was 12th in the 100 meters (12.32) and 23rd in the 200 meters (25.50). Julia Lucas qualified for tomorrow's finals of the 1,500 meters, as she placed eight in the prelims with a time of 4:29.95. Also in that race, Janelle Vadnais was 20th (4:41.57). Georgia Davis finished 20th in the 800 meters running a 2:20.24.
Kelly Smoke recorded two top-10 finishes on the day. She was fifth in the hammer with a toss of 161'10", and sixth in the discus with a top mark of 153'01". Also in those two events, Brie Ward was 10th in the hammer (142'09") and 16th in the discus (121'01"). It was Sheena Dawkins in sixth (19'07.50") and Laila Thomas in 17th (16'11.50") in the long jump. In the pole vault, Teresa Reed placed 10th clearing 11'05.75". Joann Jackson and Thomas each cleared 5'05.75" in the high jump and tied for eighth.
The ACC Championships will resume tomorrow beginning at 9:30 a.m with the field events, while the running events begin at 2:00 p.m.