2016-17 Men's Track & Field - Year In Review |
| Coaching Staff Bob Braman, Head Coach Ricky Argro, Sprints & Relays David Beauchem, Director of Operations Brandon Hon, Director Hurdles, Director Sprints & Relays Dennis Nobles, Director of Field Events, Pole Vault, Jumps, Multis Wilma Proctor, Volunteer Assistant Dorian Scott, Throws  Click here to see individual photos |
Steven Cross, D, Merritt Island
Kyle Fearrington, S, Tarpon Springs
Conner Flynn, M, Middletown, R.I.
Bert Freire, MD, Miami
Benjamin Kieler, HJ, Clearwater
Conor McClain, T, Rockaway, N.J.
Montel Nevers, TJ, Nottingham, England
Steven Simpkins, S, Tallahassee
2016-17 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R Name Pos Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
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Ibrahim Ahmed D Sr-R Saint Catharines, Ontario, Canada (Saint Francis/Southern Utah)
Christian Aman D Fr-R Lake Mary (Lake Mary)
* Carlos Becker J Fr Kissimmee (Osceola)
Tyler Bennett D So-R Fort Myers (Fort Myers/North Florida)
* Jake Burton MD Sr-R *** Stuart (Martin County)
* Ashton Butler J Jr * Nassau, Bahamas (Bolles)
Matt Butler MD Jr * Fort Lauderdale (Saint Thomas Aquinas)
Michael Callegari D Jr London, England (Saint Mary's)
* D'Mitry Charlton H So-R * Nassau, Bahamas (Queen's College)
* Edward Clarke S So * Kingston, Jamaica (Calabar)
Steven Cross D Fr Merritt Island (Merritt Island)
* Chadrick DaCosta T Sr *** Kingston, Jamaica (Kingston College)
Christopher Daniels J So Sugar Land, Tex. (Clements)
Shane Dillon D So Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Vincent Massey/Kentucky)
* Austin Droogsma T Jr-R ** Gulf Breeze (Gulf Breeze)
Abdin Fator D Jr-R Tampa (Sickles)
* Kyle Fearrington S Fr Tarpon Springs (East Lake)
Conner Flynn M Fr Middletown, R.I. (Middletown)
* Bert Freire MD Fr Miami (Columbus)
* Keniel Grant J-S Sr * Brampton, Ontario, Canada (Kingston College/Texas Tech)
* Michael Hall MD So-R Cincinnati, Ohio (Saint Xavier)
* Darryl Haraway S So * Upper Marlboro, Md. (DeMatha Catholic)
* Fredrick Jones T So-R Miami (Miami Central)
* Bryce Kelley D Jr-R * Hope Valley, R.I. (Chariho)
* Benjamin Kieler HJ Jr Clearwater (Central Catholic/Loras College)
* Kenny Lane S Jr-R Altamonte Springs (Lake Brantley/Auburn)
* Matt Magee MD Jr-R ** Lutz (Steinbrenner)
* Conor McClain T Fr Rockaway, N.J. (Morris Hills)
* Harry Mulenga D Sr * Chililabombwe, Zambia (Chililabombwe/Central Arizona CC)
* Tyson Murray D Fr-R Tallahassee (Chiles)
Ben Najman D Jr Freeport, Bahamas (Bishop Michael Eldon/Allen Community College)
Hunter Napier M Fr-R Bradenton (Lakewood Ranch/Florida International)
* Montel Nevers TJ Jr Nottingham, England (Leeds Beckett)
* Dante Newberg M So Tampa (Jesuit)
Grant Nykaza D Jr-R Beecher, Ill. (Beecher)
* Emmanuel Onyia T Sr-R ** Montego Bay, Jamaica (Munro College/Minnesota)
* Jamal Pitts S Sr-R * Jacksonville (Paxon/North Florida)
Samuel Pons D Sr-R South Pasadena, Calif. (South Pasadena/Princeton)
* James Rhoden H Sr-R * Katy, Tex. (Cinco Ranch)
* Raheem Robinson S So * Kingston, Jamaica (Wolmer's Boys School)
Hunter Scott D Fr-R Tallahassee (Leon)
Will Simons MD Fr-R Hartland, Wis. (Arrowhead)
* Steven Simpkins S Fr Tallahassee (East Gadsden)
* Brandon Tirado T So-R * Naples (Gulf Coast/Tallahassee CC)
* Jaap Vellinga MD Sr-R Lemmer, Netherlands (Groningen)
* Armani Wallace J So * Orlando (Colonial)
* Clayton Washburn PV Jr-R Orlando (Olympia/North Florida)
* Ed'ricus Williams HJ Sr-R Warrenton, Ga. (Warren County/Bethune-Cookman)
2016-17 Conference Awards
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Carlos Becker Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Jake Burton Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Ashton Butler Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Edward Clarke Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Chadrick DaCosta Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Austin Droogsma Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Kyle Fearrington Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Bert Freire Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Keniel Grant Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Michael Hall Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Darryl Haraway Atlantic Coast Conference - Co-Championship MVP - Track
Atlantic Coast Conference - 60 Meters - Champion
Atlantic Coast Conference - 200 Meters - Champion
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Harry Mulenga Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Montel Nevers Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Dante Newberg Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Emmanuel Onyia Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
James Rhoden Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Raheem Robinson Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Steven Simpkins Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Brandon Tirado Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Armani Wallace Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - Co-Championship MVP - Field
Atlantic Coast Conference - Long Jump - Champion
Atlantic Coast Conference - Triple Jump - Champion
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
Ed'ricus Williams Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 2nd Team
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference - 1st Team
All-Conference - 21
2016-17 All-Americans
Name NCAA Championships
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Carlos Becker Long Jump (7th) - Outdoor
Austin Droogsma Shot Put (13th) - Indoor - 2nd Team
Shot Put (12th) - Outdoor - 2nd Team
Darryl Haraway 60 Meters (14th) - Indoor - 2nd Team
Montel Nevers Triple Jump (8th) - Indoor
Triple Jump (6th) - Outdoor
Emmanuel Onyia Discus (12th) - Outdoor - 2nd Team
Armani Wallace Triple Jump (9th) - Outdoor - 2nd Team
All-Americans - 6
2016-17 Schedules and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson Invitational Clemson, S.C. |
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| Hawkeye Invitational January 20-21, 2017, Iowa City, Iowa |
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| Bob Pollock Invitational January 27-28, 2017, Clemson, S.C. |
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| David Hemery Invitational February 10-11, 2017, Boston, Mass. |
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| Tyson Invitational February 10-11, 2017, Fayetteville, Ark. |
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| UCS Invitational February 18, 2017, Winston-Salem, N.C. |
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| ACC Indoor Championship February 23-25, 2017, South Bend, Ind. |
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| FAMU Relays Tallahassee, Fla. |
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| NCAA Indoor Championship March 10-11, 2017, College Station, Tex. |
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| Yellow Jacket Invitational Atlanta, Ga. |
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| Bulls Invitational March 17-18, 2017, Tampa, Fla. |
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| FSU Relays March 24-25, 2017 |
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| Florida Relays March 30-April 1, 2017, Gainesville, Fla. |
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| Texas Relays March 30-April 1, 2017, Austin, Tex. |
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| Tennessee Relays April 6-8, 2017, Knoxville, Tenn. |
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| Cardinal Classic April 21-22, 2017, Stanford, Calif. |
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| Tom Jones Memorial Gainesville, Fla. |
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| Penn Relays April 27-29, 2017, Philadelphia, Pa. |
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| Seminole Twilight | |||||
| ACC Outdoor Championship May 12-14, 2017, Atlanta, Ga. |
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| NCAA East Preliminary May 25-27, 2017, Lexington, Ky. |
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| NCAA Outdoor Championship June 7-10, 2017, Eugene, Ore. |
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| USATF Outdoor Championship June 22-25, 2017, Sacramento, Calif. |
EOY StatsRef Overall Home Away Neutral ------------------------------------------------ FSU record is 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0
2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Results INDOOR 1 Virginia Tech 109 2 Virginia 98 3 Florida State 86 4 Clemson 76 5t Syracuse 47 5t Louisville 47 7 North Carolina State 39 8 Notre Dame 33 9 North Carolina 29 10 Georgia Tech 28 11 Miami 24 12 Pittsburgh 21 13 Duke 14 14 Wake Forest 11 OUTDOOR 1 Virginia Tech 120 2 Virginia 119 3 Florida State 104 4 North Carolina State 78 5 Louisville 64 6 Clemson 61 7 North Carolina 55 8 Duke 53 9 Syracuse 50 10 Pittsburgh 34 11 Georgia Tech 25 12 Notre Dame 23 13 Wake Forest 22 14 Miami 9
Indoor Season Opens With Flurry Of Impressive Marks.
Six wins, six top-10 standards and 38 PB's pave way at Clemson.
CLEMSON, SC - As lid-lifters go, Florida State's performance at the indoor track & field season opener may not have raised the roof Saturday at the Clemson Invitational, but it certainly proved that the Seminoles have a high ceiling for the 2017 season.
In a relatively low-key affair featuring the host Tigers and South Carolina, the Seminoles scored six event victories - four by the women - added six marks to the all-time FSU top 10 lists and piled up a whopping 38 personal-best marks on the sizzling new Clemson track.
Furthermore, four Seminoles came away with standards ranked among the top 16 nationally. Only the top 16 marks in each of the 15 contested events advance to the March 10-11 NCAA Indoor Championships.
"Our overall focus was really good for a first meet with light competition," Florida State coach Bob Braman said. "This was a perfect set-up for Iowa and the bigger meets to come."
The Seminoles were especially strong in the field events, as juniors Gleneve Grange and Jogaile Petrokaite won the shot put and long jump, respectively.
Grange, who was forced to sit out last season, made her long-awaited Seminole debut memorable by uncorking a personal-best throw of 15.67 meters (51-5) to move into fifth place on FSU's all-time list. Petrokaite landed only two legal jumps on six attempts, but her best mark of the day - 6.31 meters (20-8.5) - ranks No. 6 nationally.
"I'm really excited about Gleneve's FSU debut," FSU throws coach Dorian Scott said. "It's been a long time coming and there is a lot more in the tank. She came here based off her discus talent, so I'm really happy that we're getting some quality out of the shot put."
Fifth-year senior Emmanuel Onyia finished third in the men's shot put, but like his teammate and fellow Jamaican, Grange, he posted the No. 5 mark in Seminole history with his throw of 18.01 meters (59-1.25). It was one of four personal-bests on the day by FSU throwers, including sophomore Brandon Tirado's runner-up finish in the weight throw (17.28m/56-8.5), which ranks 10th all-time.
"Onyia really showed some good maturity in his opener," Scott said of his shot putter, who missed the entire 2016 indoor season due to injury and has been focusing his training on the discus. "I'm happy with all the PB's and the way we competed."
The men's and women's sprinters did not allow the throwers to have all the fun.
Darryl Haraway won the 60-meter dash in 6.71, which is tied for No. 11 nationally. Edward Clarke was third (6.78) and Keniel Grant fourth (6.83). Grant and Jamal Pitts, who qualified for the finals in 6.86, each recorded the fastest times of their careers. Pitts opted not to run in the 60 final to focus on the 200; a decision that paid off with a sizzling personal-best of 21.51 for second place overall.
"I was really pleased with all the 60-meter men," Braman said. "Their execution was pretty good for the first meet. Darryl and Ed will definitely have a shot to qualify for Indoor Nationals."
Shauna Helps, the reigning ACC Outdoor 100-meter champion and Freshman of the Year, was impressive in her season-opening 200-meter race. Flashing her early-season fitness, Helps ran away with the win in 23.37; the sixth-fastest time in Seminole history and ninth-fastest mark nationally this year.
"I really like Shuana's race," Braman said. "She can be a national class 200 runner if she wants, but I know she loves the short sprints."
Fellow sophomore Shaquania Dorsett challenged her personal-best in the 400 by clocking a 54.82 to finish fourth overall.
Freshman walk-on Alina Stewart advanced to the finals of the women's 60-meter dash, where she recorded her second personal-best of the day in 7.63 to finish fifth.
Another freshman, former Maclay and East Gadsden standout Steven Simpkins, turned heads with his runner-up finish in the 400-meter dash (48.27). The eclipses the fastest outdoor 400 of his high school and AAU career.
Emily Edwards has been on the FSU campus for only a week, but the junior transfer from Alabama looked very comfortable in her wire-to-wire victory in the women's mile. The former Florida high school prep star's Seminole debut was a personal-best (4:56.35).
"The first meet is always good to see where you are and what you need to work on," FSU women's distance coach Kelly Phillips said. "We saw some great things today with transfer Emily Edwards winning the mile and running a new PB, and freshman Ginelle Demone with her first college race running a solid 800 (2:15.76). They all did a nice job of having a pre-race plan and executing that plan in the race."
Fatema Jaffer was the runner-up in the 5000 (18:05.17) and Tara Rooney finished third in the 3000 (10:27.58).
Rounding out the Seminole winners was Bryce Kelley, who worked with teammate Matt Magee through most of the 3000-meter race before finishing it off in runaway fashion with his personal-best (8:27.49).
There were an ample number of other positive developments. Freshman Nicole Breske was second in the pole vault, tying for the ninth-best mark in school history (3.80 meters/12-5.5) in her collegiate debut. Redshirt junior Elizabeth Eversole was third (3.65/11-11.75) and freshman Olivia Ogles was fourth (3.50/11-5.75).
Redshirt freshman Safia Morgan's high jump debut (1.70m/5-7) was good enough for third place and a share of eighth on the all-time list.
In the men's long jump, Grant finished third with the longest season-opening leap of his four-year career (7.45/24-5.5). Sophomore Armani Wallace opened up with the best indoor triple jump of his career (15.49/50-10) to place second. Junior transfer and British collegiate record-holder Montel Nevers was third (15.20/49-10.5). Ashton Butler finished fifth in a PB (14.84/48-8.25) as well.
Senior Nicole Setterington posted the fastest 60-meter hurdles season-opener of her career (6.35) in the prelims and finished third in the final. The Canadian standout followed up by blasting her previous lifetime-best in the 200 by finishing fourth in 24.87.
It was a busy day for Seminole multi-event performers Melissa-Maree Farrington and Dante Newberg, who along with Hunter Napier, competed in three events each. Farrington was fifth in the 60-meter hurdles final after running 8.45 in the prelims, advancing to the shot put finals (11.00m/36-1.25) and finishing fifth in the long jump (5.65/18-6.5).
Newberg set three new personal-bests while advancing to the finals in the 60-meter hurdles (8.45) and long jump (6.69m/21-11.5), and posting a 12.02-meter (39-5.25) in the shot put.
Event 1 - 60 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Darryl Haraway 6.71 5 3 Edward Clarke 6.78 3 4 Keniel Grant 6.83 2 9 Jamal Pitts 6.86 15 Kyle Fearrington 7.02 Event 2 - 200 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Jamal Pitts 21.51 4 7 Kyle Fearrington 22.27 Event 3 - 300 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 5 D'Mitry Charlton 36.08 1 6 Raheem Robinson 36.36 Event 4 - 400 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Steven Simpkins 48.27 4 Event 5 - 800 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Bert Freire 1:53.72 4 3 Matt Magee 1:54.08 3 8 Matt Butler 1:55.97 Event 6 - 3000 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Bryce Kelley 8:27.49 5 Event 8 - 60 Meter Hurdles ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 5 Dante Newberg 8.45 1 Event 13 - Long Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 3 Keniel Grant 24- 5.50 7.45m 3 8 Dante Newberg 21-11.50 6.69m 12 Hunter Napier 19- 5.50 5.93m Event 14 - Triple Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Armani Wallace 50-10 15.49m 4 3 Montel Nevers 49-10.50 15.20m 3 5 Ashton Butler 48- 8.25 14.84m 1 Event 17 - Shot Put ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 3 Emmanuel Onyia 59- 1.25 18.01m 3 5 Austin Droogsma 58- 0.50 17.69m 1 7 Chadrick DaCosta 52-10.75 16.12m 16 Dante Newberg 39- 5.25 12.02m 23 Hunter Napier 33- 2.50 10.12m Event 19 - Weight Throw ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Brandon Tirado 56- 8.50 17.28m 4
Omoregie, Grant Lead Seminole Flight Crew At Iowa.
Tirado has major breakthrough in weight throw.
January 20, 2017
IOWA CITY, IA - Impressive debuts by a host of newcomers and significant improvements on last week's season-opening meet by several others carried the day for the Florida State track & field teams Friday as the Larry Wieczorek Invitational.
Freshman Eleonora Omoregie won the high jump in her debut as the two-time Italian National silver medalist introduced herself with the best mark by a Seminole in 27 years - and the No. 3 clearance all-time indoors. Less than three weeks after arriving in Tallahassee from Udine, Italy, Omoregie cleared 1.80 meters (5-10.75) to beat an FSU-heavy field.
The last Seminole to clear a higher bar was school record-holder Holly Kelly (1.84m/6-0.75) in 1990.
Omoregie's winning height was not only good for a share of the ACC lead, but earned her a share of ninth-place nationally on the descending order list.
"Eleonora is a huge talent," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "Her 1.80 clearance would've been good at 1.88. She will be a force for us at Nationals."
The Seminoles swept the top four spots in the high jump, with freshman Safia Morgan matching her personal-best (1.70) for second place.
Senior Keniel Grant provided the Seminoles with their only other win of the day, and he did it with flare, busting out his best indoor leap in three seasons on his final attempt. Grant soared 7.61 meters (24-11.75) to outdistance his freshman teammate Carlos Becker, whose collegiate debut produced a personal-best 7.38 (24-2.5).
Grant's mark ranks 10th nationally and second in the ACC this season, with Becker fifth among conference jumpers.
"Keniel did a great job," Braman said. "He and Coach Nobles are in total synch right now. They're making adjustments in the 10-centimeter or less range. He has a shot at Nationals.
"Carlos was really good in his debut. He's still learning so much in this event and that 7.38 is a top 3-4 finish at ACC's."
Friday's action began with Veronika Kanuchova competing as a Seminole for the first time. The three-time Slovakian National hammer silver medalist didn't waste any time leaving her mark in the weight throw, launching her opening attempt of the competition 17.35 meters (56-11.25), which not only stood up for a fourth-place finish, but was good enough to vault her into sixth place on FSU's all-time list.
Sophomore Brandon Tirado made the biggest improvement among Seminoles who competing for the second consecutive week, and in the process jumped for 10th on the school's all-time list in the weight throw into a share of fourth place.
Tirado came into the competition off a career-best mark of 17.28m (56-8.50) last week, and recorded five legal throws better, capped by his final attempt best of 18.75 meters (61-6.25). That was good for second place in the competition, a fifth-place ranking among ACC competitors and a share of the No. 4 slot on FSU's all-time top 10, alongside Jody Lawrence.
It was a great way to start the day and the meet for the Noles.
"Brandon did a really nice job," Braman said. "He had five personal bests and climbed the ladder to No. 4 all-time. He has a chance to be an impact ACC thrower if he keeps improving like this. Coach Scott also got a nice opener from Veronika; No. 6 all-time in her first competition with the weight is really exciting."
The Seminoles also received scoring performances from Darryl Haraway and
Jamal Pitts in the 200, as they finished fifth and sixth in 21.83 and 21.94, respectively. Kimmie Cunningham recorded a personal-best 200 (25.28) for fifth place, shaving nearly a half-second off her
time from Clemson.
IOWA CITY, IA - Carmela Cardama Baez and Peta-Gay Williams set facility records in winning performances Saturday, leading a strong showing by both the Florida State women and men on the final day of the Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the University of Iowa.
Pulling away late, Cardama Baez ran 9:31.54 to win the women's 3000-meter run; a personal-best in the redshirt freshman's track debut for the Seminoles. Williams, a sophomore, edged teammate Nicole Setterington for the 60-meter hurdle title in her season debut, sailing to victory in a lifetime-best 8.24. Her time ranks ninth nationally and is fifth-fastest in FSU history.
Setterington matched her career-best (8.28) to finish second and move into 12th on the national list.
It was that kind of day for the Seminoles as the women and men scored four victories each in the four-team meet and combined for 15 new personal-best performances. Additionally, four FSU women and two men authored new entries on the school's all-time top 10 list.
"I was pleased with overall team effort," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "We weren't trying to score points, just compete hard and move up the national lists. Almost no one doubled unless it was for development purposes.
"This was a quality show on a world-class facility. Big props to the Hawkeyes for setting it up."
The Noles didn't do poorly in the team scoring either, with the men rallying from Friday's fourth-place standing to finish second with 123.5 points. Iowa won with 148.5. FSU's women climbed from fourth to third on the final day, finishing behind the host Hawkeyes (168) and Iowa State (123) with 116 points.
Claiming the top two spots in the women's 60-meter hurdles certainly didn't hurt the comeback cause.
"Our lady hurdlers really appear to be a month ahead of last year and coach [Brandon] Hon may ge two national qualifiers out of PG and Nicole," Braman offered.
For the second consecutive day the Seminole throwers provided the jump-start.
Gleneve Grange and Kellion Knibb produced a 1-2 shot put finish in Saturday's opening event.
Grange, who made her FSU debut a week ago with the No. 5 mark in program history, was even better in the circle. Two of her five throws were even better, including a second attempt bomb of 16.11 meters (52-10.25), which vaulted her to No. 3 all-time among Seminoles and from No. 21 to No. 13 nationally.
Knibb, who surrendered the No. 3 spot to her fellow Jamaican, offered up a best of 15.02m (49-3.5) in her first competition since the discus at the Rio Olympic Games.
"Gleneve is such a great athlete," Braman said. "She's not even a shot specialist and now she's No. 3 all-time. Kellion was also very good, especially for a season-opener."
Austin Droogsma kept the string of personal-bests going for the throws group, when his second attempt of the afternoon carried 18.22 meters (59-9.5), vaulting him past teammate Emmanuel Onyia into the No. 5 position on FSU's all-time list.
It marks the first time the Seminoles have had two 18-meter shot putters on the same indoor roster since throws coach Dorian Scott teamed with a freshman named Garrett Johnson in 2003.
"What a great job by Austin," Braman said. "he's still getting back into form after missing last year to injury. Coach Scott continues to move his kids to the top of the ACC rankings. The key for us will be to get them all to be great on the same day. That'll be big ACC points."
Droogsma's mark gives the Noles the top two spots among ACC throwers, and even more promising, moved him into 14th place nationally on the NCAA list.
FSU's top sprinters made significant progress, especially in the 60-meter dash, where both the men and women advanced three to the finals.
Shauna Helps finished second in the final with a career-best time of 7.42 - climbing one spot to No. 9 on FSU's all-time list - behind post-collegian Lake Kwaza (7.39).
Darryl Haraway powered his way to a lifetime-best 6.65 in the men's final, which ties him for the eighth-fastest nationally and puts him at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference. And while Haraway broke the facility record, so did Northern Iowa's Brandon Carnes, who won with the No. 2 time nationally (6.59).
"Coach [Ricky] Argro really had his guys ready in the 60-meter dash, especially Darryl," Braman said.
Sophomore Armani Wallace finally cracked FSU's top-10 triple jump list, claiming the title with a leap of 15.58 meters (51-1.50) to take over 10th place.
Back on the track, huge moves off the final curve propelled Steven Simpkins and Harry Mulenga to victories. Simpkins claimed the 400-meter title in 48.76, running down Iowa State's Derek Jones (48.83) at the line.
Mulenga brought the crowd at the UI Recreation Building to its feet for the final lap of the men's 3000, as he closed in 27.9 over the final 200 to edge home team favorite Adam Jones 8:21.31-8:21.49 to complete the gender sweep in the longest distance race for the Noles.
"I thought top to bottom, coach Kellly Phillips ladies ran tough," Braman said, after watching Cardama Baez lead five of her teammates; four of which registered personal-bests. "In a lot of ways it was more like a time trial - with our kids doing all the work.
"In the men's race we got some good old-fashioned banked board racing. Time didn't matter, but was a true gut-check and Harry's 27.9 on the last lap was nice."
Both Cardama Baez and Mulenga climbed to No. 2 in the ACC this season.
Freshman Humberto Freire backed up his runner-up 800-meter finish last week at Clemson with a victory, commanding the race from the start and posting a personal-best to win in 1:52.20.
"We got great efforts from Simpkins and Freire," Braman said. "Those are two fearless freshmen. Now we have to get them to take the next step and be an ACC factor. In five weeks we'll get there, for sure."
Event 1 - 60 Meters
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Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Darryl Haraway 6.65 4
5 Edward Clarke 6.80 1
8 Jamal Pitts 6.88
9 Raheem Robinson 6.89
18 Chadrick DaCosta 7.33
Event 2 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Darryl Haraway 21.83 1
6 Jamal Pitts 21.94
7 Edward Clarke 22.36
9 Raheem Robinson 22.57
Event 3 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Steven Simpkins 48.76 5
8 Kyle Fearrington 49.60
Event 4 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Bert Freire 1:52.20 5
7 Matt Magee 1:54.85
9 Matt Butler 1:55.05
Event 5 - Mile Run
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Michael Hall 4:13.37 4
Event 6 - 3000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Harry Mulenga 8:21.31 5
10 Bryce Kelley 8:39.93
11 Ibrahim Ahmed 8:51.24
Event 11 - 4x400-Meter Relay
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Relay Team A 3:18.67
1) Kenny Lane
2) D'Mitry Charlton
3) Kyle Fearrington
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Keniel Grant 24-11.75 7.61m 5
2 Carlos Becker 24- 2.50 7.38m 4
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Armani Wallace 51- 1.50 15.58m 5
2 Ashton Butler 48- 3.50 14.72m 4
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3T Benjamin Kieler 6- 4.75 1.95m 5.50
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Austin Droogsma 59- 9.50 18.22m 4
4 Emmanuel Onyia 55-11.25 17.05m 2
6 Chadrick DaCosta 55- 5.75 16.91m
Event 19 - Weight Throw
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Brandon Tirado 61- 6.25 18.75m 4
Williams, Haraway Lead The Way On Opening Day.
Pair closing on NCAA Indoor spots in 60 hurdles, 60 dash, respectively.
January 27, 2017
CLEMSON, SC – Sophomores Peta-Gay Williams and Darryl Haraway took major steps toward earning NCAA Indoor Championship berths, leading the Florida State track & field teams to a solid all-around performance Friday on the first day of the Bob Pollock Invitational.
Williams delivered the first of four wins on the day for the Noles, but it was how she performed in the 60-meter hurdle finals that was most noteworthy. Backing up last week’s career-best time in a win at Iowa, she laid down the third-fastest time in Florida State history, crushing the field in 8.19.
“I’ve just been training really hard for the last couple of months, and based on last year, I decided this year was going to be different,” Williams said. “And I trust my coach [Brandon Hon]. I follow everything he says and if he says I’m going to run 8.1, I’m going to run 8.1. Did I anticipate it? I guess so, because he told me I could do it and I just went out there and did it.”
Following a similar path to Williams, Haraway backed up last week’s 60-meter dash personal best with a new one, racing to a second-place finish in 6.64 seconds.
For a second consecutive week Haraway was on the short end at the finish. Troy’s Hakim Montgomery ran 6.62 for the win after laying down a 6.59 in the prelims. Still, he isn’t lacking for confidence after backing up last week’s 6.65 at Iowa.
“I do like the direction that I’m headed,” said Haraway, whose freshman outdoor season was limited by an injury suffered at the ACC Championships. “I feel like I’m the old Darryl. I just feel like I’m going to get better and faster.”
“Peta-Gay and Darryl were spectacular tonight,” FSU head coach Bob Braman said. “Both are right at the number needed to make it to Indoor Nationals and we have a month to sharpen up.”
Williams came into the meet holding down the No. 16 spot nationally, and jumped to No. 12 in the rankings with her performance. As an added bonus she climbed from No. 5 on FSU’s all-time list at 8.24, past two-time Olympian Anne Zagre and Kim Jones into the No. 3 position.
And she got a little motivation from her freshman teammate Cortney Jones, who beat Williams in the preliminary round by running 8.26; the No. 6 time in Seminole history.
“After the prelims I was determined,” said Williams, who ran 8.31 in the prelims. “I know what I can do and this is not me. I definitely have to turn it up in the finals. That’s what I went out and did.”
Jones’ performance in the prelims – she finished sixth in the final in 8.51 - was nothing short of amazing. Last month she was finishing her high school degree and the Conyers, Ga. native has only been on campus for three weeks.
“I was impressed with Cortney Jones' maiden race,” Braman said. “8.26 is rare territory for a freshman.”
So was Williams.
“I was impressed. To be honest, it shocked me, but I know she’s a good athlete and she has more in her,” Williams said. “I’m happy to have her as a training partner for three more years.”
Like Williams, Haraway improved his national standing, climbing into a three-way tie for seventh on the national list. And the Maryland native is confident that if he can clean up his start, he is capable of racing with those in front of him on that list.
Melissa-Maree Farrington put up an NCAA-worthy, early-season pentathlon score in her first multi-event competition of the year, posting a five-event total of 4,056 points – which ranked as the No. 3 score nationally. Though the Australia native won four of five events, establishing a new personal-best in the shot put, she finished behind Alabama’s Stacey Destin. Destin won with a nation-leading total of 4,144 points; largely because she outscored Farrington by 187 points in the high jump.
Farrington wasn’t the only Seminole multi-event athlete competing Friday. Teammates Dante Newberg and Hunter Napier knocked out four of their seven heptathlon events; with three more to go Saturday.
Amassing 2,951 points on the opening day, Newberg leads the competition and is on pace to destroy his previous-best (4,810), after establishing new personal-best marks in all four events. The sophomore from Tampa, who was 12th in the ACC last year, ran 7.13 in the 60-meter dash, long jumped 6.80 meters (22-3.75), registered a 12.43-meter (40-9.5) shot put and closed the day by high jumping 1.90 meters (6-2.75).
“Both Melissa-Maree and Dante were on their game,” Braman said. “Neither had a bad event and that kind of consistency will pay off at ACC's. Melissa looks like a definite national qualifier in her next pentathlon, and Dante is heading up the conference list in a big way.”
Florida State’s distance runners provided most of the other highlights. Catherine Blaney won the 5,000-meter run (17:33.05) and both the women’s and men’s distance medley relays were victorious with times that will secure them spots in the fast heat of the ACC Indoor Championships late next month.
Junior Bridget Blake and redshirt freshman Carmela Cardama Baez finished 2-3 in the mile run. Blake ran the fastest season-opening mile (4:47.86) of her career, while Cardama Baez (4:49.28) was equally impressive in her collegiate mile debut.
On the men’s side, Michael Hall was third in the mile, registering a personal-best 4:08.23 as he nipped teammate Harry Mulenga (4:08.33) with a kick off the final turn. Redshirt freshman Tyson Murray was second in the 5000 (15:09.38) in the first indoor meet of his career.
Blake doubled back on the 1600 anchor of the winning DMR, while Hall and Mulenga handled the 1200 and 1600 legs, respectively, for the men’s team win.
“Bridget Blake had a really good night and Carmela put a nice mile race on her indoor
resume,” Braman said. “The distance men competed really well but were once again running in tactical races. Solid racing is a good habit so I know the times will come.”
CLEMSON, SC – A week ago Eleonora Omoregie could barely muster a smile as she spoke with Florida State assistant coach Dennis Nobles, following her high jump victory at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational in Iowa City.
Omoregie, a freshman from Udine, France, wasn’t the least bit happy with her debut performance. Never mind, that after less than three weeks in the United States, she posted the third-best indoor mark in Florida State history.
Saturday afternoon Omoregie greeted Nobles with a huge smile and a hug after matching Holly Kelly’s 27-year-old school record, soaring to victory in 1.85 meters (6-0.75) on the final day of the Bob Pollock Invitational. Tying for the sixth-best mark in the nation, Omoregie is virtually assured a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“Last week I was disappointed because I was feeling good, I was focused and I wanted to jump higher,” Omoregie said. “During [this past] week I tired and so sore. I didn’t know how I was going to do this day.”
Clearing 1.85 meters on her first attempt gave Omoregie the victory over Jeanelle Scheper, the 2015 NCAA champion from South Carolina who represented St. Lucia at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Scheper had a miss on her first attempt at the height.
“Eleonora was spectacular today,” FSU coach Bob Braman said. “She is a truly special athlete and gives a national level weapon.”
How special? Omoregie nearly grabbed a share of the NCAA lead – and the outright FSU record - narrowly missing her third and final attempt at 1.90 meters (6-2.75).
“That [1.90] is the entry standard for the European Championships this year,” Omoregie said. “I was close. I feel confident I can do it.”
Armani Wallace provided the Seminoles with their only other victory Saturday, winning the triple jump on his sixth and final attempt with a leap of 15.51 meters (50-10.75).
“Armani has been solid and continues to win triple Jump competitions,” Braman said. “He's just looking for that 16-meter-plus zone.”
While event wins were scarce there was no shortage of encouraging developments. The Seminole men and women combined for 17 more personal-best performances and three more additions to the school’s all-time top 10 lists.
Sophomore Dante Newberg finished third in the heptathlon with a new personal-best total of 4,963 points, which moved him into third place on FSU’s all-time list behind former NCAA champion Gonzalo Barroilhet and All-American Pelle Rietveld. Redshirt freshman Hunter Napier closed strong over the final two events to place fourth with 4,045 points, which ranks eighth all-time.
After a strong opening day effort, the FSU distance and middle-distance groups continued to put forth some promising efforts. None, however, was bigger than freshman Steven Cross, who ran 8:13.66 for 3000 meters to place fifth overall. The former Merritt Island High star was third among collegians in the field behind seasoned Alabama veterans Alfred Chelanga and Antibahs Kosgei.
“He ran fantastic,” Braman said of Cross, who was competing in the first indoor meet of his life. “That’s nearly 30 seconds faster than he ran in high school. It’s a really incredible improvement. I haven’t seen a Florida high schooler, as a freshman, run like this since [former FSU star] Herb Wills. It shows you how great he’s going to be…He has chance to score at ACCs in the best distance conference in the country.”
Fellow freshman Humberto Freire continued his impressive progression in the 800, placing second in a personal-best 1:51.81. On the women’s side, Madison Harris (2:12.34), Emily Edwards (2:13.07) and Ginelle DeMone (2:13.70) registered season-, personal- and collegiate-best marks, respectively, in the 800.
“The middle distance groups, men and women, continue to compete well, they just need some fast-paced races,” Braman said.
Militsa Mircheva’s heady approach to the women’s 3000-meter run produced a strong fourth-place showing in 9:43.45, just three seconds off her personal-best and nearly 20 seconds faster than last week.
The FSU men’s 4x400 relay closed out the competition with a fifth-place finish in a season-best 3:15.77 as Kyle Fearrington, D’Mitry Charlton, Kenny Lane and Steven Simpkins whacked five seconds off their time from a week earlier.
Event 1 - 60 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Darryl Haraway 6.64 4
Event 2 - 200 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Jamal Pitts 21.53
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
14 Kyle Fearrington 49.04
15 Steven Simpkins 49.19
23 Kenny Lane 50.22
25 D'Mitry Charlton 50.48
Event 4 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Bert Freire 1:51.81 4
5 Matt Magee 1:53.45 1
13 Matt Butler 1:55.77
Event 5 - Mile Run
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Michael Hall 4:08.23 3
4 Harry Mulenga 4:08.33 2
7 Bryce Kelley 4:10.60
13 Grant Nykaza 4:21.70
18 Christian Aman 4:26.82
Event 6 - 5000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Tyson Murray 15:09.38 4
4 Ben Najman 15:17.99 2
6 Tyler Bennett 15:41.22
Event 7 - 3000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Steven Cross 8:13.66 1
19 Abdin Fator 8:49.16
Event 11 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Relay Team A 3:15.77 1
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) D'Mitry Charlton
3) Kenny Lane
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 12 - Distance Medley Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 9:57.17 5
1) Michael Hall
2) Bert Freire
3) Matt Magee
4) Harry Mulenga
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Keniel Grant 23-11.75 7.31m 3
5 Carlos Becker 23- 6.75 7.18m 1
7 Ashton Butler 22-11.75 7.00m
9 Armani Wallace 21-11 6.68m
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Armani Wallace 50-10.75 15.51m 5
7 Christopher Daniels 46- 2.75 14.09m
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Benjamin Kieler 6- 6.75 2.00m 3
5 Ed'ricus Williams 6- 6.75 2.00m 1
Event 25 - Heptathlon
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Dante Newberg 4963 pts 3
4 Hunter Napier 4045 pts 2
Event 26 - 60 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 7.13 837 pts
Hunter Napier 7.71 646 pts
Event 27 - Long Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 22- 3.75 6.80m 767 pts
Hunter Napier 18- 8.50 5.70m 523 pts
Event 28 - Shot Put
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 40- 9.50 12.43m 633 pts
Hunter Napier 32- 1 9.78m 472 pts
Event 29 - High Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 6- 2.75 1.90m 714 pts
Hunter Napier 6- 1.50 1.87m 687 pts
Event 30 - 60 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 8.56 846 pts
Hunter Napier 10.51 449 pts
Event 31 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Hunter Napier 12- 5.50 3.80m 562 pts
Dante Newberg 11- 9.75 3.60m 509 pts
Event 32 - 1000 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Hunter Napier 2:55.76 706 pts
4 Dante Newberg 3:00.73 2 657 pts
Haraway Wins Tyson 60-Meter Title In A Flash.
Soph sprints day full of personal bests from Arkansas to Boston.
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – Florida State sophomore Darryl Haraway lived up to his Twitter handle - @ina_flash_4 - Friday, winning the Tyson Invitational 60-meter dash final in a lifetime-best time of 6.59, which puts him among the all-time Seminole greats.
Exploding from the gun out of lane two, Haraway was first to the finish line in the eight-man field which included two-time former champion Cameron Burrell of Houston, who finished second in 6.63.
Haraway, who matched his previous best (6.64) to reach the finals, equaled the No. 2 time in the nation this year and tied former Florida State greats Walter Dix and Michael Ray Garvin for No. 9 on FSU’s all-time list. He is just the second Seminole to win the 60 title at the one of the nation’s most prestigious races, joining 2013 champion Marvin Bracy.
“Before I went out to the track I told coach [Ricky] Argro, ‘I’m trying to win this,’” Haraway said. “I knew I had it in me.”
And he was even more certain after perfectly executing Argro’s starting directions: “Big arms at the start and drive, drive, drive.”
“It was my first step,” Haraway said. “Once I got up, in my peripheral vision to my right, it was like, ‘Wow, I’m in front…I didn’t see anybody on my right side.’”
Argro couldn’t have been happier for his young pupil, who avenged an earlier loss to Northern Iowa’s Brandon Carnes this season. Carnes, who beat Haraway with a 6.59 at Iowa a month ago, was fourth in 6.67 after beating the Nole in semifinal with a 6.60.
“I’m most proud of the fact that it was done on this stage,” Argro said of Haraway. “We finally got Darryl to put together two parts of his race and make it a full race. He came out in a very, very high level competition meet and he performed well.”
While Haraway provided the lone win of the day, his lifetime-best was one of nine on the day by the Seminoles.
Sophomore Peta-Gay Williams twice lowered her previous best in the 60-meter hurdles, capped by her 8.15 in the final to place sixth. The Jamaican edged closer to her first NCAA Indoor Championships appearance by moving up three spots on the national descending order list into a tie for 12th place.
“She executed a lot of things well, which is what we came here to do against top competition, but she left quite a bit on the table from the prelims, where she had a much better start,” FSU assistant coach Brandon Hon said. “If she gets out [of the blocks] like she did in the prelims and finishes like she did in the finals she’s 8.01-8.04 at least, and maybe she wins.
“If she hits it right she can actually be in contention to win a national title. That’s something that she didn’t expect…Now she can flirt with that idea.”
Fellow sophomore Jamaican Shauna Helps came up short of advancing to the finals of the 60-meter dash, but she put together back-to-back times of 7.39 to move up to eighth on FSU’s all-time list.
“Shauna’s block start has always been her nemesis and now it’s becoming her strength,” Hon said. “She has been consistently good and sometimes great in practice and the goal was, ‘Let’s get credit for it in a real track meet.’ She did it in back-to-back rounds. She had a great start and a good finish.”
Fellow 60-meter sprinters Kiera Brown (7.54) and Cierra Jones (7.74) also posted career-bests.
Sophomore Shaquania Dorsett lowered her personal-best in the 400-meter dash to 54.44; good for an eighth-place finish in an event that also produced a new best for freshman Kimmie Cunningham (57.62).
On the men’s side, freshman Kyle Fearrington celebrated a major breakthrough in the 400, lowering his previous best by more than a full second as he finished in 47.93.
Veronika Kanuchova overcame a pair of early fouls in the weight throw to make the final on her third attempt, then jumped a spot to finish eighth overall with a new personal-best of 17.63 meters (57-10.25).
The Seminoles will return to action Saturday at 12 noon (ET) when Nicole Breske opens competition in the pole vault. Among the Noles competing in featured events will be Eleonora Omoregie (women’s high jump), Ed’Ricus Williams (men’s high jump), Gleneve Grange (shot put) and men’s triple jumpers Armani Wallace and Montel Nevers.
Women’s distance group impressive at Boston.
BOSTON, MA - Sophomore Carmela Cardama Baez trimmed 13 seconds off her previous best in the 3,000-meter run to join a list of all-time Seminole greats. The Spaniard finished third overall in 9:18.20 – the seventh-fastest time in program history – at Boston University’s David Hemery Invitational.
She took her place on FSU’s top 10 list ahead of 2016 Olympians Linden Hall and Violah Lagat, among others.
Overall, it was a productive performance by the Seminole women’s distance runners.
“Everyone came to race and executed their plans,” FSU women’s distance coach Kelly Phillips said. “Most of them had personal best and it was definitely worth the trip. I was really happy with everyone’s performances.”
The day began with redshirt sophomore Madison Harris and freshman Ginelle DeMone recording personal-bests of 2:10.26 and 2:12.67 in the 800.
Junior Bridget Blake finished third in her heat of the mile with a season-best of 4:45.14, with recent transfer Emily Edwards (4:48.61) lowering her previous personal-best by a whopping eight seconds.
“Emily and Carmela both had pretty big PR’s but both had been training at those times, so I was happy but not surprised. Both of them are capable of running faster and after today, I think they know it too. Bridget just needs to get in a fast race and she will hit a big time as well.”
Catherine Blaney and Mackenzie Landa closed the night with new season-bests in the 5000, finishing in 17:19.34 and 17:28.85.
February 11, 2017
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - Gleneve Grange broke the Florida State shot put record Saturday at the Tyson Invitational, highlighting another productive day for the Seminoles, who split up for two meets for the pivotal weekend as the indoor track & field season winds toward the postseason.
Grange's second throw sailed 16.32 meters (53-6.50) and pushed the junior from third to first on the Seminoles' all-time list, past Kamorean Hayes' 2008 record of 16.29.
A junior transfer who was forced to sit out last season, Grange chose FSU out of New Mexico Junior College primarily to compete in the discus with fellow Jamaican Kellion Knibb and under coach Dorian Scott's direction.
"It's a great feeling knowing that I just came here for the discus; the shot put was a pet event and now I'm excelling in it," said Grange, who came into the season with a shot put personal best of 14.57 meters (47-9.75). "Definitely there's more. I just need to get some technique work done and it will fly."
Grange, who broke the Jamaican junior national discus record once held by Knibb - which has since been broken by FSU freshman Shanice Love - is growing fond her one-off event.
"I hated it to be honest," Grange said. "I was throwing it but it wasn't going anywhere so I grew more to the discus than the shot."
Her progression from a season-opening mark of 15.67 meters (51-5) literally has her dreaming of bigger throws in the future.
"I'm sleeping and dreaming about my technique," Grange said. "It's weird."
"I couldn't be more happy for her," Scott said. "She got the record but it wasn't perfect throwing. There's still so much more there. I don't want to throw a number out there, but 16.32 is just the beginning."
Grange wasn't the only Seminole at the Randal Tyson Center to move up Florida State's all-time top 10 lists. Sophomore Shauna Helps climbed from sixth to fourth in the 200-meter dash, finishing third in a new personal-best of 23.56; not bad for someone who considers herself more of a short sprinter.
"Honestly I am getting more excited [about the 200]," said Helps, who also posted a personal-best in the 60-meter dash on Friday. "This year my coach [Brandon Hon] and I sat down and we attacked training from a different angle, being more prepared for the longer races as opposed to being just a 60- and 100-meter runner."
Helps was actually the second collegian in the field - Olympian Kori Carter won in 23.22 - and beat some established stars, including 2016 NCAA Indoor 60-meter champion Teahna Daniels of Texas.
"I'm always grateful for a PR, but I think I'm my worst critic," Helps said. "I'm grateful for my PR but there were many mistakes in the race; things I need to clean up before the ACC's."
Junior transfer Montel Nevers, who has been battling a lower leg injury, joined teammate Armani Wallace in a tie for No. 10 on FSU's all-time triple jump list with his seventh-place finish in 15.58 meters (51-1.50). Wallace was eighth in 15.52 in the invitational section.
Ed'Ricus Williams flashed the form that qualified the graduate transfer from Bethune-Cookman for the NCAA Championships in the high jump early in his career. Williams matched his indoor personal-best with a leap of 2.16 meters (7-1) to join a five-way tie for the No. 8 spot on FSU's all-time list.
Jamal Pitts still has work to do to crack FSU's all-time list in the 200, but his personal-best 21.35 on Saturday established the graduate student as one of the favorites at the ACC Indoor Championships. In addition to the 200, Pitts contributed a 47.6 split to FSU's season-best 4x400 relay (3:12.96), where he teamed with Kyle Fearrington, Matthew Butler and Steven Simpkins.
Eleonora Omoregie was the runner-up in the women's high jump (1.80m/5-10.75), while Austin Droogsma placed third in the men's shot put (18.17m/59-7.50).
The women's 4x400 relay team of Janae Caldwell, Kimmie Cunningham, Melissa-Maree Farrington and Shaquania Dorsett also turned in a season-best time (3:43.76).
Middle distance men lead way at Boston
BOSTON, MA - Junior Michael Hall whacked six seconds off his two-week-old previous best in the mile with the sixth-fastest time in Florida State history Saturday at the David Hemery Invitational. Hall's 4:04.12 was good for 10th place overall and one of three personal-bests in the event on the day by Seminoles.
Junior Bryce Kelley (4:09.17) and redshirt freshman Will Simons (4:12.39) followed suit.
"Mike Hall is finally finding his stride with indoor track," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "He's finally getting to the front where his kick can do some damage."
Freshman Humberto Freire posted his fourth 800-meter personal-best of the season (1:51.67) and senior Matt Magee also PR'd in 1:52.76. Between them was grad student Jaap Vellinga, who debuted with an ACC Championships qualifying time of 1:52.76.
"I was pleased with our middle distance crew," Braman said. "We had four lifetime bests, five indoor lifetime bests and then Jaap's ACC qualifier. So they were very productive, for sure. They all competed really well, which is really important prep for ACC's. The ACC Championships are about advancing and scoring."
Harry Mulenga added to the personal-best parade with his 8:10.59 in the 3000-meter run.
"Overall I was pleased with the progress we made this weekend," Braman added. "We had a few big breakthroughs and a bunch of improvements on the ACC list. The ACC has become one of the three best track & field conferences in the country so there should be some great fireworks in two weeks."
Event 4 - 800 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 17 Bert Freire 1:51.67 19 Jaap Vellinga 1:51.71 28 Matt Magee 1:52.76 Event 5 - Mile Run ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 10 Michael Hall 4:04.12 29 Bryce Kelley 4:09.17 41 Will Simons 4:12.39 Event 6 - 3000 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 11 Harry Mulenga 8:10.59 33 Grant Nykaza 8:24.27 38 Steven Cross 8:26.02 Event 7 - 5000 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 28 Ibrahim Ahmed 14:55.77
Haraway Wins Tyson 60-Meter Title In A Flash.
Soph sprints day full of personal bests from Arkansas to Boston.
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – Florida State sophomore Darryl Haraway lived up to his Twitter handle - @ina_flash_4 - Friday, winning the Tyson Invitational 60-meter dash final in a lifetime-best time of 6.59, which puts him among the all-time Seminole greats.
Exploding from the gun out of lane two, Haraway was first to the finish line in the eight-man field which included two-time former champion Cameron Burrell of Houston, who finished second in 6.63.
Haraway, who matched his previous best (6.64) to reach the finals, equaled the No. 2 time in the nation this year and tied former Florida State greats Walter Dix and Michael Ray Garvin for No. 9 on FSU’s all-time list. He is just the second Seminole to win the 60 title at the one of the nation’s most prestigious races, joining 2013 champion Marvin Bracy.
“Before I went out to the track I told coach [Ricky] Argro, ‘I’m trying to win this,’” Haraway said. “I knew I had it in me.”
And he was even more certain after perfectly executing Argro’s starting directions: “Big arms at the start and drive, drive, drive.”
“It was my first step,” Haraway said. “Once I got up, in my peripheral vision to my right, it was like, ‘Wow, I’m in front…I didn’t see anybody on my right side.’”
Argro couldn’t have been happier for his young pupil, who avenged an earlier loss to Northern Iowa’s Brandon Carnes this season. Carnes, who beat Haraway with a 6.59 at Iowa a month ago, was fourth in 6.67 after beating the Nole in semifinal with a 6.60.
“I’m most proud of the fact that it was done on this stage,” Argro said of Haraway. “We finally got Darryl to put together two parts of his race and make it a full race. He came out in a very, very high level competition meet and he performed well.”
While Haraway provided the lone win of the day, his lifetime-best was one of nine on the day by the Seminoles.
Sophomore Peta-Gay Williams twice lowered her previous best in the 60-meter hurdles, capped by her 8.15 in the final to place sixth. The Jamaican edged closer to her first NCAA Indoor Championships appearance by moving up three spots on the national descending order list into a tie for 12th place.
“She executed a lot of things well, which is what we came here to do against top competition, but she left quite a bit on the table from the prelims, where she had a much better start,” FSU assistant coach Brandon Hon said. “If she gets out [of the blocks] like she did in the prelims and finishes like she did in the finals she’s 8.01-8.04 at least, and maybe she wins.
“If she hits it right she can actually be in contention to win a national title. That’s something that she didn’t expect…Now she can flirt with that idea.”
Fellow sophomore Jamaican Shauna Helps came up short of advancing to the finals of the 60-meter dash, but she put together back-to-back times of 7.39 to move up to eighth on FSU’s all-time list.
“Shauna’s block start has always been her nemesis and now it’s becoming her strength,” Hon said. “She has been consistently good and sometimes great in practice and the goal was, ‘Let’s get credit for it in a real track meet.’ She did it in back-to-back rounds. She had a great start and a good finish.”
Fellow 60-meter sprinters Kiera Brown (7.54) and Cierra Jones (7.74) also posted career-bests.
Sophomore Shaquania Dorsett lowered her personal-best in the 400-meter dash to 54.44; good for an eighth-place finish in an event that also produced a new best for freshman Kimmie Cunningham (57.62).
On the men’s side, freshman Kyle Fearrington celebrated a major breakthrough in the 400, lowering his previous best by more than a full second as he finished in 47.93.
Veronika Kanuchova overcame a pair of early fouls in the weight throw to make the final on her third attempt, then jumped a spot to finish eighth overall with a new personal-best of 17.63 meters (57-10.25).
The Seminoles will return to action Saturday at 12 noon (ET) when Nicole Breske opens competition in the pole vault. Among the Noles competing in featured events will be Eleonora Omoregie (women’s high jump), Ed’Ricus Williams (men’s high jump), Gleneve Grange (shot put) and men’s triple jumpers Armani Wallace and Montel Nevers.
Women’s distance group impressive at Boston.
BOSTON, MA - Sophomore Carmela Cardama Baez trimmed 13 seconds off her previous best in the 3,000-meter run to join a list of all-time Seminole greats. The Spaniard finished third overall in 9:18.20 – the seventh-fastest time in program history – at Boston University’s David Hemery Invitational.
She took her place on FSU’s top 10 list ahead of 2016 Olympians Linden Hall and Violah Lagat, among others.
Overall, it was a productive performance by the Seminole women’s distance runners.
“Everyone came to race and executed their plans,” FSU women’s distance coach Kelly Phillips said. “Most of them had personal best and it was definitely worth the trip. I was really happy with everyone’s performances.”
The day began with redshirt sophomore Madison Harris and freshman Ginelle DeMone recording personal-bests of 2:10.26 and 2:12.67 in the 800.
Junior Bridget Blake finished third in her heat of the mile with a season-best of 4:45.14, with recent transfer Emily Edwards (4:48.61) lowering her previous personal-best by a whopping eight seconds.
“Emily and Carmela both had pretty big PR’s but both had been training at those times, so I was happy but not surprised. Both of them are capable of running faster and after today, I think they know it too. Bridget just needs to get in a fast race and she will hit a big time as well.”
Catherine Blaney and Mackenzie Landa closed the night with new season-bests in the 5000, finishing in 17:19.34 and 17:28.85.
February 11, 2017
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - Gleneve Grange broke the Florida State shot put record Saturday at the Tyson Invitational, highlighting another productive day for the Seminoles, who split up for two meets for the pivotal weekend as the indoor track & field season winds toward the postseason.
Grange's second throw sailed 16.32 meters (53-6.50) and pushed the junior from third to first on the Seminoles' all-time list, past Kamorean Hayes' 2008 record of 16.29.
A junior transfer who was forced to sit out last season, Grange chose FSU out of New Mexico Junior College primarily to compete in the discus with fellow Jamaican Kellion Knibb and under coach Dorian Scott's direction.
"It's a great feeling knowing that I just came here for the discus; the shot put was a pet event and now I'm excelling in it," said Grange, who came into the season with a shot put personal best of 14.57 meters (47-9.75). "Definitely there's more. I just need to get some technique work done and it will fly."
Grange, who broke the Jamaican junior national discus record once held by Knibb - which has since been broken by FSU freshman Shanice Love - is growing fond her one-off event.
"I hated it to be honest," Grange said. "I was throwing it but it wasn't going anywhere so I grew more to the discus than the shot."
Her progression from a season-opening mark of 15.67 meters (51-5) literally has her dreaming of bigger throws in the future.
"I'm sleeping and dreaming about my technique," Grange said. "It's weird."
"I couldn't be more happy for her," Scott said. "She got the record but it wasn't perfect throwing. There's still so much more there. I don't want to throw a number out there, but 16.32 is just the beginning."
Grange wasn't the only Seminole at the Randal Tyson Center to move up Florida State's all-time top 10 lists. Sophomore Shauna Helps climbed from sixth to fourth in the 200-meter dash, finishing third in a new personal-best of 23.56; not bad for someone who considers herself more of a short sprinter.
"Honestly I am getting more excited [about the 200]," said Helps, who also posted a personal-best in the 60-meter dash on Friday. "This year my coach [Brandon Hon] and I sat down and we attacked training from a different angle, being more prepared for the longer races as opposed to being just a 60- and 100-meter runner."
Helps was actually the second collegian in the field - Olympian Kori Carter won in 23.22 - and beat some established stars, including 2016 NCAA Indoor 60-meter champion Teahna Daniels of Texas.
"I'm always grateful for a PR, but I think I'm my worst critic," Helps said. "I'm grateful for my PR but there were many mistakes in the race; things I need to clean up before the ACC's."
Junior transfer Montel Nevers, who has been battling a lower leg injury, joined teammate Armani Wallace in a tie for No. 10 on FSU's all-time triple jump list with his seventh-place finish in 15.58 meters (51-1.50). Wallace was eighth in 15.52 in the invitational section.
Ed'Ricus Williams flashed the form that qualified the graduate transfer from Bethune-Cookman for the NCAA Championships in the high jump early in his career. Williams matched his indoor personal-best with a leap of 2.16 meters (7-1) to join a five-way tie for the No. 8 spot on FSU's all-time list.
Jamal Pitts still has work to do to crack FSU's all-time list in the 200, but his personal-best 21.35 on Saturday established the graduate student as one of the favorites at the ACC Indoor Championships. In addition to the 200, Pitts contributed a 47.6 split to FSU's season-best 4x400 relay (3:12.96), where he teamed with Kyle Fearrington, Matthew Butler and Steven Simpkins.
Eleonora Omoregie was the runner-up in the women's high jump (1.80m/5-10.75), while Austin Droogsma placed third in the men's shot put (18.17m/59-7.50).
The women's 4x400 relay team of Janae Caldwell, Kimmie Cunningham, Melissa-Maree Farrington and Shaquania Dorsett also turned in a season-best time (3:43.76).
Middle distance men lead way at Boston
BOSTON, MA - Junior Michael Hall whacked six seconds off his two-week-old previous best in the mile with the sixth-fastest time in Florida State history Saturday at the David Hemery Invitational. Hall's 4:04.12 was good for 10th place overall and one of three personal-bests in the event on the day by Seminoles.
Junior Bryce Kelley (4:09.17) and redshirt freshman Will Simons (4:12.39) followed suit.
"Mike Hall is finally finding his stride with indoor track," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "He's finally getting to the front where his kick can do some damage."
Freshman Humberto Freire posted his fourth 800-meter personal-best of the season (1:51.67) and senior Matt Magee also PR'd in 1:52.76. Between them was grad student Jaap Vellinga, who debuted with an ACC Championships qualifying time of 1:52.76.
"I was pleased with our middle distance crew," Braman said. "We had four lifetime bests, five indoor lifetime bests and then Jaap's ACC qualifier. So they were very productive, for sure. They all competed really well, which is really important prep for ACC's. The ACC Championships are about advancing and scoring."
Harry Mulenga added to the personal-best parade with his 8:10.59 in the 3000-meter run.
"Overall I was pleased with the progress we made this weekend," Braman added. "We had a few big breakthroughs and a bunch of improvements on the ACC list. The ACC has become one of the three best track & field conferences in the country so there should be some great fireworks in two weeks."
Event 1 - 60 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Darryl Haraway 6.59 5
12 Edward Clarke 6.76
Event 2 - 200 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
12 Jamal Pitts 21.35
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
15 Kyle Fearrington 47.93
35 Steven Simpkins 48.91
Event 4 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
12 Matt Butler 1:57.09
Event 11 - 4x400-Meter Relay
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Relay Team A 3:12.96
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) Jamal Pitts
3) Matt Butler
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 13 - Long Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Keniel Grant 24- 1 7.34m
21 Carlos Becker 21-11.50 6.69m
Event 14 - Triple Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Montel Nevers 51- 1.50 15.58m
8 Armani Wallace 50-11 15.52m
13 Ashton Butler 48- 0.75 14.65m
Event 15 - High Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
8 Ed'ricus Williams 7- 1 2.16m
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Austin Droogsma 59- 7.50 18.17m 3
7 Emmanuel Onyia 57- 1 17.40m
10 Chadrick DaCosta 55- 7.50 16.95m
Event 19 - Weight Throw
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Brandon Tirado 59- 4 18.08m
Men’s DMR Secures Spot In Fast Heat At ACC Championships.
Noles post 10th-fastest time in program history, finish fourth at UCS Invite.
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – While the balance of the Florida State indoor track & field teams spent the weekend making final preparations for next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, the men’s distance medley team clinched a spot in the fast heat of Friday night’s title race at Notre Dame.
The FSU team of Harry Mulenga, Steven Simpkins, Humberto Freire and Michael Hall posted the 10th fastest time in program history, placing fourth overall at the UCS Invitational in 9:52.66.
Racing out of the slow heat the Noles went wire-to-wire for the win in the seven-team heat, and also finished ahead of Clemson and Virginia from the fast heat. Benefitting from the conversion from the JDL Fast Track’s 200-meter flat surface, FSU was credited with a time of 9:44.72, which stands as fourth-fastest in the ACC this season and 26th nationally.
“I thought the guys did a fantastic job and we were basically chasing air after the first 400…If you convert this like the NCAA does this is our third-best distance medley ever. I’m real proud of these guys. This tells us we can be top-three at the ACC if we have a good day.”
The Seminoles finished behind Ole Miss, Arkansas and Villanova, whose converted times rank first, fifth and sixth nationally, respectively.
Event 12 - Distance Medley Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Relay Team A 9:52.66 2
1) Harry Mulenga
2) Steven Simpkins
3) Bert Freire
4) Michael Hall
School Record In Men's DMR Lights Day 1 Fuse For Noles.
Men, women in third place after opening day at ACC Indoor Championships.
February 23, 2017
NOTRE DAME, IN – Chopping down a 10-year-old school record with a silver medal performance in Thursday’s final event, the Florida State men’s distance medley relay team provided the Seminoles with plenty momentum heading into Day 2 of the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Championships.
The Noles quartet of Harry Mulenga, Steven Simpkins, Humberto Freire and Michael Hall not only took the best shot from a loaded field at Notre Dame’s Loftus Sports Center, but delivered their own blows, finishing second to Virginia Tech in 9:33.39.
“That feels so great, so huge, so amazing,” said Mulenga, who set the tone with a leadoff 1200-meter leg of 2:54 that put the Noles firmly in the top three, delivering on a promise he made to coach Bob Braman at the team meeting Wednesday night.
“I told him, ‘I think I can be a good starter. If I get a good start and try and put 2:50-something for the guys and give the baton to the 400 guy, I think we’ll have a good chance to score good points.’ We did it today.”
Simpkins, a freshman from the Tallahassee area, split 47.8 seconds for the 400-meter second leg and turned it over to Freire, another freshman, who delivered a 1:49 800-meter split. From there, Hall, a redshirt sophomore competing in his first indoor season, dropped a 4:01.92 1600-meter anchor.
That smashed the record set by Mark Buckingham, Tywayne Buchanan, Kenny Jesensky and Tom Lancashire (9:37.26) set in 2007.
“That was a lot of fun,” Braman said, through a beaming smile. “It was as good as we could be. And it’s a momentum thing. You feed off each other.”
Their performance came on the heels of an inspiring fourth-place effort by the women’s DMR team of Emily Edwards, Kimmie Cunningham, Madison Harris and Bridget Blake. Entering the meet as the No. 10 seed in the 11-team field, Edwards put the Noles in the hunt with a 3:27 leadoff leg. Cunningham blistered a 56.8 400 and Harris followed with a 2:11.7 800. Blake brought the baton home with a 4:41.9 anchor for a huge season-best time of 11:18.62.
“I loved the way the women’s distance medley competed,” Braman said. “We came in ranked 10th and got fourth. When you watched us compete, we really maximized it.”
Sophomore Brandon Tirado also maximized his opportunity in the weight throw. Seeded eighth overall with a lifetime-best of 18.75 meters (61-6.25), Tirado responded with five of six throws carrying more than 19 meters, including his personal-best of 19.24 (63-1), to place seventh.
The Seminole men closed the first day of competition with 10 points and are tied with defending champion Virginia Tech for third behind Virginia (15) and Notre Dame (11), and the promise for more points on the horizon.
Sophomore Dante Newberg positioned himself well to add to that total in the heptathlon. Newberg parlayed personal-best performances in 60-meter dash (7.01), long jump (6.83m/22-5) and shot put (12.66m/41-6.5) into a first-day, career-best of 2,987 points and is in third place with the final three events to be contested on Friday.
Melissa-Maree Farrington put the Seminole women on the scoreboard first, placing third in the pentathlon with a lifetime-best of 4,086 points. It wasn’t the result, however, that the senior from Australia was looking to produce.
“Each event was just a little short of what I can do and was hoping to do,” said Farrington, who came in as the top seed. “Nothing was bad, there were just no home runs.”
The Seminole women stand alone in third place with 11 points, behind Louisville (26) and defending champion Miami (22).
“I’m hungry to come back and redeem myself, make the [60-meter hurdles] final, get a couple points for the team and make up for losing a couple points in the pentathlon,” said Farrington, who will compete in Friday’s hurdles prelims. “It’s redemption.”
That’s exactly the kind of mindset Braman wants to see from his men and women with 14 events remaining, including a host of preliminary rounds on Friday.
“It’s been a typical ACC Day 1,” Braman said. “And it’s going to be the same thing the next couple of days. What I hope is we continue to have more performances like the Tirado’s, Newberg’s and DMR’s and feed off of each other; don’t panic over the point or two we’re going to lose here. It’s going to be a battle.”
NOTRE DAME, IN - Eleonora Omoregie and Jogaile Petrokaite delivered gold medal-winning performances Friday, highlighting a strong day by the Florida State women and men at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Petrokaite connected on a pair of season-best jumps, including a lifetime-best of 6.38 meters (20-11.25) to lock up her first career ACC title. The Lithuanian delivered FSU's first gold medal of the meet in style, moving up to a share of No. 10 on the NCAA list - the top 16 advance to the national championship meet - and a share of No. 6 of FSU's all-time list, alongside her former teammate Der'Renae Freeman.
"It's good to see JoJo, who has chased Der'Renae all these years, to stand out and have her moment," Florida State coach Bob Braman said. "Not only to win the conference but move herself closer to the NCAA Championships. It looks like she's in a pretty good spot."
Those that chose to stick around Notre Dame's Loftus Sports Center until the very end of the night were treated to a tremendous women's high jump dual between Omoregie and North Carolina's Nicole Greene, who came into the meet tied for sixth nationally.
It took a lifetime-best - indoors or outdoors - for the freshman from Italy to win the first ACC women's high jump title in Florida State history. Overcoming a shaky start and near elimination at 1.82 meters, Omoregie navigated the next two bars on her first attempt to claim the outright FSU school record with a winning jump of 1.88 meters (6-2).
Omoregie missed her first two attempts at 1.82 meters (Greene cleared on her first attempt) when everything came together. She had also rattled the bar on two earlier clearances.
"The first jumps I was so close, I kept hitting the bar when I was coming down or going up," she said. "I needed to adjust my approach and at 1.82 I got the right feeling and after that everything changed."
Competing against her toughest opponent with the support of teammates in her first collegiate championship meet, seemed to bring out Omoregie's best.
"I enjoyed it a lot because under pressure I perform a lot better," Omoregie said. "Seeing that she [Greene] was jumping higher and her previous jump was so good, I said, 'Whoa, I need to get everything together.'
"It's so different and so exciting. I can't believe it because my PR [1.86m in 2014] was old and I really wanted to improve it. I was really focused and all my teammates were there and knowing they were supporting me I wanted to jump that for them, too."
Braman marveled at Omoregie, who arrived from Italy in January and rewarded Director of Field Events Dennis Nobles with his 45th career ACC title in 26 years of conference membership. Petrokaite responsible for No. 44.
"Three-time Olympian Chaunte Howard is the only one better ever in the ACC," Braman said. "It's just phenomenal, how good you have to be historically just to win. That wasn't given to her. When God chiseled a high jumper it looked just like Nicole Greene. Eleonora had to fight for it and come from behind."
The Seminole women, who enter the final day of competition in second place, also received a fourth-place finish from redshirt freshman Carmela Cardama Baez, who posted the fourth-fasted 5000-meter time (16:07.49) in program history, breaking Spain's national indoor record in the process.
"Carmela comes out here in her debut 5k, running in the best distance conference in America, and oh by the way it was 15:38 to win the thing," Braman said. "So there were some pretty special people in the race and she didn't shy away from the moment, so to finish fourth and to get fourth all-time [at FSU] is pretty special."
Militsa Mircheva was 11th overall, but her time of 17:05.39 set Bulgaria's national indoor mark.
On the men's side, sophomore Dante Newberg finished off his heptathlon in style, becoming just the third 5,000-point scorer in program history as he wrapped up a sixth-place finish with 5,186 points.
Keniel Grant and Carlos Becker tag-teamed for a nine team points in the long jump. Grant leaped 7.58 meters (24-10.5) for the bronze medal, despite cramps which hindered his final two attempts. Becker, the freshman defensive back for the FSU football team, climbed for 13th to fourth on his final attempt in the prelims and finished sixth (7.35m/24-1.5).
Grad student Ed'Ricus Williams delivered the first points of the day for the Noles in the men's high jump, placing fifth in an intense battle with a top clearance of 2.15 meters (7-0.5).
While there were plenty of highlights among those performing in the finals, the Seminoles set themselves up nicely in a host of preliminary events as well.
On the women's side, Peta-Gay Williams, Cortney Jones and Nicole Setterington advanced to the finals in the 60-meter hurdles, matching defending champion and favorite Miami in finalists. Sprinter Shauna Helps did her part, moving on the 60- and 200-meter dashes. The sophomore climbed to No. 6 all-time among Noles in the 60 when she qualified third in 7.37.
Fellow sophomore Shaquania Dorsett's indoor lifetime-best 400 of 54.21 - also No. 6 all-time at FSU - very nearly wasn't enough. She grabbed the eighth and final qualifying spot on .01 seconds.
Bridget Blake was the third-fastest mile qualifier overall (4:46.78) while finishing third in her heat.
"The women finished with a bang," Braman said. "Shauna Helps was great twice and our hurdlers did what they were supposed to do and got through. Cortney Jones was awesome for a freshman and Shaquania had to battle. That was the fastest 400-meter eighth place in the history of this conference. That would have been third place a couple years ago.
"We did a good job and we've got to finish with as many points as we can."
Chasing a third ACC Indoor Championship, the Seminole women are second with 37 points and trail Louisville (43.5), with Miami lurking in third with 34 points and an arsenal of finalists up Saturday.
The men will also have to maximize their opportunities, given that they only pushed six athletes on to Saturday's finals. It certainly doesn't hurt, however, that Darryl Haraway came away from Friday's prelims as the No. 1 qualifier in both the 60-meter dash (6.64) and the 200, where he dropped a lifetime-best of 21.11, though he came into the meet seeded 15th.
"Darryl Haraway looked really, really spectacular," Braman said. "It didn't look like there was any kind of trouble in that 200 and in the 60 he was under control."
Edward Clarke and Jamal Pitts dropped season-best of 6.74 and 21.28, respectively, to join Haraway in the 60 and 200 finals.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was delivered by milers Michael Hall and Harry Mulenga, who came into the meet seeded ninth and 15th, but raced their way into the finals with runner-up heat finishes in 4:08.60 and 4:05.94. Mulenga finished a second behind defending NCAA champion Henry Wynne of Virginia, while Hall used a big final lap to lock down his spot.
"Mike and Harry carried that momentum forward," Braman said of the pair, who contributed to Thursday's DMR silver medal. "They qualified automatically and didn't look bad doing it. Would is shock anybody if they combined for 10 points tomorrow? If we're going to have a chance we're probably going to need that."
Though the Noles did not get anyone through to the 800-meter final, freshman Humberto Freire ran a personal-best of 1:50.70 to take over the No. 8 spot on FSU's all-time list. And one week after he was honored for his heroic act by the Tallahassee Police Department for stopping an assault and robbery of two women near campus, Matt Magee delivered his lifetime best of 1:51.51.
With 26 points, the Noles are in third place heading into the final day of competition at the Loftus Sports Center, trailing Virginia (39 points) and Louisville (37).
"The men have a chance to win because that women's [winning] number is going to be around 100 points and that men's number is going to be around 80 to 85," said Braman, whose team would be chasing the program's 12th ACC Indoor Championships. "It's going to be a battle."
"We've got some
big opportunities. The triple jump is going to be head-to-head with Virginia and you've got a little bit of head-to-head in the shot put. We don't have a ton of qualifiers. We have some good
qualifiers and we're going to have to make them all count."
NOTRE DAME, IN - Darryl Haraway isn't quite ready to put an exclamation point on his indoor track & field season, nevertheless, the Florida State sophomore sprinter punctuated his breakout campaign with an historic gold medal double Saturday, leading the Seminoles on the final day of the ACC Indoor Championships.
Haraway joined Maurice Mitchell as the only Seminole sprinter to win ACC indoor titles in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes in the same year, claiming the 60 title by the slimmest of margins, then capping the day with a personal-best of 21.07 for the 200 crown; the 10th-fastest time in program history.
Mitchell pulled off his double in 2011.
"Darryl dominted the ACC sprint scene all year and today was just the celebration of that," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "He's developing into one of the best in the country and he's only going to get better."
Haraway's 20-point haul was not only good for Men's Track Co-MVP honors - he shared it with Syracuse's Justyn Knight - but led the Seminole men to a third-place finish.
"Last year was mostly a learning experience where I had to basically show out this year," said Haraway, who was the runner-up in the 60 and third in the 200 behind Clemson senior Tevin Hester. "He kind of passed the torch…I wanted the torch, so I just wanted to show out, do my thing, go to nationals and win it."
While Haraway provided the only gold medals on the final day of competition, the Noles weren't short on outstanding performances from both the men and the women, who also finished third.
Virginia Tech claimed the men's team title with 109 points, followed by Virginia (98) and FSU (76). The Seminole women closed the meeting with 74 points behind defending champion Miami (113) and Clemson (98).
"We had unbelievable performances," Braman said. "The conference is getting better and better and we're keeping up with it. We were 30 points better this year on the men's side and the women were about comparable. In order to be third we had to be really good, and we were really good."
In second place to begin the day, the Seminole women overhauled Friday leader Louisville when Gleneve Grange improved on her school record in the shot put (16.54m/54-3.25) for third and Kellion Knibb added a season-best (15.36/50-4.75) for fifth and a 10 team points.
FSU's hurdle tandem of sophomore Peta-Gay Williams (8.16) and Cortney Jones (8.18) tacked on 14 more points with their silver-bronze finish in the 60-meter hurdles. Jones' time moved her to No. 4 on the all-time list.
The Seminoles, however, just didn't have enough finals qualifiers to stave off a Miami team built for the indoor season. Sophomore sprinters Shauna Helps and Shaquania Dorsett did their part. Helps was fifth in the 60, matching her personal-best (7.37) and fourth in the 200, while Dorsett cracked the 54-second barrier for the first time for seventh in the No. 5 time in program history (53.84).
Carmela Cardama Baez backed up her fourth-place finish in Friday's 5000 by finishing seventh in the 3000 (9:29.98).
There were an equal number of big performances on the men's side, beginning in the men's mile where redshirt sophomore Michael Hall (4:03.00) and senior Harry Mulenga (4:04.36) dropped lifetime bests to finish fourth and sixth. Hall's time is third-fastest in FSU history and Mulenga climbed to No. 7.
"I'm really proud of Mike and Harry," Braman said. "Neither made the final last year and today they put eight big points on the board. Mike Hall is going to be special someday. He's incredibly talented and competes like a tiger. His future is unlimited."
One of the most productive event of the day was the men's shot put, which produced one of the biggest surprises.
Junior Austin Droogsma unleashed the throw of his life (19.14m/62-9.5) to not only lock down a silver medal finish but secure at trip to the NCAA Championship meet. As an added bonus, he climbed to No. 3 all-time among Seminoles.
"The ACC competition can often elicit iconic performances," Braman said. "Austin Droogsma had his today. That throw puts him into the national meet and makes him one of our best-ever."
Emmanuel Onyia (17.57) and Chad DaCosta (17.11) finished sixth and seventh for a net haul of 13 points.
Junior Montel Nevers may very well be joining Droogsma in College Station, Texas when his sixth and final attempt of the competition was good for a season-best 15.88 meters (52-5.5), a bronze medal and at least temporarily, the No. 14 spot on the national descending order list. Teammate Armani Wallace rallied late as well (15.54m) to finish fifth.
In addition to Haraway, Edward Clarke contributed a fifth-place finish in the 60 (6.79) from the sprints corps, while the 4x400 relay team of Kyle Fearrington, Jamal Pitts, Kenny Lane and Steven Simpkins summoned up a season-best time of 3:11.31 to finish fourth in the final event of the meet.
"We had a really good meet," Braman said. "We out-performed our seedings and I couldn't be happier with how we competed. We've always said we're a better outdoor team, and I don't want to take away the accomplishments of Virginia Tech and Miami, but we aren't quite built for these events. If we do our best, qualify people for nationals and do our best, that's our goal. I think we accomplished that."
Event 1 - 60 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Darryl Haraway 6.64 10
5 Edward Clarke 6.74 4
16 Jamal Pitts 6.86
Event 2 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Darryl Haraway 21.07 10
20 Edward Clarke 21.86
FS Jamal Pitts 21.28
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
17 Kyle Fearrington 48.00
19 Steven Simpkins 48.08
30 Kenny Lane 48.90
Event 4 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Bert Freire 1:50.70
17 Matt Magee 1:51.51
23 Jaap Vellinga 1:52.35
Event 5 - Mile Run
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Michael Hall 4:03.00 5
6 Harry Mulenga 4:04.36 3
19 Bryce Kelley 4:12.11
25 Will Simons 4:17.03
Event 11 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Relay Team A 3:11.31 5
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) Jamal Pitts
3) Kenny Lane
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 12 - Distance Medley Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Relay Team A 9:33.39 8
1) Harry Mulenga
2) Steven Simpkins
3) Bert Freire
4) Michael Hall
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Keniel Grant 24-10.50 7.58m 6
6 Carlos Becker 24- 1.50 7.35m 3
16 Ashton Butler 22- 2.25 6.76m
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Montel Nevers 52- 1.25 15.88m 6
5 Armani Wallace 50-11.75 15.54m 4
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Ed'ricus Williams 7- 0.75 2.15m 4
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Austin Droogsma 62- 9.50 19.14m 8
6 Emmanuel Onyia 57- 7.75 17.57m 3
7 Chadrick DaCosta 56- 1.75 17.11m 2
Event 19 - Weight Throw
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
7 Brandon Tirado 63- 1.50 19.24m 2
Event 24 - Heptathlon
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
6 Dante Newberg 5186 pts 3
Event 25 - 60 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 7.01 879 pts
Event 26 - Long Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 22- 5 6.83m 774 pts
Event 27 - Shot Put
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 41- 6.50 12.66m 647 pts
Event 28 - High Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 6- 1.75 1.87m 687 pts
Event 29 - 60 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 8.49 862 pts
Event 30 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 13- 1.50 4.00m 617 pts
Event 31 - 1000 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 2:54.44 720 pts
Newcomer Trio Opens Outdoor Season With Wins At FAMU.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – First-year Florida State athletes Conor McClain, Shanice Love and Mackenzie Landa opened their outdoor track & field seasons with victories Saturday at the Florida A&M Relays.
McClain, a freshman from New Jersey, led a 1-2-3 sweep by the Seminoles in the men’s javelin with a winning throw of 56.88 meters (186-7) in his FSU debut. Fellow freshman Conner Flynn was second (52.23m/171-4), followed by sophomore decathlete Dante Newberg (51.76m/169-10).
Love, the Jamaican junior national record-holder in the discus, etched her name among the best in FSU history in her freshman debut. Love’s winning throw of 48.41 meters (158-10) was nearly 12 feet clear of her closest competitor and good for the No. 7 spot on the Seminoles’ all-time, top 10 list.
The FSU women’s distance squad made up the vast majority of Seminoles competing in the outdoor season-opener and they opened in style.
Landa, a junior transfer from Fresno State better known for longer events, established a new personal-best on her way to victory in the 1500-meter run (4:40.83). The Noles claimed the top nine spots in the field with freshmen Hailey Hendry (4:44.64) and Megan Mooney (4:45.10) finishing second and third, followed by Tara Rooney (4:45.16), Sarah Candiano (4:46.47), Courteney West (4:46.58) and Althea Hewitt (4:49.92) leading the garnet charge across the finish line. Hewitt’s seventh-place showing marked a personal-best of a whopping 49 seconds.
The day began with Bella Poole’s 10,000-meter runner-up finish in 38:05.61 in her first 25-lap venture.
Kayla Thomas and Narinah Jean-Baptiste were second and fourth in the 800-meter run.
Event 20 - Javelin ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Conor McClain 186- 7 56.88m 5 2 Conner Flynn 171- 4 52.23m 4 3 Dante Newberg 169-10 51.76m 3
Lessons Learned On Opening Day At NCAA Indoor Championships.
Omoregie, Droogsma post top finishes among newcomers.
March 10, 2017
COLLEGE STATION, TX - Gaining experience isn't always easy, but it is invaluable.
That was Florida State track & field coach Bob Braman's takeaway following Friday's opening action at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Of the five Seminoles competing Friday inside Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium, four were making their first appearances on the championship stage.
"All of our kids laid it on the line at ACC's and we came here a bit worn down," Braman said. "As these elite athletes get older and more experienced, they'll circle this meet on their calendar, not ACC's."
FSU's trio of ACC champions - Eleonora Omoregie, Jogaile Petrokaite and Darryl Haraway - were unable to get the Noles on the scoreboard, nor were conference podium finishers Austin Droogsma and Melissa-Maree Farrington.
Omoregie, the lone freshman in the women's high jump field, posted the top finish among Seminoles, tying for 11th in the women's high jump with a clearance of 1.76 meters (5-9.25).
"Eleonora has been nursing a bad calf," Braman said. "She's going to have three more years of national meets so I know she'll rebound from this."
Droogsma, a redshirt junior, was the only Seminole to out-perform his seed entering the meet. With a top mark of 18.16 meters (59-7) he placed 13th; one spot higher that he was seeded.
"Austin had a solid day and beat his seed," Braman said. "He had some great warm-up throws and just didn't catch one."
Haraway never really had the opportunity to make a run at the finals in the 60-meter dash, aborting his attempt midway down the track in his preliminary heat. Jogging across the line in 7.14, he was 14th overall.
"Darryl's hamstring got tweaked earlier this week and it really bothered him in warmups," Braman explained. "He's had a fantastic season and his future is really bright."
Petrokaite, the lone Nole with NCAA Indoor Championship experience, was unable to improve on his opening long jump attempt of 6.09 meters (19-11.75). After fouling her final two attempts the junior from Lithuania finished 14th.
"I felt bad for JoJo," Braman said. "She's been so good all year, but two fouls really limits your production."
Farrington came tantalizingly close to delivering the Noles their lone points of the day. The senior, competing in her first NCAA pentathlon competition, was among the top eight in the standings through the first four events, only to have it slip away in the fifth final event.
With her competitive juices flowing from the start, Farrington won her heat in the 60-meter hurdles in a season-best time of 8.40 and followed up with a personal best-matching 1.72 meters (5-7.75) to capture her high jump flight by three bars.
With 1,918 points - one point shy of her career best through two events - she moved on to the shot put. Despite the 16th-best effort in the field (11.46m), Farrington emerged with a career-best total of 2,543 points through three events and stood eighth overall.
She regained a spot in the overall standings (seventh) with a long jump of 5.80 meters pushing her total to 3,332 points with the 800 remaining; well within reach of first-team All-American honors and the Florida State school record.
Those hopes were dashed with a 2:32.69 800 as the Australian tumbled to 15th overall, finishing with 3,992 points.
"Melissa-Maree did a fantastic job through four events and just didn't have it in the 800," Braman said. "If she can get her 800 up with her other events she'll be hard to beat. She competed really hard all day."
Junior transfer Montel Nevers will carry the garnet and gold banner for the Noles on the final day when he competes in the triple jump, scheduled for 6 p.m. (ET). Nevers, who won the British
University Championships indoors last year for Leeds Beckett University in record fashion, nabbed the 16th and final spot in the field when he leaped 15.88 meters (52-1.25) on his sixth attempt.
COLLEGE STATION, TX - Developing a reputation for delivering when it matters most, Florida State junior Montel Nevers rose to the occasion once more on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday.
Busting out a season-best triple jump mark of 15.90 meters (52-2) on his third and final attempt of the preliminary round, Nevers advanced to finals, where he finished eighth for first-team All-American honors.
"Montel did a fantastic job," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "All six jumps were solid and he fought to an indoor season best. Seeded 16th and finishing eighth, you couldn't ask for much more from a first-timer."
Nevers, a transfer from Leeds Beckett University in Great Britain, where he won the British University Championships last year, was one of five Seminoles who made their NCAA Indoor Championships debut over the course of the two-day meet at Gilliam Indoor Track & Field Stadium.
He also delivered the lone points of the meet for either the Seminole men or women, after climbing from 13th-place to sixth on his third attempt to earn three more attempts in the finals. Nevers retained sixth place until the final round, fouling his final attempt after being passed by two competitors.
"This is my first year in the United States and I always wanted to come here," Nevers said. "Coming in ranked 16th I was kind of like the underdog; no one really knew who I was, but I knew I was better than I was ranked. Eighth, I'll take it for the moment, but I wanted to finish top five to get my name out there a little bit."
Nevers made a name for himself two weeks ago at the ACC Indoor Championships, where his sixth and final attempt of the triple jump competition not only vaulted him into a bronze medal finish, but also secured the final spot in the 16-man NCAA Championships field.
Slow starts are not uncommon for the Nottingham, England native.
"Normally I start really bad," he said. "My first jump is really rusty and just getting out the cobwebs. The second jump wasn't quite what I wanted. The third jump I just focused on myself and tried to get through my phases and luckily I executed it the way I wanted to."
Nevers' third attempt knocked Virginia's Jordan Scott, the ACC champion, from the finals. He also defeated ACC runner-up Damar Forbes of Louisville, posting the league's top finish.
The Seminole men finished tied for 58th in the field with Nevers' lone scoring contribution in the final event of the indoor season.
Event 1 - 60 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 14 Darryl Haraway 7.14 Event 14 - Triple Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 8 Montel Nevers 52- 2 15.90m 1 Event 17 - Shot Put ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 13 Austin Droogsma 59- 7 18.16m
Distance Crew Knocks Off Rust At Yellow Jacket Invitational.
ATLANTA, GA - FSU's distance runners headed north to Georgia Tech for Friday's Yellow Jacket Invitational, primarily to knock off some rust in what was the outdoor season-opener for most of the group.
Junior Mackenzie Landa and freshman Megan Mooney led the way, finishing 2-3 in the women's 5000-meter run in 17:30.95 and 17:32.58, respectively. They were among seven Seminole women in the event.
Redshirt freshman Tyson Murray's personal-best of 14:58.02 in the men's 5000 was good for a fourth-place finish.
Graduate transfer Jaap Vellinga followed up a conditioning effort in the 1500-meter run with a second-place finish in a tactical 800 (1:54.37). Militsa Mircheva's outdoor debut with the Noles came in the 1500, where she checked in with a 10th-place finish (4:36.70) and was followed closely by Catherine Blaney (4:37.40).
"We got done what we came to do - knock the rust off and compete hard," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "I thought Mackenzie Landa and Megan Mooney in the 5000 were the top performances. Jaap did a nice job in a really tactical race and Ty Murray had a six-second lifetime-best in his 5000.
"We really needed a hard, tough meet on tired legs so that we can be ready for a strong FSU Relays field next week."
Event 4 - 800 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Jaap Vellinga 1:54.37 4 7 Matt Butler 1:57.10 8 Matt Magee 1:57.21 Event 5 - 1500 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 24 Jaap Vellinga 4:01.60 26 Matt Magee 4:01.99 35 Christian Aman 4:09.12 37 Matt Butler 4:13.10 Event 6 - 5000 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 4 Tyson Murray 14:58.02 2 13 Tyler Bennett 16:01.79 17 Hunter Scott 16:20.40
Kanuchova Sets FSU Hammer Record In Debut.
Noles throwers post three of four team wins at Bulls Invitational.
March 17, 2017
TAMPA, FL - Propelled by a school record and a pair of personal-best performances, Florida State's throwers produced three of the team's four victories Friday at the Bulls Invitational on the USF campus.
Veronika Kanuchova smashed the school record in the women's hammer on her very first throw as a Seminole, and by the conclusion of the finals had eclipsed the previous mark on all five of her legal throws. The Slovakian standout's sixth and final throw of the competition was her best; 65.75 meters (215-8) - more than 10 feet further than Katja Vangnses' 2016 record.
"I'm pleased," FSU throws coach Dorian Scott said of Kanuchova, who sat out last season as a redshirt. "At the end of the day a lot of it was trying to get some film and see what we need to correct at the start of the season. Veronika had the eye of the tiger."
By the end of the first of two days of competition, Scott had plenty of quality film from his group, especially his men's group which is often overshadowed by the women.
"They came to play," Scott said.
Seniors Emmanuel Onyia and Chad DaCosta led a 1-2-3 sweep of the men's discus. Onyia locked in early and produced a pair of 56-meter marks on his final attempt, including a personal-best of 56.86 (185-11) in the fifth round for the win.
Fellow Jamaican DaCosta improved throughout the rounds, and capped his day with the best season-opening mark of his career - 54.50m (178-10). It was his best throw as a Seminole since 2014. Redshirt sophomore Fred Jones completed the sweep for the Noles with a throw of 49.99m (164-0).
"These are really good openers for them," Scott said. "It really shows the work that they're doing is connecting. They really locked in on the technique."
Sophomore walk-on Brandon Tirado added his name to the list of winners with a monster personal-best in the men's hammer. The Naples, Fla. native put together and outstanding series, highlighted by his winning mark of 59.54 meters (195-4), which moved him from ninth to fourth on FSU's all-time list. Five of Tirado's six legal throws exceeded his previous best (56.42).
"Brandon is forcing himself to be a contributing factor on this team," Scott said. "He's not looking at himself as a walk-on. He's looking at himself as just being a couple years behind the others. That's a testament to his hard."
Graduate student Ed'Ricus Williams delivered FSU's only other victory of the day, claiming the high jump with a winning mark of 2.05 meters (6-8.75).
March 18, 2017
TAMPA, FL - Florida State's track & field teams closed out the Bulls Invitational Saturday with five more victories - four from the women - capping a successful opening weekend of the outdoor track & field season.
Combined, the Seminoles authored three new top-10 all-time marks among seven new personal-best performances on the final day of competition at USF.
Gleneve Grange made her outdoor debut for the Seminoles memorable, winning the discus on her sixth and final throw with a personal-best of 56.16 meters (184-3) to edge teammate and Jamaican national record-holder Kellion Knibb (55.65m/182-7). Freshman Shanice Love added a personal-best of 50.26m (164-11) to finish fifth.
Grange zoomed to No. 2 all-time at FSU, behind Knibb, while Love climbed from seventh to fifth all-time in her second meet of the season.
The Seminole women piled up three more wins on the track, all coming from underclassmen. Freshman Cortney Jones' outdoor debut was a winner as she defeated teammate Melissa-Maree Farrington in the 100-meter hurdles in the 13.36, good for ninth on the FSU top 10 list.
Defending ACC champion Shauna Helps won her season-opening 100-meter dash in 11.69, just off her personal-best despite running into a slight headwind. Fellow sophomore Shaquania Dorsett stepped up to compete in her first collegiate 800 and was also victorious (2:16.57).
Graduate student Jamal Pitts ran the first open 400 of his FSU career and produced a winning time of 47.73 out of the second heat; the lone victory of the day for the men.
Decathlete Dante Newberg capped a three event weekend perfect in the personal-best department, following up Friday's high jump best (1.90m), with third-place finishes in the javelin (57.17m/187-7) and 110-meter hurdles (14.93).
Event 2 - 200 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 6 Kyle Fearrington 21.75w 7 Edward Clarke 21.88w Event 3 - 400 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Jamal Pitts 47.73 5 5 Kyle Fearrington 48.06 1 7 Steven Simpkins 48.27 11 Kenny Lane 49.05 Event 13 - Long Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 5 Armani Wallace 23- 2.50 7.07m 1 Event 14 - Triple Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 3 Christopher Daniels 46- 0 14.02m 3 Event 15 - High Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Ed'ricus Williams 6- 8.75 2.05m 5 4T Dante Newberg 6- 2.75 1.90m 4.50 4T Benjamin Kieler 6- 2.75 1.90m 4.50 Event 18 - Discus ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Emmanuel Onyia 185-11 56.68m 5 2 Chadrick DaCosta 178-10 54.50m 4 3 Fredrick Jones 164- 0 49.99m 3 Event 19 - Hammer ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Brandon Tirado 195- 4 59.54m 5 Event 20 - Javelin ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 3 Dante Newberg 187- 7 57.17m 3 5 Conor McClain 182-10 55.73m 1
Track & Field Noles Parlay 12 Wins Into Team Sweeps.
Throwers light fuse for winning ways at 38th FSU Relays.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Winning is always fun and the Florida State track & field teams had a whole lot of it Friday - collectively and individually - at the 38th running of the FSU Relays.
The Seminole men and women swept the team titles in the six-team, scored meet with Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Liberty and Southern Miss, with each squad piling up six individual victories.
"The hardest thing about being at home is do you stay on schedule? Do you eat the right time? Do you sleep at the right time? Do you check in? Do you go get treatment? Do you take care of those things?" FSU coach Bob Braman said. "We talked about that on Wednesday at our team meeting and I think our kids did a phenomenal job…Effort-wise we were really focused."
It showed.
Between several personal highlights and breakthrough, and even more personal-best efforts on a near-perfect day at the Mike Long Track, the Noles got just what they wanted from early-season test of fitness and the competitive juices.
"The whole idea of a meet like this is to get momentum moving forward," Braman said. "You don't come to a meet in mid-March to hit PBs. If you do, that's a huge bonus.
"We're moving forward and huge results came out of this meet, but as a coach I want to be moving faster each week and into a better position and we've done that. Very few people went the wrong way. We got some answers this week."
And as it has been throughout the indoor campaign and early into the outdoor season, FSU's throws group was showing the way.
Brandon Tirado (59.31 meters/194-7) and Veronika Kanuchova (65.21m/213-11) pumped life into their respective men's and women's squads with victories in the hammer throw. Not to be outdone, Austin Droogsma and Gleneve Grange swept the shot put events.
Droogsma, coming off his first NCAA Championships appearance two weeks ago to close the indoor season, opened up his outdoor campaign with a massive sixth-attempt mark of 19.22 meters (63-0.75). The redshirt junior improved on his previous outdoor best by nearly a foot by becoming just the third Seminole in school history to eclipse 19 meters outdoors. Naturally, he locked down a trip to the NCAA East Preliminary round in his opening competition of the season.
Grange followed suit a short time later, winning with a personal-best fifth attempt of 15.58 meters (52-1.25), which out-distanced her nearest competitor by more than two feet.
"The throws continue to be a leading group for us; men and women," Braman said. "They are competing fantastically well and feeding off each other. They're doing a great job of leading us."
Breaking up the throwers' sweep show, if only temporarily, freshman hurdler Cortney Jones covered her 100-meter event faster than any first-year Seminole in school history. The Georgia native edged Olympian and 2016 FSU standout Meme Jean in 13.06. That tied her with former FSU great Kim Batten for the fourth-fastest time in school history.
As the action on the track began to warm, FSU graduate transfer Ed'Ricus Williams and former Seminole All-American and indoor national champion James Harris, were entertaining the fans on the high jump apron. Playing to the crowd, the two dueled to a share of first place, with each clearing 2.20 meters (7-2.50), and no one was happier than Williams, the Bethune-Cookman graduate who had never competed in a home meet before collegiately. In the process, he came within .01cm of his lifetime best.
Perhaps no one in the Seminole camp was more excited to get the outdoor season going than sophomore Edward Clarke, who put an unsatisfying indoor campaign in the rear-view mirror with his 100-meter dash victory. The powerful Jamaican won in a collegiate-best 10.34, easily within what it will take the 2016 NCAA Championships qualifier back to the first round of the NCAA postseason.
"Eddie Clarke did a good job," Braman said. "He was struggling in the indoor season and didn't have a good opener in the 200 last week [at USF] and that 10.34 he just dominated. He got a good start, didn't panic and executed. That bodes really well for the 100 and 4x100."
It wasn't long before the throwers regained their spot in the bright sun as Emmanuel Onyia posted his second consecutive personal-best discus mark (56.86m/186-6) of the outdoor season to claim the men's title.
Kellion Knibb put together a performance fitting of a focused athlete following a setback last week with a sterling series in the women's discus, capped by her sixth-attempt Mike Long Track record throw of 60.85 meters (199-7). One week after being edged by teammate Gleneve Grange - who was the runner-up this time - Knibb launched the leading throw on the national descending order list to break her own track mark set last season.
FSU's men got their final win of the day from 400-meter hurdler James Rhoden. Competing in his event for the first time since the 2015 season, Rhoden narrowly missed a personal-best mark to win in 52.17.
While the men were pulling away in the team competition - the Noles finished with a 177.5-119.5 advantage over runner-up Liberty - the women still had some work to do.
Sophomore Shaquania Dorsett did her part, pulling away in front of a packed home grandstand to 400-meter dash victory in 53.47.
In danger of falling further behind Auburn with just two track events remaining, graduate transfer Catherine Blaney summoned up a big, two-lap finish in the 5000-meter run, rallying from third to first for the win in 17:25.24. That pushed the Noles in front of Auburn, and behind Dorsett's big leg on the closing 4x400 relay for a second place finish, they prevailed 146.25-134.
There were plenty of strong non-winning efforts by the Noles as well, including decathlete Dante Newberg's massive 100-meter personal-best (10.83), and sub-48 second runs by freshmen Steven Simpkins and Kyle Fearrington, and many more.
Friday's high school competition also
provided the Noles a glimpse of the future as signee Trey Cunningham smashed the meet record in the 110-meter hurdles in 13.51; one of three boys meet records to fall in four contested prep events.
The girls toppled two more meet marks, pushing the total to five on the day heading into Saturday's full slate of high school competition.
Event 1 - 100 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Edward Clarke 10.34 5
5 Keniel Grant 10.57 1
11 Dante Newberg 10.83
Event 2 - 200 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Jamal Pitts 20.99
Event 3 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Steven Simpkins 47.63 1
6 Kyle Fearrington 47.94
9 Kenny Lane 48.78
Event 4 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Matt Magee 1:52.94 1
6 Matt Butler 1:53.17
Event 5 - 1500 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Michael Hall 3:48.00 3
4 Bryce Kelley 3:53.16 2
11 Grant Nykaza 3:58.56
Event 6 - 5000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Tyson Murray 14:48.44 2
9 Christian Aman 15:18.12
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 James Rhoden 52.17 5
4 D'Mitry Charlton 54.00 2
Event 12 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Relay Team A 3:09.67 4
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) Jamal Pitts
3) Kenny Lane
4) Steven Simpkins
6 Relay Team B 3:17.12
1) James Rhoden
2) Darryl Haraway
3) Edward Clarke
4) D'Mitry Charlton
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Montel Nevers 23- 7 7.19m 3
7 Dante Newberg 21-10.50 6.67m
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Armani Wallace 51- 5.25 15.68m 4
4 Montel Nevers 49- 8.50 15.15m 2
5 Ashton Butler 48- 8.75 14.85m 1
10 Christopher Daniels 46- 2.25 14.08m
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1T Ed'ricus Williams 7- 2.50 2.20m 8
5T Benjamin Kieler 6- 4.50 1.94m 3.50
Event 16 - Pole Vault
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Clayton Washburn 15- 0.25 4.58m 3
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Austin Droogsma 63- 0.75 19.22m 5
4 Chadrick DaCosta 56- 9 17.30m 2
9 Dante Newberg 42- 2.75 12.87m
Event 18 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Emmanuel Onyia 186- 6 56.86m 5
2 Austin Droogsma 180- 8 55.06m 4
4 Chadrick DaCosta 178- 5 54.38m 2
6 Fredrick Jones 161-10 49.33m
10 Dante Newberg 115-12 35.35m
Event 19 - Hammer
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Brandon Tirado 194- 7 59.31m 5
Event 20 - Javelin
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Conor McClain 196- 0 59.75m
Tirado Leads PB Parade By Noles At Florida Relays.
Distance trio of Rooney, Aguilar and Aman join the fun.
March 30, 2017
GAINESVILLE, FL - Sophomore Brandon Tirado wasted no time redeeming himself for a sub-par performance in the men's hammer at last week's FSU Relays.
His first throw of Friday evening's Pepsi Florida Relays competition carried more than a meter further than his previous personal-best and secured a second-place finish for the former Naples High shot put and discus thrower. Tirado's opening throw of 61.03 meters (200-3) was the first of his career over 60 meters, and also the first of three on the night.
"I'm very pleased," FSU throws coach Dorian Scott said of the second-year Seminole. "He was more calm in the circle and didn't force it. His warm-ups were 63-64 [meters], so he still rushed it a bit in competition, but that's part of his journey."
Tirado came into the competition ranked fourth all-time among Seminoles with a personal-best of 59.54 meters (195-4), and while he didn't quite overtake No. 3 Andrew Diakos [61.07m], he did become just the fourth Nole to eclipse 200 feet, or 16 meters.
More importantly, Tirado edged closer to earning his first postseason appearance as a throw of 61 meters would have qualified him for the NCAA East Preliminary meet in four of the last five years.
Two of FSU's three entries in the women's 5000-meter run, Tara Rooney and Marianne Aguilar, recorded major breakthroughs with lifetime-best efforts. Rooney's 17:36.75 marked a 15-second improvement off her previous best, while Aguilar dipped under 18 minutes for the first time in 17:52.26; a 27-second improvement. They were 21st and 29th in a field of 50.
On pace to join the duo until the final three laps, Fatema Jaffer finished in 18:19.30.
"All three ladies came to run," women's distance coach Kelly Phillips said. "It was really exciting to see them just get in there and expect to run fast, rather than hoping to run fast."
Redshirt freshman Christian Aman closed out the night in the men's 5000 with his own personal best, a 14-second improvement to 15:04.72.
March 31, 2017
GAINESVILLE, FL - A fifth-year engineering student, Florida State's James Rhoden sat out the 2016 outdoor season to focus on his academics. It was a strange decision, considering the Texas native enjoyed his finest season on the track in 2015, placing fifth at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter hurdles and qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminary meet.
The year away from competitive racing clearly hasn't phased Rhoden, who dropped a lifetime-best time of 51.34 to finish sixth in the 400-meter hurdles Friday at the Pepsi Florida Relays, then backed it up with an outstanding 47.3 split on FSU's third-place, championship qualifying 4x400 relay (3:10.91).
"James Rhoden was a beast today," FSU coach Bob Braman said, after watching Rhoden roll up two competitors off the final hurdle for the heat win out of lane 9. "I would have loved to see him in a better lane so that he'd be the chaser, not the target. James is a legitimate contender for a national berth."
Rhoden's 4x400 leg lent further credence to Braman's claim, given his collegiate-best 400-meter time is 50.56.
Facing off against the strongest competition of the season to date, the Seminoles didn't flinch, posting nine new personal-best performances and three top-three finishes.
Graduate student Kellion Knibb led the way, claiming her first Florida Relays discus title in four career attempts with a winning throw of 59.88 meters (196-5). The NCAA leader edged her teammate and fellow Jamaican Gleneve Grange, who was the runner-up with a personal-best throw of 56.53 (185-5).
"Kellion knows how to win," Braman said. "She raises her game to the competition and today she did just that."
One of the biggest surprises of the day came from sophomore Shauna Helps, who sliced nearly a full second off her previous 200-meter best, closing strong for a third-place finish in 23.06. It's the 10th-fastest collegiate time of the season and ranks No. 8 all-time for the Seminoles.
"Shauna Helps was spectacular," Braman gushed. "23.06 is a fantastic time anytime, but hitting it this early is really exciting."
Helps, whose previous best was 23.94 last year at the same meet, relaxed off the curve and walked down three competitors over the final 50 meters, moving from sixth to third from out of lane 8.
"She's showing some junior-senior level maturity and she's only a sophomore," FSU Director of Sprints, Hurdles & Relays Brandon Hon said. "She was ready for the moment and ready for the race. Not having anybody to chase on the outside, she put it together really well."
Rhoden and Helps were among a number of Seminoles under the guidance of Director of Sprints, Hurdles & Relays Brandon Hon who had big days at Percy Beard Stadium.
"The main thing this early in the year is to see them execute better and take some of our good practice sessions and apply them to race situations," Hon said of his charges. "I liked the effort, the attitude and a lot of the execution this early in the year. That's what I was excited about. We're only going to get better from here."
Included in that group is sophomore Peta-Gay Williams, who opened up her 2017 outdoor season with a personal-best 13.24 in the 100-meter hurdles. Facing a loaded field at less than 100-percent, she placed 11th and moved to No. 7 on FSU's all-time list.
"I like her effort and attitude, knowing she's not sharp yet," Hon said of Williams. "She's still a little sore, a little beat up. 'But let's go push ourselves against the country's best.' I appreciate that she had a good attitude about it and still opened up with a lifetime-best. In a couple of weeks I think you'll see something special out of her."
Among other Noles posting new personal-bests were freshman Kyle Fearrington in the 400 (47.62) and Michael Hall in the 1500 (3:47.02). Fearrington also ran the leadoff leg on the 4x400 team which won its heat.
"I like the way Kyle Fearrington competed," Braman said. "He went for broke and was rewarded with a nice PB. You can see him and his fellow 400 teammates getting stronger. Together, I think they'll be a national qualifier by season's end in the 4x400."
Rhoden's strong leg played no small part in that victory, which included Kenny Lane and Steven Simpkins on the anchor.
"He deserves this," Hon said of Rhoden. "He's a great student and a great guy; a fifth-year senior doing what you expect out of a fifth-year senior. He already knows how to put everything together. He just needed a couple of opportunities to show it off.
"He's having the time of his life right now and
there's a lot more in the tank."
April 1, 2017
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Austin Droogsma delivered the Florida State throws group its second event title of the Pepsi Florida Relays, winning the Saturday's invitational shot put.
With his top mark of 19.70 meters (64-7.75), Droogsma solidified his No. 2 national ranking. The redshirt junior from Gulf Breeze, Fla. has posted shot put personal-bests in three of his last four meets, and his four competitive throws over 19 meters at Percy Beard Stadium are more than he had in his career entering the day.
"My understanding of the technique is higher than it has ever been in my career, and it shows," Droogsma said, after accepting congratulations from his competitors following the first major win of his career. "It shows in the circle and in practice every day. Now it's coming out here and translating in competition."
And from the beginning of warm-ups on a steaming hot afternoon, Droogsma was locked in and prepared to build on his week-old personal best set last week at the FSU Relays.
"Last week at the home meet when I threw the 19.22 it really felt like I didn't catch it all the way and there was still a lot in there," he said. "So we were coming into this meet looking for that big throw. I didn't know it was going to be that big, but that's what it came out to be and I did it twice today."
Droogsma followed with a first round mark of 19.21 by unloading a 19.66 (64-6) in the second round that would be good enough to win. The leader heading into the finals, he followed an 18.71 with a 19.08 before centering his 19.70 bomb down the middle of the sector.
"Austin continues to amaze me," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "He's hitting lifetime bests virtually every time he steps into the ring."
Droogsma exited the competition trailing only South Carolina's Josh Awotunde (19.78m) among collegians nationally.
FSU's field event athletes wrapped up the meet with strong efforts. Sophomore Armani Wallace finished fourth in the triple jump with his best collegiate mark - indoors or outdoors - since last May. The Orlando, Fla. native posted a second-round leap of 15.92 meters (52-2.75), which stood up as the second-best among collegians in the field behind Florida's KeAndre Bates (16.31m/53-6.25).
Bates now leads the nation, while Wallace sits third nationally.
"Armani found his stride and had several good jumps," Braman said.
Emmanuel Onyia continued his strong senior season, and while he was unable to keep his streak of personal-bests alive, he did register two more marks of 56 meters including his eighth-place throw of 56.46 (185-3) in the men's invitational discus competition.
"Onyia probably has more 56-meter discus throws than anyone in FSU history," Braman said. "He's as consistent as it gets. Now we're looking for that next big jump."
Gleneve Grange narrowly missed the finals of the women's invitational shot put, posting a 10th-place finish with a best of 15.75 meters (51-8.25).
Collectively, the Seminoles piled up 14 new personal-best marks on the weekend between three meets.
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
18 Kyle Fearrington 47.62
33 Steven Simpkins 48.30
35 Kenny Lane 48.37
Event 4 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
33 Jaap Vellinga 1:51.44
37 Matt Magee 1:51.67
51 Matt Butler 1:54.31
Event 5 - 1500 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
8 Michael Hall 3:47.02
Event 6 - 5000 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
31 Christian Aman 15:04.72
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 James Rhoden 51.34
17 D'Mitry Charlton 53.56
Event 12 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Relay Team A 3:10.91 3
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) Kenny Lane
3) James Rhoden
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Armani Wallace 52- 2.75 15.92m 2
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Austin Droogsma 64- 7.50 19.70m 5
Event 18 - Discus
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
8 Emmanuel Onyia 185- 3 56.46m
Event 19 - Hammer
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Brandon Tirado 200- 3 61.03m 4
Clarke Cruises To Texas Relays 100 Final.
March 31, 2017
AUSTIN, TX - The Florida State men's short sprinters competed at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays Friday, hoping to post an NCAA East Preliminary mark in the 4x100 relay and some fast time in the 100-meter dash. The Noles got half of the equation right as Edward Clarke qualified sixth for Saturday's 3:55 p.m. (ET) 100-meter final in a wind-aided 10.27.
Unfortunately, the Noles will have to wait on a qualifying relay mark as a missed exchange on the final baton pass led to a did not finish result.
In addition to the sprinters, Keniel Grant opened his outdoor season with a sixth-place finish in the long jump (7.35m/24-1.5).
Murray, Kanuchova Win, Newberg Leads At Tennessee.
Track & Field Noles thrive on blustery opening day of competition.
April 6, 2017
KNOXVILLE, TN - Though conditions were less than golden for Thursday's start of the 50th Tennessee Relays, Florida State's Veronika Kanuchova and Tyson Murray were good for gold.
Outdistancing her nearest competitor from the field of 20 by more than two meters, Kanuchova won the title with a series-best toss of 62.90 meters (206-4) on her opening attempt.
Murray, a redshirt freshman, made his 10,000-meter debut a winning one, grinding out a rock-solid time of 30:40.68 to cap a blustery day of competition under the lights.
Sophomore decathlete Dante Newberg was greeted by wind-driven rain and temperatures in the 40s over the course of his five-event first day of competition. Though the weather conditions clearly impacted performances, it did not prevent Newberg from posting a first day personal-best total of 3,540 points.
Newberg carries an 11-point lead over Indiana's Andrew Huber entering Friday's finale to the 10-event competition.
"This is great preparation for our athletes, because you don't know what kind of conditions you're going to get later in the season, FSU coach Bob Braman said. "These were horrible conditions and to get a couple wins and have a lead [Newberg] shows a tremendous amount of character. Our kids didn't hide under the bus. They came out and competed and I'm really proud of them for that."
Newberg clearly caught the worst of the weather as the rain eased up - the though wind and cold persisted - as the day progressed.
The Tampa, Fla. native got things started with a very wind-aided 100-meter victory in 10.73, good for a 922-point haul and a lead he would never relinquish in the field of 11 competitors. He was fifth overall in the long jump (6.53m/21-5.25) and third in the shot put (11.68m/38-4) before posting his career-best decathlon high jump effort (1.86m/6-1.25) for 679 points. Newberg closed his day with a 53.80 in the 400.
In just his third collegiate decathlon, Newberg is 92 points better than his previous first-day best of 3,448 points, set at last year's ACC Outdoor Championships.
With Friday's forecast calling for temperatures in the upper 50s, Newberg is poised to make a run at his personal-best of 6,177 points, beginning with the 110-meter hurdles at 10 a.m., which will be followed by the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500.
"Dante is more confident than he's ever been and I'm anxious to see him post a PB that he should easily improve on at the ACC Championships under better conditions," Braman said.
Murray, a Tallahassee native whose last race win came as a Chiles High junior in the 3200 at the Big Bend Championships, ran in a tight group of four through the first 5,000 meters before assuming the lead for the final 3200.
"Tyson Murray was fantastic," Braman
said. "He did a super job in his debut 10k. It's a brutal race and a very hard one to be good at and he handled it like a vet, not a redshirt freshman."
April 7, 2017
KNOXVILLE, TN - Bracketed by a pair of personal-best performances from Dante Newberg and Catherine Blaney, Florida State closed out Friday's action at the 50th Tennessee Relays with four runner-up finishes.
What the Seminoles lacked in aesthetically-pleasing performances they made up for with tenacity as they push through mid-season training cycles built for success in May and beyond.
"We had a few outstanding performances but most of our kids are in the mid-season grind," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "We're working our tails off to be ready for the championship meets in May and we're just not sharp yet."
Though he lost his first day lead early in Friday's decathlon competition, Newberg overcame a tender leg for a 298-point personal-best. The sophomore from Tampa, Fla. closed his five-event day by placing first in the javelin and posting a personal-best 1500 (5:04.66) to finish second overall with 6,475 points.
"Dante has improved a ton since last year and he continues to break his lifetime-bests," Braman said, after watching Newberg close the day on a high note.
At the opposite end of a full day of competition, Blaney busted out the fastest 5000-meter run of her career (16:55.84) to finish seventh overall and fifth among collegians. It marked the graduate transfer's first time under 17 minutes since the 2015 indoor season when she was at USF.
"Catherine Blaney ran a really impressive race; a PR with a big finishing kick," Braman said.
James Rhoden and Kyle Fearrington added to FSU's silver collection, placing second in the 400 hurdles and 400-meter dash, respectively. Rhoden was well off his week-old personal-best, finishing in 53.04 while battling a headwind much of the way around the track. Fearrington won the second heat with a monster closing finish (47.72), as the freshman was just .10 off his personal-best.
For the most part, Tom Black Track yielded very few fast times or big marks amidst swirling winds and temperatures that ranged from the mid-40s early in the day and mid-50s in late afternoon.
Those winds were certainly a factor for Newberg early on, as well as Cortney Jones in the 100-meter hurdles, who finished third in 13.71; well off her No. 7 national season-best mark of 13.06.
Keniel Grant finished fourth in the men's long jump, posting a season-best but wind-aided mark of 7.41 meters (24-3.75). Edward Clarke was sixth in the 200-meter dash, winning heat two in a season-best 21.45.
Five noteworthy Seminoles made their outdoor season-debuts in their individual events, with the meet essentially serving as a rust-buster. Such was the case for ACC indoor champions Eleonora Omoregie (high jump) and Jogaile Petrokaite (long jump), as well as Nicole Setterington (100 hurdles), who had not competed since suffering an injury which forced her from the ACC Indoor 60-meter hurdle finals. All three were competitive, with Omoregie finishing second, Petrokaite fourth and Setterington sixth.
Grad student Jake Burton was fourth overall in his first 800-meter race for the Noles since last year's NCAA East Preliminary meet in May. Raheem Robinson competed in the 100-meter dash for the first time since the 2016 ACC Outdoor Championships, continuing his comeback from injury.
The hope is their workmanlike results will yield greater benefits down the road.
"We've planned it so we can keep training hard and not have to compete next weekend,"
Braman said. "Stanford should yield some huge results."
April 8, 2017
KNOXVILLE, TN - Armani Wallace refused to allow Florida State's strong throws group steal the show on the final day of the 50th Tennessee Relays.
The sophomore triple jumper from Orlando, Fla. put together his strongest series since the 2016 ACC Outdoor Championships, capped by his winning leap of 16.10 meters (52-10), which ranks fourth in the nation. Wallace's mark was just two centimeters off his personal-best, and secured Saturday's second victory and fourth of the three-day meet by FSU athletes.
"We really bounced back today," FSU coach Bob Braman said, after watching the Noles struggle to put together big performances on Friday. "We got the travel problems and cold weather out of our system and really competed well.
"Armani was spectacular. From his first jump you could see that he was going to have a good day."
The Seminoles' day actually began quite well. Well, not exactly.
With FSU's deep stable of women's discus throwers leading off Saturday's competition, the Noles were anticipating a strong start. Yet, through two rounds of throws, Kellion Knibb, Gleneve Grange and Shanice Love had yet to post a legal mark.
Facing some pressure, the freshman Love showed the way in the third round with a collegiate-best mark of 50.70 meters (166-4), with Grange (53.74m/176-4) and Knibb (57.25/187-10) following suit. All three advanced to finals, where only Knibb - ranked No. 1 in the country - was able to improve (57.44/188-5).
Still, it was good enough for a 1-2-5 showing by the Noles at the conclusion of the event, and more importantly, a valuable lesson by persevering under duress.
Senior Emmanuel Onyia once again rode a consistently strong series to a third-place finish on the strength of his top throw of 56.57m (185-7). Grad transfer Ed'Ricus Williams was unable to find his rhythm late in the high jump competition, but did rebound from a poor showing at the Florida Relays to finish fourth (2.09m/6-9.5).
"We had really good focus today," Braman said. "We can get on the bus with a little momentum now."
Saturday's action on Tom Black Track was reserved for relay events and the Seminoles tapped into all kinds of resources to make the most of their opportunities.
Both the women's and men's 4x100 relay teams posted what should be NCAA East Preliminary qualifying marks, despite some patchwork lineups which still managed to deliver third-place finishes.
The women's team of Nia Flagg, Shauna Helps, Cortney Jones and Shaquania Dorsett got the stick around the track in a season-best time of 45.20, which currently ties FSU for No. 14 in the NCAA East rankings.
The men's team of Jamal Pitts, Edward Clarke, Raheem Robinson and Keniel Grant brought the baton home in 40.16, posting their first mark of the season, which ranks 14th in the NCAA East.
"We ran different personnel than usual and I think we ran pretty well," Braman said.
Earlier in the day, the women's 4x200 relay team of Nicole Setterington, Alina Stewart, Janae Caldwell and Kimmie Cunningham finished third as well (1:40.99).
Like the 4x200, the 4x800 relay is not contested at the NCAA Championships level, though it did not prevent the women and men from getting in some quality work. The women's quartet of Ginelle DeMone, Madison Harris, Emily Edward and Dorsett - anchoring her second consecutive event on the schedule - raced home in 8:49.63 for third.
The FSU men's team of Michael Hall, Matt Magee, Matt Butler and Jaap Vellinga dropped a very respectable time of 7:27.87 to finish second behind a loaded Virginia Tech squad.
"Our 4x800 teams competed their tails off and many of them had relay carries in their PR zone," Braman said. "I thought Mike Hall really ran well. He ran a lifetime best and was unafraid to mix it up with the 800 specialists. Their 7:27 is a quality time, especially without our ace [Jake Burton] in there."
The Noles closed out the meet with the 4x400 women finishing eighth and the men tying for fifth.
Event 1 - 100 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
15T Raheem Robinson 10.81
Event 2 - 200 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Edward Clarke 21.45
Event 3 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Kyle Fearrington 47.72 4
18 Steven Simpkins 49.80
Event 4 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Jake Burton 1:50.98 2
7 Jaap Vellinga 1:51.77
9 Matt Butler 1:52.09
13 Matt Magee 1:53.17
Event 5 - 1500 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
8 Michael Hall 3:49.00
22 Bryce Kelley 3:55.90
Event 7 - 10000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Tyson Murray 30:40.68 5
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 James Rhoden 53.04 4
4 D'Mitry Charlton 53.68 2
Event 11 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Relay Team A 40.16 3
1) Jamal Pitts
2) Edward Clarke
3) Raheem Robinson
4) Keniel Grant
Event 12 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Relay Team A 3:11.41 3
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) D'Mitry Charlton
3) James Rhoden
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Keniel Grant 24- 3.75w 7.41mw 2
12 Montel Nevers 21- 3.50w 6.49mw
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Armani Wallace 52-10 16.10m 5
6 Ashton Butler 49- 1.50 14.97m
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Ed'ricus Williams 6- 9.50 2.07m 2
Event 18 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Emmanuel Onyia 185- 7 56.57m 3
Event 21 - 4x800 Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Relay Team A 7:27.87 4
1) Michael Hall
2) Matt Magee
3) Matt Butler
4) Jaap Vellinga
Event 30 - Decathlon
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Dante Newberg 6475 pts 4
Event 31 - 100 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 10.73w 922 pts
Event 32 - Long Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 21- 5.25 6.53m 704 pts
Event 33 - Shot Put
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 38- 4 11.68m 587 pts
Event 34 - High Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 6- 1.25 1.86m 679 pts
Event 35 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 53.80 648 pts
Event 36 - 110 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 15.80 755 pts
Event 37 - Discus
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 92-11 28.33m 432 pts
Event 38 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 12- 5.50 3.80m 562 pts
Event 39 - Javelin
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 178- 4 54.35m 653 pts
Event 40 - 1500 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 5:04.66 533 pts
Jumpers Lead Six-Win Assault At Cardinal Classic.
Grant, Petrokaite, Omoregie take flight for half of first-day wins.
April 21, 2017
STANFORD, CA - Friday's opening of the Cardinal Classic proved bountiful for the Florida State track & field teams at Cobb Track and Angell Field as the Seminoles produced a half-dozen event wins and piled up some of their finest performances of the season.
"We had a solid day today," Florida State coach Bob Braman said. "I felt like we competed well. Some of our crew, especially the track athletes, seemed like they were still getting their legs back from the travel, but this is a great practice for nationals when we're going to have to do the same thing.
"Of course it's great to get so many wins."
From 29 entrants, the Seminoles showed signs of rounding into form as the postseason approaches, producing eight personal-best marks, eight other season-best performances and a collegiate-best effort.
Once again FSU's field events carried the day, with the jumpers stealing some of the thunder usually reserved for the throwers.
Keniel Grant and Jogaile Petrokaite posted breakthrough efforts to win the men's and women's long jumps, while Eleonora Omoregie flashed signs of returning to her indoor form with a win in the high jump.
Petrokaite got the winning started, making the most of her lone legal jump of the day, which covered a season-best 6.30 meters (20-8); even more impressive considering she was well behind the takeoff board. That mark ranks 17th nationally and gives the junior from Lithuania the No. 3 mark in the ACC.
Grant led a trio of Noles into the men's long jump finals with a personal-best 7.75 meters (25-5.25), which he backed up with a 7.73 second-best effort. Both marks eclipsed his previous outdoor best (7.69) and carried the senior to the top of the ACC ranks and a share of 15th nationally. Close behind was Armani Wallace, who shattered his previous best with a leap of 7.57 meters (24-10) for third, which also ranks third in the ACC.
"Keniel and Armani were outstanding," Braman said. "Both jumped PR's and with legal winds. They're rounding into nationals form and they still have several weeks to build on it."
Omoregie, the freshman from Italy, soared over the competition in her bounce-back from a sub-par opening effort at Tennessee. She easily cleared 1.80 meters (5-10.75) for the win and had a pair of near-misses out her outdoor personal-best of 1.85 (6-1).
"I felt like Eleonora jumped well," Braman said. "She was in a real rhythm and just needed some competition. That 1.80 is getting back to her national class form.
Not to be overlooked, Veronika Kanuchova posted her fourth hammer win in five meets this season with a best effort of 63.76 meters (209-2).
On the track the Noles got wins from James Rhoden in the 400-meter hurdles (51.92) and Shauna Helps in the 200-meter dash (23.69).
Beyond the victories there were still more encouraging signs.
Madison Harris posted a breakthrough personal-best in the 800 meters, cracking a long-standing barrier by running 2:09.93. She was followed closely by freshman Ginelle DeMone's collegiate-best (2:10.32) run and junior Emily Edwards' huge personal-best of 2:11.41.
Mackenzie Landa shattered a barrier of her own with a big final 200 meters to cap off a 16:58.69 5000-meter personal-best.
Among other Noles posting lifetime-best efforts on the day were Kayla Mackzuga in the javelin (35.88m/117-8), Dante Newberg in
the long jump (6.86m/22-6.5) and D'Mitry Charlton in the 400 hurdles (51.19).
April 22, 2017
STANFORD, CA - Stanford's Angell Field was an oasis of grandeur for Florida State's discus throwers Saturday as the Cardinal Classic drew to a close.
Kellion Knibb broke her own Jamaican national and Florida State school records, extending her NCAA lead with a toss of 61.59 meters (202-1) and Emmanuel Onyia's best of five personal-best marks on the day (59.62m/195-7) moved him to No. 10 in the country and No. 3 all-time among Seminoles.
The only difference between the two Jamaicans was Onyia was able to make off the win, outdistancing teammate and runner-up Austin Droogsma (55.24/181-3) for top honors. Droogsma and fellow Nole Fred Jones (51.04/167-5) also recorded personal bests.
"It felt really good," said Onyia, a fifth-year senior who now trails only two-time Olympian Bradley Cooper and former NCAA champion Garrett Johnson on the school's all-time list. "I thought we had been doing a lot of good work in practice, hitting the right marks and positions, so we knew it was coming. I'm just really happy that it came and it feels really good to finally throw over 56."
Knibb was not as fortunate when it came to the outcome, though there is no shame finishing second behind the fourth-best mark in the world this year. Valarie Allman, who is redshirting this year at Stanford, won with a U.S.-leading mark of 64.69 meters (212-3) which broke a 15-year-old stadium record.
"That's one of the main reasons we came here, to chase the competition," said Knibb, who edged Allman for second place at last year's NCAA Championships. "I knew that she would come and do her thing and all I needed to do was compete."
Knibb's bomb came in round three, immediately preceding Allman's answering record throw. As a small consolation she walks away with the No. 15 mark in the world this year.
"I'm a little salty about the loss, but I can't complain about a personal-best," said Knibb, who has been on the verge of a breakthrough since adding a reverse to her discus delivery in the offseason. "I think I'm trending in the right direction. I didn't expect this season to be easy with a technical change."
Gleneve Grange finished third (55.89/183-4) and Shanice Love (50.50/165-8) was fifth, each flirting with season-best marks. Grange, however, wasn't through. The redshirt junior came back with a personal-best in the shot put (16.16m/53-0.25) to finish second and move to No. 3 on FSU's all-time list.
Overall it was a strong closing day by the Noles, who posted five victories, pushing their two-day total to 11, and registered 11 more personal-best marks.
Before moving over to the discus, Droogsma opened the day with a win in the shot put, out-classing the field with a top mark of 19.16 meters (62-10.5).
"Onyia was unbelievable," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "We felt like he was ready for a big one but that's nearly 60 meters. It was great to see Austin doing double duty. I really liked him getting that PB in the discus, and Fred Jones is showing great promise."
Sophomore Armani Wallace put together his finest triple jump series of the season, capped by a personal-best 16.13 meters (52-11) on his sixth attempt to take the victory over teammate Montel Nevers. Nevers' 15.51 (50-10.75) was a season-best.
"Armani was really in a groove today," Braman said. "He was all around 16 meters the entire competition and then hit the personal best on his final jump. I feel like Montel is getting back into his rhythm after that All-American Indoor season. With two jumpers well over 16 meters that will yield big points at nationals."
Cortney Jones and Nicole Setterington finished 1-2 in the 100-meter hurdles, though their heat was marred by a tumble that took teammate Peta-Gay Williams out of the race over the second hurdle. Sophomore Shaquania Dorsett was the class of the field in the 400-meter dash, finishing strong in a season-best 53.03.
Aside from the victories, there were a handful of impressive individual efforts, none more notable than Michael Hall's seventh-place finish in the 1500-meter run.
Racing against an elite field, Hall more than held his own, charging to the finish in a lifetime-best 3:43.70. By shattering his previous best of 3:47.02, Hall cracked FSU's all-time top 10 list at No. 7.
"Mike ran really tough," Braman said. "That's a big lifetime best for him and he held his own in a really strong national class field. That's the kind of race that can advance him to nationals if he duplicates or exceeds it at regions."
Shauna Helps went head-to-head with Harvard's Gabrielle Thomas, one of the nation's best, and finished second in a lifetime-best 11.53.
"I'm really pleased with Shauna," Braman said. "She's so strong right now that she can close with anyone. She'll run really fast once she begins to work on the speed and block starts. And Alina [Stewart, sixth in 12.12] held her own in her first big-time collegiate 100-meter field."
Among other noteworthy efforts, Tara Rooney's steeplechase debut ended with an ACC Championships qualifying time of 10:48.73. Madison Harris followed up her800-meter PB on Friday with a 1500-meter PB (4:37.68).
Event 2 - 200 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 9 Kyle Fearrington 21.74 12 Kenny Lane 21.91 Event 3 - 400 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 6 Kyle Fearrington 47.65 7 Steven Simpkins 47.71 8 Kenny Lane 47.86 12 James Rhoden 48.65 Event 4 - 800 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 7 Jake Burton 1:50.21 10 Jaap Vellinga 1:51.03 15 Matt Magee 1:51.83 20 Matt Butler 1:57.60 Event 5 - 1500 Meters ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 8 Michael Hall 3:43.70 34 Jaap Vellinga 3:57.95 Event 8 - 110 Meter Hurdles ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 9 Dante Newberg 15.52 Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 James Rhoden 51.92 5 7T D'Mitry Charlton 53.19 Event 13 - Long Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Keniel Grant 25- 5.25 7.75m 5 3 Armani Wallace 24-10 7.57m 3 9 Ashton Butler 23- 1.17 7.04m 11 Dante Newberg 22- 6 6.86m 12 Montel Nevers 22- 4.50 6.82m Event 14 - Triple Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Armani Wallace 52-11 16.13m 5 2 Montel Nevers 50-10.75 15.51m 4 4 Ashton Butler 48- 8.75 14.85m 2 11 Christopher Daniels 43- 5.75 13.25m Event 15 - High Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Ed'ricus Williams 6-11 2.11m 4 Event 17 - Shot Put ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Austin Droogsma 62-10.50 19.16m 5 10 Dante Newberg 40-10.25 12.45m Event 18 - Discus ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Emmanuel Onyia 195- 7 59.62m 5 2 Austin Droogsma 181- 3 55.24m 4 6 Fredrick Jones 167- 5 51.04m Event 19 - Hammer ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 4 Brandon Tirado 185-10 56.64m 2 Event 20 - Javelin ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 10 Conor McClain 165- 5 50.42m 11 Dante Newberg 162-11 49.66m
Noles Win Three Events, Load Up On Top Marks At Florida.
GAINESVILLE, FL - Sophomore Peta-Gay Williams obliterated her career-best 100-meter hurdle
time en route to Friday's victory at the Tom Jones Memorial. Williams sailed to victory in 13.09, smashing her previous best of 13.24 for the first of three wins by Seminoles at Percy Beard
Stadium.
Graduate student Ed'Ricus Williams made amends for a poor performance in his last trip to Gainesville by winning the high jump with a lifetime-best mark of 2.22 meters (7-3.5), which moved him to No. 3 in the nation and No. 5 all-time among Seminoles.
Jake Burton lowered his season-best in the 800 to 1:49.21, which was good enough for the win.
In addition to the victories several Noles posted major breakthroughs, led by the 400-meter men, where Kyle Fearrington (46.79), Kenny Lane (47.23) and Steven Simpkins (47.60) started the day by posting personal-best in the open race. Burton joined the trio on the 4x400 relay team which sealed a trip to the NCAA East Preliminary meet by running a season-best 3:07.91 to finish second. The Noles quartet currently ranks 11th in the East.
"This group could punch a ticket to nationals if they keep improving at this rate," Braman said of the relay squad.
Senior James Rhoden dipped under 51 seconds for the first time in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing third in 50.83. Shauna Helps ran a slightly windy 11.44 in the 100-meter dash against a stout field, finishing 12th overall but second among collegians.
"Overall I'm extremely pleased with the performances we had at the Tom Jones Memorial meet," Braman said. "Peta-Gay, Shauna, James, Kyle, Ed'Ricus and Jake all had big-time performances. And we had many other really strong efforts from many others.
"If we can keep this momentum going through the Seminole Twilight, then we'll be a tough team to beat at the ACC's."
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Kyle Fearrington 46.79
17 Kenny Lane 47.23
21 Steven Simpkins 47.60
Event 4 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Jake Burton 1:49.21 5
3 Jaap Vellinga 1:50.46 3
6 Matt Butler 1:51.43
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 James Rhoden 50.83 3
11 D'Mitry Charlton 53.62
Event 12 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Relay Team A 3:07.91 4
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) Kenny Lane
3) Jake Burton
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Carlos Becker 24- 9.25 7.55m 2
10 Ashton Butler 23- 6.75 7.18m
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Ed'ricus Williams 7- 3.25 2.22m 5
8T Benjamin Kieler 6- 2.50 1.89m
Event 16 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Clayton Washburn 15- 7.75 4.77m
Event 17 - Shot Put
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Dante Newberg 39-10.25 12.15m
Knibb's Record Nails Down Third Penn Relays Title.
April 28, 2017
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Kellion Knibb's last trip to the Penn Relays as a Seminole will be her most memorable.
The Florida State graduate student not only won her third consecutive Penn Relays discus title Friday, but destroyed her own meet and Franklin Field record, set a year ago. Knibb saved her best throw for her last, unleashing a 62.07-meter toss (203-7), which destroyed her 2016 record-setting mark (58.55) by well over 11 feet.
Three of Knibb's four legal marks eclipsed the previous record, topped by her sixth attempt.
In addition to her meet record, Knibb upped her Jamaican national, Atlantic Coast Conference and FSU records, while extending her NCAA lead.
“Kellion is virtually unbeatable at Penn,” FSU coach Bob Braman said. “She always competes at her absolute best here. I love her constant focus and attention to detail. She's had the professional effect on our entire throws group.”
Knibb wasn't the only Nole in action at the 123rd Penn Relays Friday. Teammate and fellow Jamaican Gleneve Grange finished fourth (55.78m/183-0).
Austin Droogsma maintained his season-long momentum in the shot put, cranking out four 19-meter marks, capped by sixth-attempt best 19.34 meters (63-5.5) to grab the silver medal.
“Austin continues to raise his game,” Braman said. “He's in a groove right now where 19-meter throws are commonplace. He's becoming a true national-level thrower.”
While Knibb, Grange and Droogsma competed in the championship sections of the their events, Fred Jones advanced to the finals of college section of the men's discus and finished eighth (50.68m/166-3). Chad DaCosta placed 14th in the college section of the shot put (16.56m/54-4) in his first competition in more than a month.
The Seminoles actually got things started Thursday at Franklin Field, where Veronika Kanuchova collected silver in the championship section of the women's hammer (62.18m/204-0) and freshman Steven Cross, competing unattached this season as he redshirts, was the silver medalist in the men's 10,000-meter run.
Cross' time of 29:31.22 is the fastest ever for an FSU freshman and currently ranks No. 5 on the World Junior list and No. 1 among American Juniors (athletes born in 1998 or later).
Not all of the news out of Philadelphia was good as the men's 4x100 relay team, seeking a second consecutive trip to the Championship of America finals, could not get the first baton pass off and did not finish their qualifying heat.
“I'm disappointed for our 4x100 men,” Braman said. “They're working like crazy and I know they're ready to perform. We'll have to go back to the lab and try and find those key
adjustments.”
April 29, 2017
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The final day of the 123rd Penn Relays brought more personal-best performances by the Florida State throws group, which continues to lead the Seminoles this outdoor track & field season.
Senior Emmanuel Onyia followed up his breakthrough performance last week at Stanford with a mammoth 60.34-meter (197-11) fifth attempt, capping the finest series of his career with a third-place finish against a stout field in the championship section of the men's discus.
Not to be left behind, redshirt junior Austin Droogsma followed suit with another huge personal-best in consecutive meets as his top mark of 56.98m (186-11) was good for seventh place.
"I'm over the moon with Onyia and Droogs," said Florida State head coach Bob Braman. "Those guys are just killing it right now. Coach Scott's crew is really setting the tone for our squad right now."
In addition to those Saturday performances, graduate student Kellion Knibb was named the Outstanding Women's Athlete of the Meet for the second consecutive year, after smashing her 2016 Penn Relays discus record with a winning throw of 62.07 meters (203-7). It was the third Penn Relays title for Knibb, who extended her\ Jamaican National, Atlantic Coast Conference and Florida State records and now leads all of Division I by nearly two meters.
"Last week just kind of confirmed that what we're working toward is getting closer," FSU throws coach Dorian Scott said of Onyia. "This week kind of solidified that with the adjustments we made, everything is building up is nice. We were struggling to get over that 56-meter hump and everything today was 58 and above. For Onyia, it pretty much solidified that we're doing the right thing and the technique is there.
"Knibb is in the same situation, where she made a breakthrough last week and this week she showed that it's there."
Onyia went into last week's Cardinal Classic with nearly a dozen 56-meter marks to his credit before capping a breakthrough series with a winning toss of 59.62. On Saturday, five of his legal marks were in excess of 58 meters, including one of 59 in addition to the first 60-meter throw of his career. In addition to padding his ACC lead, Onyia moved up to eighth on the NCAA descending order list.
Droogsma's breakthrough is only slightly more surprising, in that he has spent most of his attention on the shot put, where he claimed silver at Penn Relays with another strong series of 19-meter marks. That his personal-best came after fouling his first two attempts, was even more encouraging.
"For Austin in the discus, the same thing," Scott said. "What we're working is being justified by the product. It's pretty consistent. I'm happy it's not luck. You can tell by them coming back with the consistency of the marks. We're taking ownership of the technique, and we're still lifting pretty heavy in the weight room.
"Droogsma is a bit of a surprise. I knew just by the way he's throwing the shot put, the overall rotational technique just makes sense to him. The fact that we haven't put in a big rep count in the discus, so for him to come out here and after two fouls he throw a lifetime best of 56.98, Austin is showing his athleticism. He's showing why he's three-sport athlete in high school. His athleticism is kind of taking over and he's got a good understanding of the technique. It's pretty cool."
While Onyia and Droogsma were the lone Noles to make the finals Saturday, Scott saw progress from Brandon Tirado in the hammer and Conor McClain in the javelin. Tirado finished 11th with his second-best performance of the season (59.68m/195-9), coming off a sub-par performance at Stanford.
"[Tirado] pretty much did what we wanted him to do," Scott said. "He came in and got his rhythm back. When we went over to the West Coast he never really was connected well. This kind of shows that he's getting it back."
McClain, a redshirt freshman, was 18th in the javelin with a top mark of 57.95 (190-1), which was also his second-best performance of the season. Like Tirado, McClain was coming off a tough go at Stanford.
"Today I'm really pleased with the overall effort."
And Scott believes there's more to come. Redshirt junior Gleneve Grange was fourth in the women's discus behind Knibb, with a performance that included a handful of throws around her personal-best.
"Her breakthrough is coming as well," Scott said of Grange. "She's had five or six meets at 55-56 meters. It's kind of similar to Onyia's journey. They're on the same kind of path and we know it's there. It's just a matter of doing what we're doing in practice technique-wise and applying it to the meet. She gets really excited and tries to put a little extra oomph on it and I just need her to put a little oomph on the technique. When she hits it, it's not going to be like a one-meter or two-meter addition. It's going to be like Onyia."
Event 17 - Shot Put ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 2 Austin Droogsma 63- 5.50 19.34m 4 13 Chadrick DaCosta 54- 4 16.56m Event 18 - Discus ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 3 Emmanuel Onyia 197-11 60.34m 3 8 Fredrick Jones 166- 3 50.68m 8 Austin Droogsma 186-11 56.98m 12 Chadrick DaCosta 174- 7 53.23m Event 19 - Hammer ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 10 Brandon Tirado 195- 9 59.68m Event 20 - Javelin ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 18 Conor McClain 190- 1 57.95m
Twilight Meet Shines Spotlight Off, On Track.
Dedication ceremony, senior honors share day with competition.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Unseasonably cool temperatures pushed along by a steady breeze weren’t conducive to outstanding performances on the track at Friday’s Seminole Twilight. Still, the conditions didn’t prevent the Florida State’s track & field teams from getting some important work in before the start of the postseason.
On a day full of activities beyond the track and field, the Noles managed to combine for 13 wins and more than a handful of personal- or season-best marks, resulting in automatic qualifying berths to next weekend’s ACC Outdoor Championships at Georgia Tech.
“I thought we had good efforts,” Florida State coach Bob Braman said. “The weather was a deterrent to big marks.”
Still, the conditions did not prevent flawless execution of a few non-competitive events.
Friday began inside the McIntosh Building which houses FSU track & field, where the conference room was dedicated to Dr. Frankie Hall. Hall, 92, was the first women’s track & field coach of the Seminoles, guiding the 1969 team through a five-meet schedule capped by a trip to the Division of Girls and Women’s Sports First National Track & Field Championships in San Marcos, Texas.
Six members of Hall’s nine-athlete team and the lone assistant coach were on hand to honor their coach and mentor, whose health prevented her from attending.
“We were the first, and it has taken us a long time to realize we were real pioneers,” Hall said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat.
At the conclusion of the dedication, three women – Margaret Kane, Avis Latham Vaught and Lee Anne Wojtkowski – were presented with All-American certificates for their scoring finishes at that first national championship meet. They had waited 48 years to be recognized for the honor; something that Hall had pushed to see happen, since there were no awards presented at for the inaugural championship pioneers.
“This all started because Frankie wanted to take care of three of you and it didn’t take very much time, but the love you had for her turned around and made this dedication possible,” said FSU associate athletic director Bernie Waxman.
“It was truly neat to hear stories about that team, how they competed, how they formed and how they came together,” Braman said. “It was a very special, festive event for us. That was a fun, fun moment and it was great to have them here for all of us to appreciate and celebrate with them.”
Back out on the track, the 26 graduating Seminoles were recognized for their career contributions prior to taking part in the final home meet of the season. Over the past five years the members of the honored group had been part of eight ACC team titles, seven ACC individual titles – four of those by Kellion Knibb - produced five school records and 34 combined top 10 all-time marks.
Friday’s competition was all about building toward the addition of that legacy.
Among the noteworthy wins, freshman Nicole Breske claimed the pole vault with a lifetime-best clearance of 4.02 meters (13-2.25), which ranks as the No. 5 mark in school history and almost certainly secures her a trip to the NCAA East Preliminary meet. Redshirt freshman teammate Amanda Lewis was second (3.77m/12-4.5) with a personal-best which qualified her for the ACC Championships.
“With Nicole, she’s a freshman, and a high school state champion who comes in with a lot of accolades,” Braman said. “She’s getting on a role right now where she’s finally getting her groove. She looks like she’s got a pretty solid regional mark and put herself in position to score in the conference.”
Junior Gleneve Grange claimed her second discus victory of the season with a personal-best of 56.65m (185-10) and now ranks eighth nationally. Freshman teammate Shanice Love’s huge collegiate best of 53.56m (175-9) moved her to fourth in the ACC – behind Knibb and Grange – and 33rd nationally.
Among the other wins by the Seminole women were Veronika Kanuchova (hammer), Eleonora Omoregie (high jump) and Kayla Thomas (800).
Sarah Candiano led a 1-5 1500-meter finish by the Noles – all in personal-best times – coming home in 4:31.50. Madison Harris (4:31.77), Megan Mooney (4:32.51), Tara Rooney (4:33.04) and Courteney West (4:33.25) followed close behind.
Beyond the wins, Carmela Cardama Baez’s second-place season-opening 5000-meter run of 16:39.91 and Militsa Mircheva’s third-place 16:42.46, easily eclipsed ACC qualifying standards.
Victories on the men’s side came from Brandon Tirado (Hammer), Conor McClain (javelin), Chad DaCosta (shot put and discus), Ed’Ricus Williams (high jump), Michael Hall (800) and the 4x100 relay team of Raheem Robinson, Jamal Pitts, Edward Clarke and Keniel Grant.
Among the other noteworthy efforts were D’Mitry Charlton’s career-best 52.81 in the 400-meter hurdles, which was not only good for second, but moved the redshirt sophomore into NCAA East qualifying position. Montel Nevers’ wind-aided 15.86-meter (52-0.5) triple jump also strengthened his standing at the East and national level.
Event 1 - 100 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Edward Clarke 10.41 3
10 Raheem Robinson 10.81
Event 2 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Jamal Pitts 21.12 1
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Kenny Lane 48.00
11 Steven Simpkins 48.62
Event 4 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Michael Hall 1:51.07 5
2 Jaap Vellinga 1:51.61 4
3 Matt Butler 1:52.89 3
Event 6 - 5000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Tyson Murray 15:02.97 3
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 D'Mitry Charlton 52.81 4
Event 11 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 40.19 5
1) Jamal Pitts
2) Edward Clarke
3) Raheem Robinson
4) Keniel Grant
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Keniel Grant 24- 5.75 7.46m 3
6 Carlos Becker 22- 4 6.81m
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Armani Wallace 52- 2.77 15.92m 4
3 Montel Nevers 52- 0.50w 15.86mw 3
4 Ashton Butler 48- 6.75 14.80m 2
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Ed'ricus Williams 6-10.25 2.09m 5
3 Benjamin Kieler 6- 4.50 1.94m 3
Event 16 - Pole Vault
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Clayton Washburn 15- 3.75 4.67m 4
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Chadrick DaCosta 61- 0.25 18.60m 5 measuring error
Event 18 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Chadrick DaCosta 171- 1 52.14m 5
2 Fredrick Jones 161- 8 49.28m 4
Event 19 - Hammer
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Brandon Tirado 198- 7 60.54m 5
Event 20 - Javelin
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Conor McClain 189- 7 57.79m 5
Kanuchova Rallies For ACC Title On Final Hammer Throw.
Tirado finishes fifth; Farrington and Newberg setting pace in multis.
May 12, 2017
ATLANTA, GA - It's not often that a first-year athlete participating in a championship meet for the first time carries the burden of being the favorite.
That's exactly the position Florida State redshirt freshman Veronika Kanuchova was entering Friday's women's hammer final at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
"You know this on my chest makes me feel nervous because it's a big responsibility," Kanuchova said, pointing to the Seminole head on her jersey. "I know I'm on the team and I know I need to do well because my team needs me, and I just wanted to do my best and support my team."
In dramatic fashion, the Slovakia native rose to the occasion, climbing from third to first on her sixth and final attempt and delivering the 14th-ranked and defending champion Seminoles their first victory of the three-day meet.
"On that last throw I was going to lose or I was going to win," Kanuchova said. "I found something in myself that I didn't know I had. I just did it."
She raised her arms in triumph as her final throw mark - 64.01 meters (210-0) - was called out, pushing her past the Virginia Tech's Pavla Kukovla (63.16) and Emma Thord (62.94) for the victory. With her best competitive mark since the season opener, Kanuchova matched the 2016 victory by FSU's Katja Vangsnes, which set the Seminoles on their title path.
"That was huge for Veronika," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "She's been stuck on 62 meters for four or five weeks and not only does she gap it by two meters, she did it on her final throw and won 10 key points for the team. And she needed every centimeter to get the win."
The hammer was very good to the Seminole men as well, as sophomore Brandon Tirado began the day with a fifth-round personal-best of 61.11m (200-6) to finish fifth overall. Tirado, who came into the competition as the No. 8 seed, walked off with the third-best mark in program history and All-ACC honors.
"Brandon did a fantastic job," Braman said. "That's a critical three extra points towards our title chase."
On a day when just seven finals were contested, both the men and women positioned themselves for bigger things over the final two days of competition.
Defending heptathlon champion Melissa-Maree Farrington, looking to complete her first multi-event competition of the season, carries a 122-point lead over top-seeded Holly Hankenson of Louisville. Farrington was rock-solid through all four events and didn't relinquish the lead after winning the opening 100-meter hurdles (13.79), which she followed with a season-best high jump (1.71m) and a personal-best in the shot put (11.80m).
"It's great to have Melissa back healthy again," Braman said. "She was super focused today and had no bad events. She's defending her title with everything she's got and she'll be right there fighting for the win tomorrow."
The biggest surprise of the day in a non-final was turned in by sophomore decathlete Dante Newberg, who stands alone in second place with a five-event total of 3,845 points.
Newberg began the day with back-to-back victories in the 100-meter dash (10.73) and long jump (7.13m/24-4.75), both of which were lifetime-best performances. He relinquished the lead following the shot put, but reclaimed the top spot in the standings by sailing three bars over his previous personal-best with a clearance of 1.99 meters (6-6.25). Despite a season-best in the 400, he will begin Saturday's competition trailing Duke's Robert Rohner by 80 points; well ahead of where he was projected as the No. 7 seed.
"Dante Newberg was on fire all day," Braman said. "His 100, long jump and high jump are almost on a national level, but even in his non-preferred events he's done a good job.
"His improvement from his freshman year has just been incredible. Kudos to coach [Dennis] Nobles for having him peaked at the right time. His points will be a big boost to our teams' title chances."
Shauna Helps, who entered the 200-meter prelims as the No. 4 seed, dodged a late-race scare to automatically advance to Sunday's final by winning heat two in 23.54, edging NC State and Louisville runners by 100ths of a second.
"Shauna looked fantastic," Braman said. "She completely dominated the heat but misjudged the finish line. Thank goodness she still got the heat win. We'll need big points from her in the final."
Michael Hall came into Friday's 1500 qualifying as the No. 4 seed, needing only to finish in the top five of his heat to advance. Well-positioned throughout he was nearly knocked down with 500 meters to go, but regained his composure and closed with a flurry, advancing automatically in 3:49.97.
"Mike had to fight his way through a rough and tumble prelim," Braman said. "He was almost pulled to the ground and had to gather himself and finish big in the last 100 meters. It's going to be a great final and hopefully Mike can finally get on the podium."
James Rhoden grabbed an auto spot in Sunday's 400-meter hurdle finals by finishing second in his heat (52.12), but will face a stiff test in the finals as he tries to improve on his fifth-place finish in 2015.
"James easily qualified for the finals, but we're going to need a big race from him in the finals," Braman added. "That's a stacked field."
While Friday was largely a success, the Noles
will have to make up a little ground in Saturday's qualifying races after their trio of 200-meter runners failed to advance.
May 13, 2017
ATLANTA, GA - Calm in the face of what could have been her last collegiate meet, Florida State senior Melissa-Maree Farrington delivered one of the most complete competitive efforts of her career, claiming her second consecutive ACC Outdoor Championship heptathlon title.
Leading the seven-event competition wire-to-wire, Farrington closed out the two-day competition Saturday with 5,692 points - No. 8 in the NCAA this season - to bolster the Seminoles' title hopes and secure a trip to the NCAA Championships.
The Australia native began the day with a lifetime-best long jump (6.04 meters), pushing her overnight lead of 122 points to 224, then all but sealed the title with the top javelin throw in the field (39.54m). With a 333-point lead and only the 800 remaining, Farrington had only to overcome her own demons to claim the title.
Farrington's last competitive 800, the final event of the NCAA Indoor pentathlon championships, saw her tumble from a top-eight finish to a 15th-place finish.
"I definitely didn't want to let myself down, let my team down again based on the last event," Farrington said, when asked how the disappointment in March had impacted her. "I know I can run under 2:20, so running 2:32 at nationals - just running out of gas - let myself down, it shook my pride. I promised myself after that 800 never again is that going to happen. I'm always going to be proud of my results."
It didn't hurt that she had plenty of support on hand at Georgia Tech.
"Coach Braman told me before the 800, 'Your mom's here for Mother's Day, run that race for her,'" Farrington said. "Honestly [on] the back straight of the second lap, my mom came to my mind and I just gritted my teeth and toughed it out."
Farrington finished in 2:22.68 - exactly 10 seconds faster than her NCAA Indoor time - then celebrated with her parents, Kelvin and Gina, who made the trip from Australia to see her graduate and compete at least one final time.
"Having my parents here, that was the biggest mental support I could possibly have," Farrington said. "And Coach [Dennis] Nobles, he was in my ear every event, having trust and faith in me. I had a big team around me to keep me calm."
In the process, Farrington delivered the Seminoles their second gold medal of the meet by becoming Nobles' 60th ACC champion in the jumps and multis.
Before Farrington even climbed to the top of the podium to collect her second ACC gold medal in as many years from Nobles, she shared hugs and celebratory photos with competitors, family, coaches and teammates.
Given the potential gravity of a final collegiate season lost to injury and disappointment, it was a moment worth savoring.
"I'm most proud of her guts in that final event," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "The 800 was her nemesis at Indoor Nationals so it was a real gut-check for her and she
passed with flying colors. The big bonus was she got her national qualifying mark and now she's got a month to prepare for Nationals."
May 13, 2017
ATLANTA, GA - It was moving day at Georgia Tech for the Florida State men and women at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the Seminoles did some heavy hauling, climbing into third place entering Sunday's finals.
Riding victories from Eleonora Omoregie in the high jump and Melissa-Maree Farrington in the heptathlon, the 14th-ranked Seminole women amassed 46.5 points Saturday and with 56.5 total points trail only Virginia Tech (58.5) and Duke (57.5) in their quest for a successful ACC title defense.
Triple jump standout Armani Wallace collected his first ACC title - in the long jump - and teamed with Keniel Grant and Carlos Becker for 11 of the men's 30 points on a day marred by a nearly three-hour weather delay. The Seminoles are tied for third with Virginia Tech (34 points), trailing 11th-ranked Virginia (80) and Duke (39).
In addition to the victories, Gleneve Grange grabbed silver in the shot put with a school record-shattering throw of 17.29 meters (56-8.75) and teammate Kellion Knibb was seventh with a lifetime-best 15.56m (51-0.75).
"GG was one of the highlights of the day," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "That's No. 10 in the NCAA and a huge lifetime-best; just the spark we needed going into the final day."
Jogaile Petrokaite claimed her second consecutive silver outdoors in the long jump (6.17m/20-3), though she came into the event with just the fourth-best legal mark in the field.
"She got us big points with silver today and that was really big for us," Braman said.
For the men, Austin Droogsma mustered up a sixth-attempt shot put mark of 19.31m (63-4.25) to claim bronze, while Emmanuel Onyia and Chad DaCosta chipped in sixth- and seventh-place finishes.
Dante Newberg capped his breakout weekend in the decathlon with a fourth-place finish, riding five personal-best event performance to the fifth-best total - 7, 113 points - in Florida State history.
There were plenty of back stories behind the three winners, who combined to push Director of Field Events Dennis Nobles' ACC outdoor gold medalists to 62.
Omoregie, a freshman, capped her season sweep of ACC indoor and outdoor titles by clearing 1.82 meters (5-11.5), but redshirt freshmen Kayla Maczuga's personal-best 1.70m (5-7) clearance for fourth and Safia Morgan's share of fifth (1.67/5-5.75) gave the Noles a whopping 18.5 points in the event.
Despite out-dueling UNC's Nicole Greene, Omoregie wasn't pleased with her winning height, but she was excited to add her name alongside ACC champion teammates Veronika Kanuchova and Farrington; even more so that Maczuga and Morgan were contributing in a big way as well.
"Seeing Veronika and Melissa win, I wanted to win, too," Omoregie said. "Even though I didn't jump what I wanted, the important part was winning and I won. I'm so happy for Kayla because I work with her every day and she works so hard. Safia had great jumps today and I think now she can just keep going an everything will be fine."
Maczuga, who along with Morgan were wild-card entries into the meet, may turn out to be one of the unsung heroes of the meet if the Noles can finish off their third title in four years.
"I knew I could do it and it just had to come, and it came at the perfect moment," said the normally stoic Maczuga, flashing a wide smile. "I'm just so happy I finally got it. I'm glad we could do it for the team."
The day began with Farrington completing her wire-to-wire run to the heptathlon title, capped by a strong finish in the 800 for a seven-event total of 5,735 points; nailing down the eighth-best mark in the nation and a certain trip to the NCAA Championships.
"Having my parents here, that was the biggest mental support I could possibly have," said Farrington, whose parents made the trip from their native Australia for the meet. "And Coach [Dennis] Nobles, he was in my ear every event, having trust and faith in me. I had a big team around me to keep me calm."
With only a handful of fans on hand, Wallace rose to the occasion in the men's long jump as his teammates battled leg cramps, winning with a leap of 7.55 meters (24-9.25). Grant (7.28) and Becker (7.18) finished sixth and eighth.
"That was my biggest motivation today," Wallace said, understanding that the Noles' team title hopes needed a lift. "I took it upon myself and told myself that I had to come out here and win. I had to do it for my team. It was no longer about me. I just had to score for my team and that's what I did."
"A couple weeks ago he had a big PB and it kind of shocked us, and we're like, 'OK, this is a guy who can get us some significant points at the ACC meet,'" Braman said. "I didn't know 'significant points' meant winning the event…It was a great competition for him 1-6. Keniel and Carlos went calf cramping and fought their way through. We ended up with 14 big points entirely different than we had envisioned it.
"At the end of the night it gave us nice, positive point boost going into
tomorrow."
May 14, 2017
ATLANTA, GA – Fighting to the finish of an intense seven-hour day of competition, Florida State's track & field teams produced four individual ACC Outdoor champions, four top-10 NCAA marks and a pair of Field MVP performances Sunday at Georgia Tech.
What they didn't get was what they coveted the most.
The 14th-ranked Seminole women's bid for a successful ACC title defense came up six points shy, despite historic and heroic efforts from all corners. With a runner-up finish in the 4x400 relay, Virginia Tech overcame a two-point deficit to deny the Noles a fifth ACC title by a 124.5-118.5 margin.
“I'm really proud of these ladies,” FSU coach Bob Braman said. “In 21 events we only misfired in one. I can't ask for any more than what they gave us.
“I can tell you most of our top talents are very young. I can also tell you that we have some difference-makers joining us next year. We will be on a mission for the next 365 days to bring that trophy back to Tallahassee.”
FSU's men simply ran out of ammo in the waning stages of the meet, finishing third despite piling up 104 points; 70 of which came on the final day. Virginia Tech completed the sweep of team titles, edging No. 11 Virginia 120-119 for the crown.
“The men had a really good three-day effort,” Braman said. “We kept challenging the lead all weekend. I'm never satisfied with third but those are two top-10 teams that beat us and we gave them everything they could handle.”
Both the Seminole women and men were quite a bit to handle, as their stars rose to the occasion on the championship stage, led by graduate student Kellion Knibb.
Knibb became the first four-time women's discus champion in ACC history, and just the third Seminole – joining legends Kimberly Williams and Lacy Janson – to finish her career having never lost in a championship event.
“It feels good to get the title for a fourth time, especially having the two girls out competing with me,” said Knibb, whose winning mark of 59.76 meters (196-1) edged junior teammate Gleneve Grange (57.02m/187-1) for top honors. Freshman Shanice Love (52.63m/172-8) was fifth as the Noles mounted their charge to the team lead with 22 points in the event.
Grange's second lifetime-best of the meet – it's the No. 3 mark in the country - and second silver medal, earned her Field MVP honors.
“It was just a good journey of training, knowing that I could come out here and do what Coach [Dorian] Scott told me to do,” Grange said. “Two PBs - what more can I do?”
“I'm ecstatic for Gleneve,” Braman offered. “She had another PB and won the ACC Field MVP award. And what can you say about Kellion? Four straight ACC titles is almost unheard of in any event.”
The supporting cast for the throwers didn't shirk their responsibilities. Sophomore Peta-Gay Williams led a 1-3 finish in the 100-meter hurdles, laying down a personal-best time of 12.96 – No. 2 all-time at FSU and No. 5 nationally this year – for the win. Freshman Cortney Jones was third (13.25).
“Peta-Gay stepped into the national spotlight today,” Braman said. “She came from behind for a huge win in a sub-13 second performance. She had her game face on after the 4x1 mishap and wanted to put us back in the title hunt and man did she accomplish that.”
The mishap, a missed first exchange preventing the 4x100 relay team from finishing, would be the lone bobble of the weekend for the women.
“I was determined to come out today and get my team the points and the win, not only for the team but for myself,” Williams said. “At this point, it's a personal best and I'm always grateful.”
Fellow sophomore Shauna Helps continued her ascent into one of the elite sprinters in the country. Not only did Helps successfully defend her 100-meter dash title, she did it in an ACC Championship meet record time of 11.26, which moved her to No. 9 nationally this season and No. 3 all-time among Seminoles. It also tied the mark for the fastest performance in the 100 in the history of the ACC.
“The execution of my race in the [preliminary] was really, really good so I was wondering if I had actually hit a ceiling, because I made minimum mistakes,” said Helps, who qualified for the final in a personal-best 11.39. “I didn't know if I had any more in me because I ran almost a perfect race.”
Sandwiched between Clemson's Rebekah Smith and Torie Robinson, Helps once again found her top-end speed and pulled ahead at the wire for the win, duplicating her 2016 victory.
“In the final I executed a similar race, but I had more competition and also, I'm the defending champion,” she said. “I think I run best that way, chasing people.”
Helps would come back and tack on third-place points in the 200-meter dash (23.27) and the Noles also picked up a seventh-place finish from Shaquania Dorsett, who turned in a season-best time in the 400 (52.70).
Trailing the Hokies by two points heading in the 5000-meter run, the penultimate event of the meet, redshirt freshman Carmela Cardama Baez delivered the Noles the lead. Her fourth-place finish in a lifetime-best 16.17.83, No. 10 all-time at FSU, put her team in front by two points heading into the 4x400 relay.
“I didn't realize my race could make such a big difference, but I wanted to make the most out of it,” Cardama Baez said. “I came into the race [seeded] 10th and wasn't expected to score and I just wanted to run the best I can. I've been here since Friday just seeing all my teammates fight every day…I just really love my teammates and wanted to do my best.”
“Carmela ran like a tiger today,” Braman said. “She ran a season-best by over 20 seconds and posted five big points in the penultimate event that put us into the lead going into the 4x4.”
Needing to finish within one position of the Hokies in the 4x400 to secure at least a share of the title, the Noles came up short, finishing ninth overall in a season-best time by three full seconds. Virginia Tech, however, left no doubt about the team race, placing second overall.
The Seminole men slapped a quick 18 points on the board to start the day, climbing out of a tie for third and into second place in the team standings, then made things a bit more interesting when they piled up 23 points with a 1-2-4 finish in the triple jump.
Sophomore Armani Wallace turned in a transcendent performance on the heels of his Saturday night long jump title, smashing his lifetime-best with a winning leap of 16.32 meters (53-6.5); No. 3 in the nation and No. 6 among all Seminoles.
The parade of personal-bests on the runway included Montel Nevers' silver medal leap of 15.99 (52-5.5) and Ashton Butler's 15.71-meter (51-6.5) for fourth.
“Armani had a major breakthrough,” Braman said. “He's become a truly national-class jumper. I'm so happy that he won the Field MVP trophy. Montel and Ashton were also spectacular. That's a huge point haul in the triple jump.”
Wallace was just as happy to see his teammates thrive as he was to win his second title and the MVP award.
“It's not that number I want, but I'm happy with it and happy to get 10 points for my teammates,” Wallace said. “It was great competition. Ashton increased his PB by a whole meter, which is really unheard of. Montel is Montel. He's the person that makes me step up every meet and chase for the gold.”
The day began with Ed'Ricus Williams grabbing silver in the high jump after a spirited jump-off with Louisville's Jerin Allen. Both Williams and Allen flirted with clearances at 2.18 meters (7-1.75) after successfully clearing 2.15m (7-0.5), with the Cardinal ultimately prevailing.
“That was an epic high jump battle,” I think we had four or five jump-off bars for the win and Ed came close twice,” Braman said. “It was great competition at quality heights and I'm really proud of him.”
There was drama in the men's discus as well, which produced a 10-point haul for the Noles and a surprise scoring contributor.
Top-seeded senior Emmanuel Onyia, the picture of consistency throughout the season, settled on a fourth-place finish in a competition which required a throw of 59 meters to get on the podium. Onyia's top mark was 55.62m (182-6) and classmate Chad DaCosta (53.87m/176-9) was right behind him in fifth. After finishing third in the first flight, Fred Jones was a surprise finalist, landing the last spot. The standout defensive tackle and second-year thrower moved into scoring position on his first attempt (49.38/162-0) and held eighth place and the finish.
“That was the best discus competition in the last 10 years,” Braman said. “We battled hard and collected big points, but I really felt bad for Onyia. He really wanted to win for us here and there were three experienced All-Americans in his way.”
FSU's 4x100 relay team of Raheem Robinson, Darryl Haraway, Edward Clarke and Keniel Grant provided an eight-point scoring bump with silver in 40.23, and Clark would later add a seventh-place finish in the 100 (10.48).
Among the other Seminoles providing scoring contributions were Jake Burton, who was fifth in his four ACC Outdoor 800-meter final in a season-best 1:48.83. Michael Hall tacked on an eighth-place point in the 1500 (3:48.25).
Freshman Kyle Fearrington's personal-best 46.58 was good for fourth in the 400 and Kenny Lane was eighth (47.53). James Rhoden was fifth in the 400-meter hurdles (51.24), then teamed with Fearrington, Lane and Steven Simpkins for fifth place in a season-best 3:07.69 to round out the scoring.
Event 1 - 100 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
7 Edward Clarke 10.48 2
11 Raheem Robinson 10.68
Event 2 - 200 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Jamal Pitts 21.49
13 Darryl Haraway 21.66
16 Edward Clarke 21.73
Event 3 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Kyle Fearrington 46.58 5
8 Kenny Lane 47.53 1
19 Steven Simpkins 48.24
Event 4 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Jake Burton 1:48.83 4
12 Jaap Vellinga 1:50.54
26 Matt Butler 1:52.38
Event 5 - 1500 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
8 Michael Hall 3:48.25 1
Event 7 - 10000 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
18 Tyson Murray 32:41.96
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 James Rhoden 51.24 4
11 D'Mitry Charlton 52.91
Event 11 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Relay Team A 40.23 8
1) Raheem Robinson
2) Darryl Haraway
3) Edward Clarke
4) Keniel Grant
Event 12 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Relay Team A 3:07.69 4
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) Kenny Lane
3) James Rhoden
4) Steven Simpkins
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Armani Wallace 24- 9.25 7.55m 10
6 Keniel Grant 23-10.50 7.28m 3
8 Carlos Becker 23- 6.75 7.18m 1
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Armani Wallace 53- 6.50 16.32m 10
2 Montel Nevers 52- 5.50 15.99m 8
4 Ashton Butler 51- 6.50 15.71m 5
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Ed'ricus Williams 7- 0.75 2.15m 8
Event 16 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
9 Clayton Washburn 15- 2 4.62m
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Austin Droogsma 63- 4.25 19.31m 6
6 Emmanuel Onyia 57-10.50 17.64m 3
7 Chadrick DaCosta 55- 3.50 16.85m 2
Event 18 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Emmanuel Onyia 182- 6 55.62m 5
5 Chadrick DaCosta 176- 9 53.87m 4
8 Fredrick Jones 162- 0 49.38m 1
Event 19 - Hammer
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Brandon Tirado 200- 6 61.11m 4
Event 20 - Javelin
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Conor McClain 184- 4 56.19m
Event 30 - Decathlon
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Dante Newberg 7113 pts 5
Event 31 - 100 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 10.73 922 pts
Event 32 - Long Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 23- 4.71 7.13m 845 pts
Event 33 - Shot Put
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 40- 2 12.24m 621 pts
Event 34 - High Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 6- 6.25 1.99m 794 pts
Event 35 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 53.44 663 pts
Event 36 - 110 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 15.52 788 pts
Event 37 - Discus
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 124-11 38.08m 626 pts
Event 38 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 13- 1.50 4.00m 617 pts
Event 39 - Javelin
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 189- 5 57.75m 704 pts
Event 40 - 1500 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Dante Newberg 5:04.65 533 pts
Kanuchova, Becker Bound For NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Noles post solid results on dreary opening day of action at Kentucky.
May 25, 2017
LEXINGTON, KY - A cool, damp and dreary day did not deter a pair of Florida State first-time NCAA postseason performers from rising to the occasion in the biggest collegiate meet of their careers to date.
Redshirt freshman Veronika Kanuchova and freshman Carlos Becker will finish their seasons at the NCAA Championships, qualifying in the women's hammer and men's long jump, respectively, on the first day of NCAA East Preliminary competition.
Kanuchova, whose first season in garnet & gold includes a school record and an ACC title, is headed to Eugene, Ore. and Historic Hayward Field. Delayed nearly three hours as torrential rains pelted the University of Kentucky Track & Field Complex, the Slovakian standout executed the game plan to precision in a competition where, from a field of 48, the top 12 advance after only three throws.
"This is my first regional and I tried to do my job on my very first throw and that's what I did," said Kanuchova, whose opening mark of 61.16 meters (200-8) secured a place in the field. "I am proud. You can't be disrupted by the weather. I just tried to be focused and do what I came here to do."
"She did great," FSU throws coach Dorian Scott said. "We've been training for the first throw to make it out of the region and on the first throw she did what she had to do. She did her job. We're still working on some things technique-wise and the technique is not perfect, but whether it's good technique or bad technique, get the job done. That's what she did and I'm really happy for her."
Across the track, Becker didn't waste any time leaving his mark, either. Entering the competition seeded 31st out of 48, the Florida State defensive back stuck an opening attempt of 7.47 meters (24-6.25), which was good for third place with the top 24 seeded jumpers yet to compete.
It proved to be good enough for the rising football star, who sealed the Seminoles' Orange Bowl victory over Michigan with an interception on the final play.
"Carlos was spectacular," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "It's extremely rare to qualify from the third-best flight, but he didn't let his ranking hold him back. He could do something really big at Nationals."
Much of the opening day was reserved for first-round competition, which cut the fields in each running event in half. The Seminoles cashed in on five of seven opportunities on the track.
Redshirt sophomore Michael Hall drew a tough assignment in the 1500, battling it out in what proved to be the fastest qualifying heat of the day. Perfectly positioned throughout, Hall's lunge at the finish line sealed a fifth-place finish - and the fifth-fastest time of the day (3:47.84) - to automatically qualify for Saturday's quarterfinal.
"Mike ran a really smart race," Braman said, after watching Hall emerge from a heat which produced the eight fastest times on the day. "He stayed out of trouble and stormed down the final straightaway. He'll need to duplicate that on Saturday in order to punch his ticket to Nationals. He's becoming a really cool customer in these tactical races."
Fifth-year senior James Rhoden is headed to the first NCAA quarterfinal race of his career on Saturday, automatically advancing in the 400-meter hurdles with a second-place heat finish in 52.29, after battling a fierce headwind down the backstretch.
"James Rhoden was really on his game from the first hurdle and easily qualified," Braman said. "He'll have an excellent chance to make it to Nationals."
Shauna Helps kept the Seminoles' streak of advancing runners alive, moving on to the quarterfinals automatically with a third-place heat finish in 11.43, despite a slow getaway from the blocks.
"Shauna was under control and easily advanced to the next round," Braman said of the two-time ACC champion. "She always runs well when the spotlight is on and she'll certainly have that in the next round."
Helps' quarterfinal 100-meter race is set for 6 p.m. Friday and she will finish her day with the opening round of the 200-meter dash.
FSU's final two quarterfinal qualifiers on the day came in the 400 meters; one of which was anticipated, but the other which proved to be one of the biggest surprises of the day.
Shaquania Dorsett, seeded 10th overall, battled her way to an auto-qualifying third-place finish by powering up the home stretch. Making her NCAA East Prelims debut, the sophomore registered the 14th-best time of the day, clocking in at 53.40.
"Shaquania didn't panic and ran tough as nails down the straightaway," Braman said. "She'll need that same toughness in the next round in order to punch her ticket to Eugene."
Freshman Kyle Fearrington followed up his fourth-place ACC finish by advancing to Friday's quarterfinals on time in 47.53.
"Kyle ran beyond his years," Braman said. "For him to make it through to the next round is fantastic. He's got a shot to make it through to Eugene if he can just shave a few tenths of a second."
The opening day of competition was not without heartbreak and disappointment, however.
Junior Jogaile Petrokaite, hunting her third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships in the long jump, finished 13th by virtue of a tie-breaking, second-best attempt. The Lithuanian posted her second-best mark of the outdoor season (6.25 meters/20-6.25), which was matched by Mississippi State's Leah Lott, who claimed the 12th and final qualifying spot with a four centimeter edge over Petrokaite on her next-best mark.
"My heart breaks for Jogaile," Braman said. "She ties for that final spot to Nationals and loses the tiebreaker. Track and field is a brutal sport -- it's a one day, three-jump evaluation, not a full season analysis."
Keniel Grant, a victim of the same tie-breaking procedure at last year's NCAA East Preliminary, finished 18th and out of the hunt again.
The day ended on a sour note when senior Jake Burton was unable to answer the call for start of the 800; the victim of an injury after posting his fastest time of the season at the ACC Championships.
"Jake is in the shape of his life but he strained his foot right after ACC's and just couldn't get healthy," Braman said. "It's a shame. I'm certain he would've moved on to Nationals, but I'm proud of his resume as a Seminole as an ACC champion, indoor school record-holder and second-team All-American."
May 26, 2017
LEXINGTON, KY - Cashing in on seven of 10 NCAA Championship-qualifying opportunities and advancing all four first-round competitors on the track to Saturday's quarterfinals, the Florida State track & field teams enjoyed a banner day at the NCAA East Preliminary.
Led by qualifying trio of women's discus throwers on a sun-splashed Friday at the University of Kentucky Track Complex, the Seminoles pushed their two-day total of NCAA Championships qualifiers to nine with Melissa-Maree Farrington already booked for the trip to Eugene, Ore. in the heptathlon.
"It's a pretty good day beyond the numbers, and the numbers don't lie," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "The people that didn't make it weren't favorites and were trying to upset the odds…We had personal-bests and near personal-bests throughout. It's about as good a day you could hope to have and be in as good a position as you could be going into tomorrow."
The Seminoles will ride a wave of moment into Saturday, where they willhave 15 more qualifying opportunities.
One year after throws coach Dorian Scott sent two Seminoles to the championships in the discus for the first time, his trio of Jamaican countrywomen raised the bar. Kellion Knibb, the graduate student and 2016 NCAA runner-up, will be joined by redshirt junior Gleneve Grange and freshman Shanice Love, each of whom were competing in the NCAA postseason for the first time.
Love, who came into the competition as the No. 18 seed, emerged from the second of three flights with the third-best mark (53.16 meters/174-6). Then she nervously had to wait out the final flight, comprised of the top 16 throwers, to learn her fate.
"I was actually watching it and I was talking to my friend back home in Jamaica who was watching the results, too," Love said. "I was so nervous. I was more nervous when the bigger girls started to throw, knowing that they could knock me out."
Grange led off the final flight with an opening throw of 56.24 meters (184-6), which not only sealed her spot, but stood up as the top mark of the day. Demonstrating the poise of a veteran, Knibb overcame an opening foul by safely qualifying with a second attempt of 54.56m (190-0).
When the final results were tabulated, Love hung on to the 12th and final qualifying spot and celebrated by hugging her teammates, coach and support staff.
"By the grace of God, I'm in," Love said. "I wanted a birthday gift because nationals are on my birthday and I used it as motivation."
Knibb was clearly happy to be a part of FSU's historic qualifying trio in the event.
"It feels good because I feel like we achieved one of the hardest things for this season, going to nationals together as a group," Knibb said. "We've been working hard together as a group. This solidifies the entire year."
"I'm so happy that Shanice made it," Grange said. "It's her first year and it's also my first year, so it's a good experience for all three of us to do it this year with Kellion leaving. I'm excited. I'm excited, but I've got to focus on shot put tomorrow."
Before the Noles could lock in another national qualifier, the trio of women's 100-meter hurdlers - Peta-Gay Williams, Cortney Jones and Nicole Setterington - handled their business in the first round. All three were automatic qualifiers to Saturday's quarterfinals as Jones (13.12) and Setterington (13.38) finished 1-3 in heat 3, and Williams raced off with the heat 5 win in 13.02.
"The hurdles ladies were all business-like," Braman said. "Coach [Brandon] Hon had them well-prepared, yet not overly anxious. Very clean for all three. We might be able to match the discus and get three through to Nationals as well."
The national qualifiers came fast and furious from there.
Sophomore Shaquania Dorsett, making her first NCAA postseason appearance, punched her ticket with a lifetime-best 400-meter performance. Running out of lane 8 in the opening heat, the Bahamian powered through the final turn and up the front stretch to finish second in 52.13, obliterating her previous best of 52.50.
"I'm extremely happy right now because my one goal was to go out there and execute my race, which is what I actually did," Dorsett said. "I think I actually ran the 400 right for the first time…On the homestretch I was telling myself, 'You have to make it. You have to make it, just keep going.' It was close and I pulled through."
"She destroyed her lifetime best and left no doubt about qualifying," Braman marveled. "That's a wonderful redemption for her after ending last year in injury."
Over in the shot put circle, redshirt junior Austin Droogsma dropped an opening throw bomb of 19.62 meters (64-4.5), which removed any mystery from his competition. Not only is Droogsma heading to his second NCAA Championships appearance of the year, he had the No. 3 mark on the day, ahead of defending NCAA champion Filip Mihaljevic from Virginia and his teammate Pobo Efekoro. Those two finished ahead of him at the ACC Championships.
"Austin took care of business on his first throw with the second-best throw of his career, and it came at a perfect time," Braman said.
FSU's run of good fortune was stemmed slightly when sophomore Shauna Helps failed to advance from the 100-meter dash quarterfinals, but picked back up in the high jump where freshman Eleonora Omoregie was grinding through a difficult day.
"Eleonora had a real gut-check," Braman said. "She was feeling weak and ill and kept her focus to secure her spot to Nationals. That's a great experience to have going forward."
By clearing 1.79 meters (5-10.5), Omoregie is headed back to Eugene for the first time since the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships, where she didn't perform up to her standards as one of the pre-meet favorties.
"I wasn't feeling good at all," Omoregie said. "I'm happy to have made the final, but I'm not happy with the height, but it's just about getting to the final and having the opportunity in Eugene...I want to go back because I have something to prove again. I want to take this opportunity to change the outcome."
The final qualifying performance of the day came from redshirt senior James Rhoden. Appearing in his first NCAA quarterfinal in the 400-meter hurdles, Rhoden qualified on time in 50.89 - just off his personal-best - and joins six other qualifiers from the ACC. It was a sweet payoff for taking last season off to focus on completing his engineering degree and build his strength.
"I knew that if I took an extra year off and came back my fifth year I'd have a greater chance of getting better and making it to where I am now," said Rhoden, who five years ago was a walk-on wide receiver with the FSU football team.
As for his breakthrough performance on the big stage for the first time, Rhoden found vindication.
"I'm very excited, but that was just part of plan," he said. "I knew I could do it. It was just a matter of doing it. So it's not a surprise I did it, I'm just happy that I did."
"For a guy that's a self-made elite hurdler now…he just doesn't have the fear," Braman said. "He's out there running against guys he's not supposed to run with. It's really exciting to see a kid do that. He sets a good example for everybody else."
As examples go, Helps had one more to leave on the track before the final day of competition. She bounced back from her 100-meter disappointment to automatically qualify for the 200-meter quarterfinals, placing second in her heat in 23.36.
"The only thing we might have missed on the last two days was Shauna in the 100, and I feel like she did so much work for us at
conference that she was just a little bit sluggish and that can't happen in the 100," Braman said. "But she looked liked Shauna in the 200, because that's her event. Whether it's her favorite event
doesn't matter now because I think she's a sub-23 tomorrow."
LEXINGTON, KY - Closing Saturday's finale of the NCAA East Preliminary with a flurry, Florida State track & field athletes locked in six more NCAA Championship berths, capping a strong three-day performance at the University of Kentucky.
The Seminoles will head to Eugene, Ore. for the June 7-10 National Championship meet with 16 qualifiers; 15 of whom emerged from the competition.
One of those qualifiers, redshirt senior Emmanuel Onyia is among 15 who will be making their first NCAA Championship appearance as Seminoles. Two-time All-American Kellion Knibb is the lone exception among the qualifying group.
"It's really wonderful being around a group of people that really want to get better and really want to do well," said Onyia, who qualified eighth in the discus. "It makes you want to do well all the time. This year we have a group of guys and a group of girls who are really, really focused and want to be great. It makes it so much easier to compete consistently as I have all year."
There was nothing easy about the final day of competition, which included a four-hour weather delay, but the Seminoles rose to the occasion.
Fittingly, their final four qualifiers - following a deluge or rain and thunderstorms - came in pairs.
Freshman Cortney Jones, the January enrollee after graduating early from high school, got the ball rolling in the first heat of the 100-meter hurdle quarterfinals. Closing strong after getting out of the blocks slowly, Jones' time of 13.23 was good for a third-place finish and the final auto qualifying spot in the heat.
Two heats later, sophomore Peta-Gay Williams was matching Kentucky's defending national champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn hurdle-to-hurdle much of the way, finishing second in 12.99 to advance for the first time in her career.
"Cortney Jones showed poise beyond her years," Florida State coach Bob Braman said. "She was nearly last through three hurdles and simply charged down the track to get an auto spot. Peta-Gay has gotten so proficient that sub-13 is just a clean smooth effort. She's positioned to hit a big one at Nationals."
Moments later, graduate transfer high jumper Ed'Ricus Williams and Onyia were celebrating as well.
Williams, who qualified for the 2015 NCAA Championships while competing for Bethune-Cookman, left no doubt that he was going to close his career as a Seminole at Historic Hayward Field. Delivering emphatically, Williams was one of only three jumpers perfect over three bars, locking in his spot with a clearance of 2.15 meters (7-0.5).
"I'm definitely elated about being able to go back this last season and put some points on the board for the school and go get a national championship ring," Williams said. "Last year I was hurt, but my pride would not let me not [compete]. No-heighting after being ranked third going in, it really broke my heart. I remember watching the recap of nationals while I was out to eat and I almost cried, because, 'Man, I'm supposed to be there.'
"Coming into this year I was going to do all I could do, so that when this day came I was going to be ready to go. And when that day comes in Oregon, I'm going to be ready to win it."
"This is the most focused I've seen Ed'Ricus," Braman said. "He had the ultimate disappointment of a no-height last year and he was not going to have that happen this year. He was the best in the field and was able to walk-off with zero misses. That's a perfect way to go into Nationals."
Onyia's opening throw of 56.41 meters would have been good for the 12th and final qualifying spot, but his final throw of 57.86m (189-10) sealed the deal.
"This means something special, especially because of the circumstances," Onyia said. "I hurt my calf on Sunday at practice and we've been working on it all week. We're like, 'We just need one good throw,' and we know we've been doing really good work in practice. We had to come out here, forget about the pain and just work. We got it done and I'm really happy."
The Seminoles didn't waste any time building on their Friday success, when they registered seven qualifiers. Montel Nevers and Armani Wallace earned the first NCAA Outdoor Championships appearances of their careers, finishing seventh and 10th in the triple jump.
"Montel and Armani did a great job," Braman said. "Both of them were handicapped in that the runway wasn't long enough for their approaches, so they had to improvise, and a meet like this is a tough place to improvise. They both stepped up like champs and got it done."
Nevers, who was eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, nailed down his trip to Eugene with an opening attempt 15.75 meters (51-8.25). Wallace joined him on the plane with a second-attempt mark of 15.64 (51-3.75).
Beyond the qualifiers, the FSU two men's relays teams turned in season-best performances, which came up just shy.
In the final event of the night, the men's 4x400 relay team of Kyle Fearrington, Kenny Lane, Jamal Pitts and James Rhoden posted a first heat, fifth-place, season-best time of 3:07.05 which stood up through two heats as a qualifying mark. In a blazing final heat, Georgia and North Carolina A&T bumped the Noles from the field.
Earlier in the day the 4x100 relay team of Raheem Robinson, Pitts, Edward Clarke and Darryl Haraway teamed for a season-best time of 39.71 and a 14th-place finish, just two spots shy of joining their teammates.
Redshirt freshman Carmela Cardama Baez suffered a cruel fate, taking an early tumble while running in the lead pack of the 5000-meters, which sent her to the back of the 24-runner field. Despite a gritty charge to a 10th-place heat finish, her time of 16:53.98 kept her from qualifying.
Gleneve Grange's bid to become a double qualifier - she advanced in the discus Friday - came up three spots shy as she was 15th in the shot put (16.15m). Shauna Helps' outstanding sophomore season ended with a 15th-place finish in the 200-meter dash (23.21) and senior Nicole Setterington closed her stellar Seminole career by finishing 20th in the 100-meter hurdles.
Michael Hall was 21st in the 1500, while senior Chad DaCosta and redshirt sophomore Ashton Butler were 26th in the discus and triple jump, respectively.
Event 1 - 100 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
36 Edward Clarke 10.51
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
18 Kyle Fearrington 47.00
Event 4 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
DNS Jake Burton injured
Event 5 - 1500 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
21 Michael Hall 3:47.84
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 James Rhoden 50.89
Event 11 - 4x100-Meter Relay
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
14 Relay Team A 39.71
1) Raheem Robinson
2) Jamal Pitts
3) Edward Clarke
4) Darryl Haraway
Event 12 - 4x400-Meter Relay
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
13 Relay Team A 3:07.05
1) Kyle Fearrington
2) Kenny Lane
3) Jamal Pitts
4) James Rhoden
Event 13 - Long Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
12 Carlos Becker 24- 6.25 7.47m
19 Keniel Grant 23-11 7.29m
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
7 Montel Nevers 51- 8 15.75m 2
10 Armani Wallace 51- 3.75 15.64m
26 Ashton Butler 49-11 15.21m
Event 15 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1T Ed'ricus Williams 7- 0.75 2.15m 8
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Austin Droogsma 64- 4.50 19.62m 6
3 Austin Droogsma 64- 4.50 19.62m 6
29 Chadrick DaCosta 56-10 17.32m
29 Chadrick DaCosta 56-10 17.32m
Event 18 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
8 Emmanuel Onyia 189-10 57.86m 1
26 Chadrick DaCosta 176- 2 53.69m
Event 19 - Hammer
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
37 Brandon Tirado 193- 8 59.03m
Becker Defies Odds Again For All-American Long Jump Honors.
Rising football star joins Ngoni Makusha as freshman All-American in event.
June 7, 2017
EUGENE, OR - For the second time in as many meets, Carlos Becker delivered a very simple message with his performance: Don't ever count him out!
Defying the odds as the No. 23 seed in Wednesday's field of 24 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Florida State's freshman long jumper busted out a lifetime-best mark on his opening attempt and rode it all the way to a seventh-place finish.
"It really is remarkable," FSU Director of Field Events Dennis Nobles said. "Like I told a few people, 'If you had told me two days ago Carlos was going to finish seventh I'd have taken it and run like I stole something.'"
Becker's opening leap of 7.63 meters (25-0.5) carried him into the finals, where a pair of narrow fouls on his last two attempts were all that separated him from an even higher finish on the podium.
"After I'd seen everyone jump 24 [feet] I felt pretty good about it," Becker said. "The last two jumps were pretty big, but I fouled them. All my big jumps were fouls.
"I tried to win it, but things happen. I have three more years to do this, so I'm straight."
Becker became the first Seminole freshman to earn first-team All-American honors outdoors in the long jump since Ngoni Makusha, who won the 2008 title in his first season. Makusha was actually at Nobles' side as his volunteer assistant as Becker was making the most of his NCAA Championships debut.
"Those last two jumps, they were good jumps; they were really big jumps," Nobles said. "We probably wouldn't have won it, but we would have been third or fourth if it had been legal. But that's a part of it. There are fouls and there are good people that didn't jump what they wanted to jump out there. He just did a great job of focusing and competing."
That's been Becker's calling card in the NCAA postseason. He arrived at the NCAA East Preliminaries two weeks ago in Lexington, Ky. seeded 31st in the field of 48 and grabbed the 12th and final qualifying spot. Then he upstaged a host of proven performers with a memorable effort when it mattered most.
"He was in the zone all day," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "He first jump was his best but his last two jumps were top-four territory, but small fouls. It was a super job for a freshman who makes his living on the gridiron."
Until Wednesday, Becker's athletic claim to fame as a Seminole was his Orange Bowl-sealing interception against Michigan. Now he's destined to join the likes of Makusha and others with an All-American brick on FSU's Walk of Fame outside the Moore Athletic Center.
"He's still so very, very raw," Nobles said of Becker. "It's almost like having a lump of shapeless clay that you get to mold. If we had time with him, he could be something special, but he's got some other things to do as well and I think he's pretty good at that, from what I hear."
Becker gave the Seminole men two points on the opening day of competition, which saw just three FSU men in action.
Redshirt junior Austin Droogsma's round-by-round improvement in the shot put came up short of a trip to the finals, but his best of 18.89 meters (61-11.75) was good for a 12th-place finish and second-team All-American honors. That marked a one spot improvement over his 13th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, capping a breakthrough season for the Gulf Breeze, Fla. native who sat out the 2016 season following shoulder surgery.
"Austin did a really nice job," Braman said. "I know he wanted to score and he's certainly capable, but he kept grinding and kept improving on all three throws. In the end he missed the final by just a couple inches. It was a great season for Droogs. He'll have a shot at a top-three finish next year. I'm proud of that young man."
Senior James Rhoden's remarkable ride from walk-on football player to engineer degree-holding NCAA Championships qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles ended with a 21st-place finish.
Rhoden had the misfortune of drawing lane one in what proved to be the fastest heat of the day, placing sixth in his heat in 53.69. The three fastest qualifiers for Friday's finals all came out of his heat.
"James is what our
program is all about," Braman said. "He comes to FSU as a walk-on simply wanting to be great, then he beats all the odds to make it to Nationals. This was not his best day, but still a huge way to
finish his career on the highest stage."
June 8, 2017
EUGENE, OR - The most successful athletes, at any level, are those capable of managing the moment and rising to even the greatest challenges before them.
Authoring another defining moment on the grandest stage of her redshirt freshman season, Florida State's Veronika Kanuchova is the first women's hammer All-American in school history.
Kanuchova's fifth-place finish Thursday at Historic Hayward Field was nothing more than a notable footnote to her arrival at that position in her NCAA Championships debut.
As the final thrower in the second flight of competition, the Slovakia native was coming off a foul and in 13th-place entering the ring for her final attempt. One month after delivering a winning mark on her final attempt for the ACC title, Kanuchova slung her way into the finals with a school-record 65.85-meter (216-0) mark, carrying her all the way into second place.
"It gave me a lot of confidence," Kanuchova said, after breaking the FSU record she set in March season debut. "It gave me a lot of energy."
Riding that energy and adding to her record, Kanuchova's fifth-round 65.97m (216-5) highlighted the finest series of what had been something of an uneven season of performances.
"It was the best competition this year technically, because I found something I had been missing all season," Kanuchova said. "I finally found it in the right place, at the right time and in the right competition. So I'm glad it was like this. I'm kind of sad, but I'm kind of happy."
After pacing nervously throughout the competition, FSU throws coach Dorian Scott was basking in Kanuchova's success.
"She seems to buck up when her back is against the wall," Scott said. "We've practiced that situation a couple times this last week. 'Hey, you've two fouls, let's see you make the final.' Each time she always bucked up and got the job done. Veronika is special...She is doing what she's supposed to do.
"This is perfect. This is how we want to end the season. She is here to have expectations. I expect her to be upset when she gets fifth, even if it's a season-best and she breaks the school record. That's the kind of person we want at FSU."
"That's really heady stuff for a freshman," Florida State head coach Bob Braman said.
Heady indeed, especially given the circumstances leading up to Thursday's competition.
"She had the flu last week and she had three days off from lifting and throwing, and I don't like days off at all, unless it's NCAA mandated," Scott said. "When she came back she looked fresh, she looked relaxed and I saw some throws that showed she had some consistency that said, 'Hey, this is right on time.'
"We came out on the West coast and jumped into that competition circle and the two sessions she had, the same technique carried over. We've had a rough season. She's been a little inconsistent, so I was holding on tight. Once I saw the first throw and the second throw…and they were clean and her rhythm was not being manipulated by the pressure, I knew we were going to have a good day."
Kanuchova sensed a breakthrough was in the offing.
"I was struggling all season," she said. "It was so frustrating, so you lose your energy, you lose your motivation, but day-by-day I was finding myself. I finally found my rhythm so I forgot what happened. You need to forget what happened in order to go forward."
And she could not have found it at a more fitting time or location.
"That's huge for us to see the last two months that we've done the right things," Scott said. "I know when the pressure is on I can trust her."
While Kanuchova's NCAA Championships debut was a rousing success, three of her teammates found the going a little more difficult in their initial foray on the big stage.
Sophomore Peta-Gay Williams ran 13.22 for fourth place in heat one of the 100-meter hurdle preliminaries and wound up 10th overall; just .12 of a finals qualifying spot on time.
Running in heat two, 17-year-old freshman Cortney Jones' magical campaign, which began with her early enrollment in January, ended with a sixth-place heat finish in 13.30. Jones wound up 15th overall.
"Our young hurdle ladies have had a fantastic season," Braman said. "They've crushed their personal-best times all season. Today they were a little tight and couldn't seem to get warm enough in the mid-50s temperatures. That's a tough assignment when all your training is in 85-90 degree heat, but second-team All-Americans for first-timers ain't bad."
Sophomore Shaquania Dorsett's NCAA Championships debut in the 400-meter semifinals did not go as planned. Chasing the leaders from the start she came home fifth in her heat (53.56) and 17th overall; one spot outside second-team All-American honors.
"Shaquania was closing like crazy but she just ran out of track," Braman added. "She's improved a ton this year and will have her day in the sun.
She'll also be key in a really stout 4x400 relay next year."
June 9, 2017
EUGENE, OR - It's said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.
Florida State junior Montel Nevers may drive his coach Dennis Nobles crazy, but his habit of starting slowly in the triple jump and rising to the occasion at the last possible opportunity is clearly his formula for success.
In a repeat of the NCAA Indoor Championships, Nevers leaped from 13th-place and into the finals on his third attempt, only this time the outcome was even better.
Producing the first 16-meter effort of his outdoor career, Nevers' third-attempt mark of 16.05 meters (52-8) sent him rocketing into third place and the transfer from Leeds Beckett University in England hung on for sixth place Friday to close out the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Historic Hayward Field.
"Everyone knows that I save the best for last," Nevers said. "At national indoors I was in a similar position on my third jump and luckily scraped my way back into the finals. It seems like I need something to push me on to go further."
Nevers got that push from his teammate Armani Wallace, whose opening leap of 15.97 meters (52-4.75) set the early standard and assured him a place in the finals.
"That definitely helped because I saw my teammate do well," Nevers said. "I've been training with him all year and I know what he can do. I want to set the standard with him as well. Having two Florida State guys in the finals is delightful. Hopefully next year we'll be faster, stronger, better and be in the real fray in the triple jump."
While Nevers came up big with his third attempt, Wallace was unable to improve, battling the ever-changing weather conditions which contributed to four fouls on his six attempts. He finished ninth; one spot out of the scoring in his NCAA Championships debut.
"It was hard," Nevers said. "There was a weather change. It would rain, then it was bit sunny, then cold, then warmer and it was windy. I had to adjustment run-up a lot. Sometimes it went well and sometimes it didn't."
"Coach Nobles did a great job with our jumpers," said FSU coach Bob Braman. "They all competed with fantastic focus. I'm really proud of Montel and Armani. They didn't let the cold and rain stop them from competing at their best."
With Nevers' three-point scoring contribution and two more from freshman long jumper Carlos Becker III, the Seminoles finished with five points and tied for 51st in the final standings.
"I'm frustrated for our men's team," said Braman, who brought seven men to the finals but only one with previous experience on the stage. "We've improved a ton but only eight score at the National meet. We had two score and three near misses. Now the challenge is to take the next step and compete for individual titles, while greatly increasing our overall scorers. I can definitely see us with eight to 10 scorers next year."
One of those scoring near-misses was senior Emmanuel Onyia, who closed out his collegiate career by finishing 12th in the discus with a top mark of 56.79 (186-4) in his NCAA Championships debut.
"It was a fun competition," Onyia said. "I enjoyed every moment of it. I wish it had ended a little differently, but it's always fun to compete against people who are really, really good. Do I wish I could have one more throw or two more throws? Yes.
"You have to be on your A-game. My [best] throw today would have made any other final in any other collegiate competition. That kind of shows you, if you don't go out firing your first three throws you're probably not going to get three more throws."
"He did a good job and had a real special year," FSU Throws coach Dorian Scott said of Onyia, who finishes No. 3 on FSU's all-time discus list. "He came here thinking he was a shot putter and ended up being a national level discus thrower. He kept his calm; kept working through it. Hat's off to Onyia. That's big time, switching events and turning it into something real."
The rainy and cool day did not begin well for the Noles competitively.
Senior Melissa-Maree Farrington's NCAA Championships debut in the heptathlon ended prematurely as a nagging hip issue led her to withdraw from the competition after posting the 13th-best 100-meter hurdles time (14.08).
"I felt bad for Melissa-Maree," Braman said. "Getting injured is a cruel and real part of our sport."
Farrington closed her Seminole career with a pair of ACC heptathlon titles and the No. 2 all-time total in program history.
Graduate senior Ed'Ricus Williams' first appearance with the Seminoles in the high jump was abbreviated by three misses at the opening bar of 2.08 meters (6-9.75). Williams, a graduate transfer from Bethune-Cookman, entered the competition as the No. 4 seed.
"That's a real shame for Ed'Ricus," Braman said. "He never got into a rhythm and we didn't get to see his best."
In just one season
with the Noles, Williams posted the No. 5 mark in program history with his career-best clearance of 2.22 meters (7-3.25) in a victory at the Tom Jones Memorial.
June 10, 2017
EUGENE, OR - There has was no consoling the most decorated women's thrower in Florida State track & field history Saturday at Historic Hayward Field.
Opening her final NCAA Championships appearance with a first round throw of 59.19 meters (194-2), graduate student Kellion Knibb held the discus lead through 60 throws, only to be heartbroken in the end.
In a span of less than two minutes Knibb slipped from first to third behind Kansas State's Shadae Lawrence and Arizona State's Maggie Ewen, and was unable to answer on her final attempt.
"My heart breaks for Kellion," Florida State head coach Bob Braman said. "I've only seen that happen to us one other time and it was Stefan Brits last year indoors. What a career for Kellion, though. I couldn't be more proud of who she is and what she's accomplished as a Seminole."
Her legacy will stand for a long time. A three-time, first-team All-American - until Saturday, the only Seminole All-American in the discus - the first four-time ACC discus champion, Knibb won three Penn Relays titles, where she twice set the meet record and was named Most Valuable Field Performer.
Those accomplishments, along with an impeccable academic career, seemed unimportant as she sobbed uncontrollably in the arms of her coach Dorian Scott.
It was that kind of day for the Seminole women, who picked up six points from Knibb and one from Gleneve Grange, who finished eighth in the discus in her NCAA debut. FSU's women closed the competition tied for 19th with 11 points.
"A top 20 finish is never an easy task at this level, but we were awfully close to top 15," Braman said. "I'm really pleased with the direction of the women's program. We had nine ladies make this meet and we have another seven or eight coming who have demonstrated they can compete at this level. Add in two potent relays and I like our future.
"Kellion Knibb is an irreplaceable warrior, but we're sure going to look hard to find another."
Braman won't have to look far to find some of those future scorers. Knibb and heptathlete Melissa-Maree Farrington are the lone Seminole qualifiers who won't be back in 2018, but three others competing on the final day will.
Grange, the ACC Field MVP, used a second-round discus throw of 54.48 meters (179-11) to earn a spot on the podium in her NCAA Championships debut. She is also the school record-holder in the shot put, indoors and outdoors.
"Gleneve did a nice job by scoring in her first NCAA discus appearance," Braman said. "I know she wanted to finish high but this event was really strong. She'll lead us back next year to nail some big points."
Demonstrating poise beyond her years, freshman Shanice Love improved on each of her three flight 1 discus attempts, capped by a season-best of 54.37 meters (178-4). Entering the competition as the No. 23 seed, Love finished third in the flight, just off her lifetime-best of 54.72m, which is the Jamaican junior national record.
Ironically, it was her teammate and fellow Jamaican, Grange, who bumped Love from a crack at the finals with her second attempt in flight 2.
"Shanice did a marvelous job," Braman said of the second-team All-American. "She comes into her first NCAA Championships and posts the best throw of her young collegiate career. That's really clutch for a freshman."
Freshman Eleonora Omoregie's second NCAA Championships appearance of the year included two clearances but ended with an exit at 1.82 meters to place 15th and earn second-team All-American honors.
"Eleonora was battling the entire competition," Braman said. "She and Coach Nobles made good adjustments and she just missed on her third attempt. It was a great freshman year - a double ACC champion and second-team All-American."
With a second-attempt clearance at 1.78 meters (5-10), her second clearance of the day, Omoregie out-performed her seed (16th) and cleared one more bar than she did when she placed 11th at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Couple that group with freshman Veronika Kanuchova, who was fourth in the hammer, 100-meter hurdles qualifying underclassmen Peta-Gay Williams and Cortney Jones,and 400-meter qualifier Shaquania Dorsett, and the Noles have a strong base to go along with one of the nation's top signing classes.
Event 9 - 400 Meter Hurdles ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 21 James Rhoden 53.69 Event 13 - Long Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 7 Carlos Becker 25- 0.50 7.63m 2 Event 14 - Triple Jump ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 6 Montel Nevers 52- 8w 16.05mw 3 9 Armani Wallace 52- 4.75 15.97m Event 15 - High Jump ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== NH Ed'ricus Williams Event 17 - Shot Put ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 12 Austin Droogsma 61-11.75 18.89m Event 18 - Discus ====================================================== Place Name Results ====================================================== 12 Emmanuel Onyia 186- 4 56.79m
Event 3 - 400 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 5 Kyle Fearrington 47.56 1 Event 7 - 10000 Meters ============================================================== Place Name Results Points ============================================================== 1 Steven Cross 31:20.95 5
2017 EOY Stats
Ibrahim Ahmed Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 11 0.00 8:51.24 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational 5000 Meters (I) 28 0.00 14:55.77 0.00 Christian Aman Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Mile Run (I) 18 0.00 4:26.82 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 1500 Meters 35 0.00 4:09.12 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 5000 Meters 9 0.00 15:18.12 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 5000 Meters 31 0.00 15:04.72 0.00 Carlos Becker Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Long Jump (I) 2 4.00 7.38m 24- 2.50 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Long Jump (I) 5 1.00 7.18m 23- 6.75 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Long Jump (I) 21 0.00 6.69m 21-11.50 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Long Jump (I) 6 3.00 7.35m 24- 1.50 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial Long Jump 4 2.00 7.55m 24- 9.25 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Long Jump 6 0.00 6.81m 22- 4 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Long Jump 8 1.00 7.18m 23- 6.75 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Long Jump 12 0.00 7.47m 24- 6.25 06/10/2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship Long Jump 7 2.00 7.63m 25- 0.50 13.00 Tyler Bennett Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 5000 Meters (I) 6 0.00 15:41.22 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 5000 Meters 13 0.00 16:01.79 0.00 Jake Burton Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 800 Meters 4 2.00 1:50.98 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 800 Meters 7 0.00 1:50.21 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 800 Meters 1 5.00 1:49.21 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:07.91 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 800 Meters 5 4.00 1:48.83 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 800 Meters DNS 0.00 injured 12.00 Ashton Butler Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Triple Jump (I) 5 1.00 14.84m 48- 8.25 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Triple Jump (I) 2 4.00 14.72m 48- 3.50 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Long Jump (I) 7 0.00 7.00m 22-11.75 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Triple Jump (I) 13 0.00 14.65m 48- 0.75 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Long Jump (I) 16 0.00 6.76m 22- 2.25 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Triple Jump 5 1.00 14.85m 48- 8.75 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Triple Jump 6 0.00 14.97m 49- 1.50 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Long Jump 9 0.00 7.04m 23- 1.17 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Triple Jump 4 2.00 14.85m 48- 8.75 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial Long Jump 10 0.00 7.18m 23- 6.75 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Triple Jump 4 2.00 14.80m 48- 6.75 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Triple Jump 4 5.00 15.71m 51- 6.50 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Triple Jump 26 0.00 15.21m 49-11 15.00 Matt Butler Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 800 Meters (I) 8 0.00 1:55.97 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 800 Meters (I) 9 0.00 1:55.05 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 800 Meters (I) 13 0.00 1:55.77 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 800 Meters (I) 12 0.00 1:57.09 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 11 0.00 3:12.96 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 800 Meters 7 0.00 1:57.10 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 1500 Meters 37 0.00 4:13.10 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 800 Meters 6 0.00 1:53.17 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 800 Meters 51 0.00 1:54.31 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 800 Meters 9 0.00 1:52.09 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x800 Meter Relay 2 1.00 7:27.87 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 800 Meters 20 0.00 1:57.60 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 800 Meters 6 0.00 1:51.43 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 800 Meters 3 3.00 1:52.89 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 800 Meters 26 0.00 1:52.38 4.00 D'Mitry Charlton Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 300 Meters (I) 5 1.00 36.08 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 6 0.00 3:18.67 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 400 Meters (I) 25 0.00 50.48 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 5 0.25 3:15.77 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 400 Meter Hurdles 4 2.00 54.00 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 6 0.00 3:17.12 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 400 Meter Hurdles 17 0.00 53.56 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 400 Meter Hurdles 4 2.00 53.68 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:11.41 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 400 Meter Hurdles 7T 0.00 53.19 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 400 Meter Hurdles 11 0.00 53.62 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 400 Meter Hurdles 2 4.00 52.81 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 400 Meter Hurdles 11 0.00 52.91 10.00 Edward Clarke Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 60 Meters (I) 3 3.00 6.78 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 60 Meters (I) 5 1.00 6.80 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 200 Meters (I) 7 0.00 22.36 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 60 Meters (I) 12 0.00 6.76 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 60 Meters (I) 5 4.00 6.74 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 200 Meters (I) 20 0.00 21.86 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational 200 Meters 7 0.00 21.88w 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 100 Meters 1 5.00 10.34 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 6 0.00 3:17.12 04/01/2017 Texas Relays 100 Meters 7 0.00 10.27w 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 200 Meters 6 0.00 21.45 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x100-Meter Relay 3 0.75 40.16 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 100 Meters 3 3.00 10.41 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 4x100-Meter Relay 1 1.25 40.19 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 100 Meters 7 2.00 10.48 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 200 Meters 16 0.00 21.73 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x100-Meter Relay 2 2.00 40.23 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 100 Meters 36 0.00 10.51 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x100-Meter Relay 14 0.00 39.71 22.00 Steven Cross Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 5 1.00 8:13.66 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 38 0.00 8:26.02 06/25/2017 USATF Outdoor Championship 10000 Meters 1 5.00 31:20.95 6.00 Chadrick DaCosta Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Shot Put (I) 7 0.00 16.12m 52-10.75 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 60 Meters (I) 18 0.00 7.33 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Shot Put (I) 6 0.00 16.91m 55- 5.75 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Shot Put (I) 10 0.00 16.95m 55- 7.50 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Shot Put (I) 7 2.00 17.11m 56- 1.75 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Discus 2 4.00 54.50m 178-10 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Shot Put 4 2.00 17.30m 56- 9 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Discus 4 2.00 54.38m 178- 5 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Shot Put 13 0.00 16.56m 54- 4 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Discus 12 0.00 53.23m 174- 7 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Shot Put 1 5.00 18.60m 61- 0.25 measuring error 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Discus 1 5.00 52.14m 171- 1 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Shot Put 7 2.00 16.85m 55- 3.50 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Discus 5 4.00 53.87m 176- 9 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Shot Put 29 0.00 17.32m 56-10 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Shot Put 29 0.00 17.32m 56-10 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Discus 26 0.00 53.69m 176- 2 26.00 Christopher Daniels Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Triple Jump (I) 7 0.00 14.09m 46- 2.75 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Triple Jump 3 3.00 14.02m 46- 0 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Triple Jump 10 0.00 14.08m 46- 2.25 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Triple Jump 11 0.00 13.25m 43- 5.75 3.00 Austin Droogsma Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Shot Put (I) 5 1.00 17.69m 58- 0.50 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Shot Put (I) 2 4.00 18.22m 59- 9.50 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Shot Put (I) 3 3.00 18.17m 59- 7.50 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Shot Put (I) 2 8.00 19.14m 62- 9.50 03/11/2017 NCAA Indoor Championship Shot Put (I) 13 0.00 18.16m 59- 7 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Shot Put 1 5.00 19.22m 63- 0.75 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Discus 2 4.00 55.06m 180- 8 04/01/2017 Florida Relays Shot Put 1 5.00 19.70m 64- 7.50 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Shot Put 1 5.00 19.16m 62-10.50 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Discus 2 4.00 55.24m 181- 3 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Shot Put 2 4.00 19.34m 63- 5.50 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Discus 8 0.00 56.98m 186-11 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Shot Put 3 6.00 19.31m 63- 4.25 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Shot Put 3 6.00 19.62m 64- 4.50 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Shot Put 3 6.00 19.62m 64- 4.50 06/10/2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship Shot Put 12 0.00 18.89m 61-11.75 61.00 Abdin Fator Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 19 0.00 8:49.16 0.00 Kyle Fearrington Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 60 Meters (I) 15 0.00 7.02 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 200 Meters (I) 7 0.00 22.27 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 400 Meters (I) 8 0.00 49.60 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 6 0.00 3:18.67 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 400 Meters (I) 14 0.00 49.04 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 5 0.25 3:15.77 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 400 Meters (I) 15 0.00 47.93 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 11 0.00 3:12.96 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 400 Meters (I) 17 0.00 48.00 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 4 1.25 3:11.31 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational 200 Meters 6 0.00 21.75w 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational 400 Meters 5 1.00 48.06 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 400 Meters 6 0.00 47.94 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:09.67 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 400 Meters 18 0.00 47.62 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:10.91 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 400 Meters 2 4.00 47.72 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:11.41 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 200 Meters 9 0.00 21.74 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 400 Meters 6 0.00 47.65 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 400 Meters 10 0.00 46.79 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:07.91 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 400 Meters 4 5.00 46.58 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay 5 1.00 3:07.69 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 400 Meters 18 0.00 47.00 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x400-Meter Relay 13 0.00 3:07.05 06/25/2017 USATF Outdoor Championship 400 Meters 5 1.00 47.56 17.00 Conner Flynn Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 03/04/2017 FAMU Relays Javelin 2 4.00 52.23m 171- 4 4.00 Bert Freire Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 800 Meters (I) 2 4.00 1:53.72 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 800 Meters (I) 1 5.00 1:52.20 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 800 Meters (I) 2 4.00 1:51.81 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 1 1.25 9:57.17 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational 800 Meters (I) 17 0.00 1:51.67 02/18/2017 UCS Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 4 0.50 9:52.66 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 800 Meters (I) 11 0.00 1:50.70 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Distance Medley Relay (I) 2 2.00 9:33.39 16.75 Keniel Grant Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 60 Meters (I) 4 2.00 6.83 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Long Jump (I) 3 3.00 7.45m 24- 5.50 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Long Jump (I) 1 5.00 7.61m 24-11.75 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Long Jump (I) 3 3.00 7.31m 23-11.75 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Long Jump (I) 7 0.00 7.34m 24- 1 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Long Jump (I) 3 6.00 7.58m 24-10.50 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 100 Meters 5 1.00 10.57 04/01/2017 Texas Relays Long Jump 6 0.00 7.35mw 24- 1.50w 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x100-Meter Relay 3 0.75 40.16 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Long Jump 4 2.00 7.41mw 24- 3.75w 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Long Jump 1 5.00 7.75m 25- 5.25 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 4x100-Meter Relay 1 1.25 40.19 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Long Jump 3 3.00 7.46m 24- 5.75 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x100-Meter Relay 2 2.00 40.23 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Long Jump 6 3.00 7.28m 23-10.50 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Long Jump 19 0.00 7.29m 23-11 37.00 Michael Hall Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Mile Run (I) 2 4.00 4:13.37 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Mile Run (I) 3 3.00 4:08.23 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 1 1.25 9:57.17 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational Mile Run (I) 10 0.00 4:04.12 02/18/2017 UCS Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 4 0.50 9:52.66 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Mile Run (I) 4 5.00 4:03.00 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Distance Medley Relay (I) 2 2.00 9:33.39 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 1500 Meters 3 3.00 3:48.00 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 1500 Meters 8 0.00 3:47.02 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 1500 Meters 8 0.00 3:49.00 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x800 Meter Relay 2 1.00 7:27.87 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 1500 Meters 8 0.00 3:43.70 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 800 Meters 1 5.00 1:51.07 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 1500 Meters 8 1.00 3:48.25 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 1500 Meters 21 0.00 3:47.84 25.75 Darryl Haraway Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 60 Meters (I) 1 5.00 6.71 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 60 Meters (I) 2 4.00 6.65 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 200 Meters (I) 5 1.00 21.83 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 60 Meters (I) 2 4.00 6.64 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 60 Meters (I) 1 5.00 6.59 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 60 Meters (I) 1 10.00 6.64 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 200 Meters (I) 1 10.00 21.07 03/11/2017 NCAA Indoor Championship 60 Meters (I) 14 0.00 7.14 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 6 0.00 3:17.12 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 200 Meters 13 0.00 21.66 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x100-Meter Relay 2 2.00 40.23 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x100-Meter Relay 14 0.00 39.71 41.00 Fredrick Jones Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Discus 3 3.00 49.99m 164- 0 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Discus 6 0.00 49.33m 161-10 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Discus 6 0.00 51.04m 167- 5 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Discus 8 0.00 50.68m 166- 3 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Discus 2 4.00 49.28m 161- 8 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Discus 8 1.00 49.38m 162- 0 8.00 Bryce Kelley Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 1 5.00 8:27.49 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 10 0.00 8:39.93 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Mile Run (I) 7 0.00 4:10.60 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational Mile Run (I) 29 0.00 4:09.17 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Mile Run (I) 19 0.00 4:12.11 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 1500 Meters 4 2.00 3:53.16 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 1500 Meters 22 0.00 3:55.90 7.00 Benjamin Kieler Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational High Jump (I) 3T 5.50 1.95m 6- 4.75 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational High Jump (I) 3 3.00 2.00m 6- 6.75 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational High Jump 4T 4.50 1.90m 6- 2.75 03/25/2017 FSU Relays High Jump 5T 3.50 1.94m 6- 4.50 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial High Jump 8T 0.00 1.89m 6- 2.50 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight High Jump 3 3.00 1.94m 6- 4.50 19.50 Kenny Lane Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 6 0.00 3:18.67 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 400 Meters (I) 23 0.00 50.22 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 5 0.25 3:15.77 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 400 Meters (I) 30 0.00 48.90 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 4 1.25 3:11.31 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational 400 Meters 11 0.00 49.05 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 400 Meters 9 0.00 48.78 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:09.67 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 400 Meters 35 0.00 48.37 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:10.91 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 200 Meters 12 0.00 21.91 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 400 Meters 8 0.00 47.86 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 400 Meters 17 0.00 47.23 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:07.91 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 400 Meters 7 0.00 48.00 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 400 Meters 8 1.00 47.53 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay 5 1.00 3:07.69 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x400-Meter Relay 13 0.00 3:07.05 6.25 Matt Magee Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 800 Meters (I) 3 3.00 1:54.08 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 800 Meters (I) 7 0.00 1:54.85 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 800 Meters (I) 5 1.00 1:53.45 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 1 1.25 9:57.17 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational 800 Meters (I) 28 0.00 1:52.76 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 800 Meters (I) 17 0.00 1:51.51 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 800 Meters 8 0.00 1:57.21 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 1500 Meters 26 0.00 4:01.99 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 800 Meters 5 1.00 1:52.94 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 800 Meters 37 0.00 1:51.67 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 800 Meters 13 0.00 1:53.17 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x800 Meter Relay 2 1.00 7:27.87 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 800 Meters 15 0.00 1:51.83 7.25 Conor McClain Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 03/04/2017 FAMU Relays Javelin 1 5.00 56.88m 186- 7 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Javelin 5 1.00 55.73m 182-10 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Javelin 7 0.00 59.75m 196- 0 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Javelin 10 0.00 50.42m 165- 5 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Javelin 18 0.00 57.95m 190- 1 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Javelin 1 5.00 57.79m 189- 7 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Javelin 10 0.00 56.19m 184- 4 11.00 Harry Mulenga Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 1 5.00 8:21.31 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Mile Run (I) 4 2.00 4:08.33 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 1 1.25 9:57.17 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 11 0.00 8:10.59 02/18/2017 UCS Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 4 0.50 9:52.66 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Mile Run (I) 6 3.00 4:04.36 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Distance Medley Relay (I) 2 2.00 9:33.39 13.75 Tyson Murray Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 5000 Meters (I) 2 4.00 15:09.38 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 5000 Meters 4 2.00 14:58.02 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 5000 Meters 4 2.00 14:48.44 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 10000 Meters 1 5.00 30:40.68 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 5000 Meters 3 3.00 15:02.97 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 10000 Meters 18 0.00 32:41.96 16.00 Ben Najman Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 5000 Meters (I) 4 2.00 15:17.99 2.00 Hunter Napier Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Long Jump (I) 12 0.00 5.93m 19- 5.50 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Shot Put (I) 23 0.00 10.12m 33- 2.50 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Heptathlon (I) 4 2.00 4045 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 60 Meters (I) 0.00 7.71 646 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Long Jump (I) 0.00 5.70m 18- 8.50 523 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Shot Put (I) 0.00 9.78m 32- 1 472 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational High Jump (I) 0.00 1.87m 6- 1.50 687 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 60 Meter Hurdles (I) 0.00 10.51 449 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Pole Vault (I) 0.00 3.80m 12- 5.50 562 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 1000 Meters (I) 0.00 2:55.76 706 pts 2.00 Montel Nevers Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Triple Jump (I) 3 3.00 15.20m 49-10.50 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Triple Jump (I) 7 0.00 15.58m 51- 1.50 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Triple Jump (I) 3 6.00 15.88m 52- 1.25 03/11/2017 NCAA Indoor Championship Triple Jump (I) 8 1.00 15.90m 52- 2 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Long Jump 3 3.00 7.19m 23- 7 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Triple Jump 4 2.00 15.15m 49- 8.50 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Long Jump 12 0.00 6.49mw 21- 3.50w 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Long Jump (I) 12 0.00 6.82m 22- 4.50 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Triple Jump 2 4.00 15.51m 50-10.75 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Triple Jump 3 3.00 15.86mw 52- 0.50w 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Triple Jump 2 8.00 15.99m 52- 5.50 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Triple Jump 7 2.00 15.75m 51- 8 06/10/2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship Triple Jump 6 3.00 16.05mw 52- 8w 35.00 Dante Newberg Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 60 Meter Hurdles (I) 5 1.00 8.45 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Long Jump (I) 8 0.00 6.69m 21-11.50 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Shot Put (I) 16 0.00 12.02m 39- 5.25 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Heptathlon (I) 3 3.00 4963 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 60 Meters (I) 0.00 7.13 837 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Long Jump (I) 0.00 6.80m 22- 3.75 767 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Shot Put (I) 0.00 12.43m 40- 9.50 633 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational High Jump (I) 0.00 1.90m 6- 2.75 714 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 60 Meter Hurdles (I) 0.00 8.56 846 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Pole Vault (I) 0.00 3.60m 11- 9.75 509 pts 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 1000 Meters (I) 4 2.00 3:00.73 657 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Heptathlon (I) 6 3.00 5186 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 60 Meters (I) 0.00 7.01 879 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Long Jump (I) 0.00 6.83m 22- 5 774 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Shot Put (I) 0.00 12.66m 41- 6.50 647 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship High Jump (I) 0.00 1.87m 6- 1.75 687 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 60 Meter Hurdles (I) 0.00 8.49 862 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Pole Vault (I) 0.00 4.00m 13- 1.50 617 pts 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 1000 Meters (I) 0.00 2:54.44 720 pts 03/04/2017 FAMU Relays Javelin 3 3.00 51.76m 169-10 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational High Jump 4T 4.50 1.90m 6- 2.75 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Javelin 3 3.00 57.17m 187- 7 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 100 Meters 11 0.00 10.83 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Long Jump 7 0.00 6.67m 21-10.50 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Shot Put 9 0.00 12.87m 42- 2.75 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Discus 10 0.00 35.35m 116- 0 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Decathlon 2 4.00 6475 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 100 Meters 0.00 10.73w 922 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Long Jump 0.00 6.53m 21- 5.25 704 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Shot Put 0.00 11.68m 38- 4 587 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays High Jump 0.00 1.86m 6- 1.25 679 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 400 Meters 0.00 53.80 648 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 110 Meter Hurdles 0.00 15.80 755 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Discus 0.00 28.33m 92-11 432 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Pole Vault 0.00 3.80m 12- 5.50 562 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Javelin 0.00 54.35m 178- 4 653 pts 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 1500 Meters 0.00 5:04.66 533 pts 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 110 Meter Hurdles 9 0.00 15.52 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Long Jump (I) 11 0.00 6.86m 22- 6 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Shot Put 10 0.00 12.45m 40-10.25 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Javelin 11 0.00 49.66m 162-11 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial Shot Put 10 0.00 12.15m 39-10.25 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Decathlon 4 5.00 7113 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 100 Meters 0.00 10.73 922 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Long Jump 0.00 7.13m 23- 4.71 845 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Shot Put 0.00 12.24m 40- 2 621 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship High Jump 0.00 1.99m 6- 6.25 794 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 400 Meters 0.00 53.44 663 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 110 Meter Hurdles 0.00 15.52 788 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Discus 0.00 38.08m 124-11 626 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Pole Vault 0.00 4.00m 13- 1.50 617 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Javelin 0.00 57.75m 189- 5 704 pts 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 1500 Meters 0.00 5:04.65 533 pts 28.50 Grant Nykaza Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Mile Run (I) 13 0.00 4:21.70 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational 3000 Meters (I) 33 0.00 8:24.27 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 1500 Meters 11 0.00 3:58.56 0.00 Emmanuel Onyia Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Shot Put (I) 3 3.00 18.01m 59- 1.25 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Shot Put (I) 4 2.00 17.05m 55-11.25 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Shot Put (I) 7 0.00 17.40m 57- 1 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Shot Put (I) 6 3.00 17.57m 57- 7.75 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Discus 1 5.00 56.68m 185-11 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Discus 1 5.00 56.86m 186- 6 04/01/2017 Florida Relays Discus 8 0.00 56.46m 185- 3 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Discus 3 3.00 56.57m 185- 7 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Discus 1 5.00 59.62m 195- 7 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Discus 3 3.00 60.34m 197-11 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Shot Put 6 3.00 17.64m 57-10.50 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Discus 4 5.00 55.62m 182- 6 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Discus 8 1.00 57.86m 189-10 06/10/2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship Discus 12 0.00 56.79m 186- 4 38.00 Jamal Pitts Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 60 Meters (I) 9 0.00 6.86 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 200 Meters (I) 2 4.00 21.51 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 60 Meters (I) 8 0.00 6.88 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 200 Meters (I) 6 0.00 21.94 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 200 Meters (I) 7 0.00 21.53 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 200 Meters (I) 12 0.00 21.35 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 11 0.00 3:12.96 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 60 Meters (I) 16 0.00 6.86 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 200 Meters (I) FS 0.00 21.28 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 4 1.25 3:11.31 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational 400 Meters 1 5.00 47.73 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 200 Meters 6 0.00 20.99 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:09.67 04/01/2017 Texas Relays 100 Meters 47 0.00 10.50w 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x100-Meter Relay 3 0.75 40.16 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 200 Meters 5 1.00 21.12 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 4x100-Meter Relay 1 1.25 40.19 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 200 Meters 11 0.00 21.49 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x100-Meter Relay 14 0.00 39.71 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x400-Meter Relay 13 0.00 3:07.05 14.25 James Rhoden Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 400 Meter Hurdles 1 5.00 52.17 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 6 0.00 3:17.12 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 400 Meter Hurdles 6 0.00 51.34 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:10.91 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 400 Meter Hurdles 2 4.00 53.04 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:11.41 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 400 Meters 12 0.00 48.65 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 400 Meter Hurdles 1 5.00 51.92 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 400 Meter Hurdles 3 3.00 50.83 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 400 Meter Hurdles 5 4.00 51.24 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay 5 1.00 3:07.69 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 400 Meter Hurdles 10 0.00 50.89 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x400-Meter Relay 13 0.00 3:07.05 06/10/2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship 400 Meter Hurdles 21 0.00 53.69 23.50 Raheem Robinson Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 300 Meters (I) 6 0.00 36.36 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 60 Meters (I) 9 0.00 6.89 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 200 Meters (I) 9 0.00 22.57 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 100 Meters 15T 0.00 10.81 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x100-Meter Relay 3 0.75 40.16 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 100 Meters 10 0.00 10.81 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 4x100-Meter Relay 1 1.25 40.19 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 100 Meters 11 0.00 10.68 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x100-Meter Relay 2 2.00 40.23 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary 4x100-Meter Relay 14 0.00 39.71 4.00 Hunter Scott Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 5000 Meters 17 0.00 16:20.40 0.00 Will Simons Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational Mile Run (I) 41 0.00 4:12.39 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Mile Run (I) 25 0.00 4:17.03 0.00 Steven Simpkins Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational 400 Meters (I) 2 4.00 48.27 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 400 Meters (I) 1 5.00 48.76 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 6 0.00 3:18.67 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 400 Meters (I) 15 0.00 49.19 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 5 0.25 3:15.77 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 400 Meters (I) 35 0.00 48.91 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 11 0.00 3:12.96 02/18/2017 UCS Invitational Distance Medley Relay (I) 4 0.50 9:52.66 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 400 Meters (I) 19 0.00 48.08 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay (I) 4 1.25 3:11.31 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Distance Medley Relay (I) 2 2.00 9:33.39 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational 400 Meters 7 0.00 48.27 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 400 Meters 5 1.00 47.63 03/25/2017 FSU Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:09.67 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 400 Meters 33 0.00 48.30 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:10.91 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 400 Meters 18 0.00 49.80 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x400-Meter Relay 3 0.75 3:11.41 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 400 Meters 7 0.00 47.71 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 400 Meters 21 0.00 47.60 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 4x400-Meter Relay 2 1.00 3:07.91 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 400 Meters 11 0.00 48.62 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 400 Meters 19 0.00 48.24 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 4x400-Meter Relay 5 1.00 3:07.69 18.50 Brandon Tirado Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Weight Throw (I) 2 4.00 17.28m 56- 8.50 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Weight Throw (I) 2 4.00 18.75m 61- 6.25 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Weight Throw (I) 7 0.00 18.08m 59- 4 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Weight Throw (I) 7 2.00 19.24m 63- 1.50 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Hammer 1 5.00 59.54m 195- 4 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Hammer 1 5.00 59.31m 194- 7 04/01/2017 Florida Relays Hammer 2 4.00 61.03m 200- 3 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Hammer 4 2.00 56.64m 185-10 04/29/2017 Penn Relays Hammer 10 0.00 59.68m 195- 9 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Hammer 1 5.00 60.54m 198- 7 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Hammer 5 4.00 61.11m 200- 6 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Hammer 37 0.00 59.03m 193- 8 35.00 Jaap Vellinga Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 02/11/2017 David Hemery Invitational 800 Meters (I) 19 0.00 1:51.71 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship 800 Meters (I) 23 0.00 1:52.35 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 800 Meters 2 4.00 1:54.37 03/17/2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational 1500 Meters 24 0.00 4:01.60 04/01/2017 Florida Relays 800 Meters 33 0.00 1:51.44 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 800 Meters 7 0.00 1:51.77 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays 4x800 Meter Relay 2 1.00 7:27.87 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 800 Meters 10 0.00 1:51.03 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic 1500 Meters 34 0.00 3:57.95 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial 800 Meters 3 3.00 1:50.46 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight 800 Meters 2 4.00 1:51.61 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship 800 Meters 12 0.00 1:50.54 12.00 Armani Wallace Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/14/2017 Clemson Invitational Triple Jump (I) 2 4.00 15.49m 50-10 01/21/2017 Hawkeye Invitational Triple Jump (I) 1 5.00 15.58m 51- 1.50 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Long Jump (I) 9 0.00 6.68m 21-11 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational Triple Jump (I) 1 5.00 15.51m 50-10.75 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational Triple Jump (I) 8 0.00 15.52m 50-11 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship Triple Jump (I) 5 4.00 15.54m 50-11.75 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational Long Jump 5 1.00 7.07m 23- 2.50 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Triple Jump 2 4.00 15.68m 51- 5.25 04/01/2017 Florida Relays Triple Jump 4 2.00 15.92m 52- 2.75 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays Triple Jump 1 5.00 16.10m 52-10 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Long Jump 3 3.00 7.57m 24-10 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic Triple Jump 1 5.00 16.13m 52-11 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Triple Jump 2 4.00 15.92m 52- 2.77 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Long Jump 1 10.00 7.55m 24- 9.25 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Triple Jump 1 10.00 16.32m 53- 6.50 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary Triple Jump 10 0.00 15.64m 51- 3.75 06/10/2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship Triple Jump 9 0.00 15.97m 52- 4.75 62.00 Clayton Washburn Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 03/25/2017 FSU Relays Pole Vault 3 3.00 4.58m 15- 0.25 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial Pole Vault 7 0.00 4.77m 15- 7.75 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight Pole Vault 2 4.00 4.67m 15- 3.75 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship Pole Vault 9 0.00 4.62m 15- 2 7.00 Ed'ricus Williams Date Opponent Event Place Points Results Comment ========== ============================== ============================== ===== ====== ================== =============== 01/28/2017 Bob Pollock Invitational High Jump (I) 5 1.00 2.00m 6- 6.75 02/11/2017 Tyson Invitational High Jump (I) 8 0.00 2.16m 7- 1 02/25/2017 ACC Indoor Championship High Jump (I) 5 4.00 2.15m 7- 0.75 03/18/2017 Bulls Invitational High Jump 1 5.00 2.05m 6- 8.75 03/25/2017 FSU Relays High Jump 1T 8.00 2.20m 7- 2.50 04/08/2017 Tennessee Relays High Jump 4 2.00 2.07m 6- 9.50 04/22/2017 Cardinal Classic High Jump 2 4.00 2.11m 6-11 04/28/2017 Tom Jones Memorial High Jump 1 5.00 2.22m 7- 3.25 05/05/2017 Seminole Twilight High Jump 1 5.00 2.09m 6-10.25 05/14/2017 ACC Outdoor Championship High Jump 2 8.00 2.15m 7- 0.75 05/27/2017 NCAA East Preliminary High Jump 1T 8.00 2.15m 7- 0.75 06/10/2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship High Jump NH 0.00 50.00