Virginia Tech Opener
01/17/2009, January 16-17, 2009, Blacksburg, Va.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Trumps Records and NCAA Marks At First Indoor Meet.
Kim Williams reset her personal record along with the school record for the triple jump.
Jan. 16, 2009
BLACKSBURG, VA - The weather was frigid and competition aggressive, yet the Seminoles were able to keep focus and make several accomplishments in just the first day of the VT Hokie Invitational.
Located in Blacksburg, Va., Virginia Tech played host to 18 other schools.
"Everyone put in a great fall training," said associate head coach Harlis Meaders. "Our coaches have done a heck of a job preparing them for the season."
When Florida State track and field coaches prepare their athletes for the upcoming season, they plan for national championships, not just meets. Sophomore jumper Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica)
reiterated this point as she leaped to a first place finish, reset the school record and made the NCAA automatic mark with 14.03m, almost making the national record mark of 14.25. Coming in right
behind her in second was junior Tiara Swanagan (Orange Park, Fla.) with a NCAA provisional mark of 13.18m. Hurdles were no exception for record setting as sophomore Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) placed
third and set a personal record with 8.36 in the 60m hurdles. Newcomer Christal Washington (Hollywood, Fla.) took her team's guidance and came in third in the 1,000m run with a finish time of 2:52.02.
Finishing off the successful day for the women was junior thrower Caila Coleman (Tallahassee, Fla.) taking fourth in the women's weight throw with 16.65m.
"I think it was a fantastic first day," said Meaders. "Kim Williams was the highlight for the women for her personal best jump she set today."
Training for the men's team went just as well as the women. Sophomore Ngoni Makusha (Mandedza, Zimbabwe) took the title and made a NCAA provisional mark in the 60m dash with 6.68. Freshman Maurice
Mitchell (Kansas City, Mo.) wasn't far behind with 6.73 that gave him a third place finish and NCAA provisional mark. Taking the second title of the day was senior Matt Wernke (Tallahassee, Fla.)
wining the men's weight throw with 18.00m. Travis Whitfield (Jay, Fla.) took fourth in the same event with 16.52m.
"Ngoni Makusha and Maurice Mitchell did a fantastic job for the men today," said Meaders. "This sets the bar really high for the rest of the season."
Florida State continues competition tomorrow morning. For more information on Florida State athletics, go to www.seminoles.com.
Seminoles Conclude Competition At VT Hokie Invitational.
Liz Mabry sets her personal record in the women's pole vault.
Jan. 17, 2009
BLACKSBURG, VA - In day two of competition at the VT Hokie Invitational at Rector Fieldhouse in Blacksburg, Va., the Florida State track and field teams continued to improve with solid performances in
the field from senior Tim Reen (Jupiter, Fla.) in the high jump (6-10.75), junior Liz Mabry (Gulf Breeze, Fla.), who set an indoor personal record in the women's pole vault (12-06.00) and sophomore
Kamorean Hayes (Charlotte, N.C.) in the women's shot put (49-04.50). On the track, sophomore Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) had a strong showing in the 200m (24.34) placing third at the meet.
"Overall, we are really pleased how we performed at our first meet of the season," Associate Head Coach Harlis Meaders said. "We had some kids that were in uniform for the first time and we're a
little nervous and that's how first meets go, but these kids now have a meet under their belt and will be more prepared the next time around. The veterans stepped up and really got us off to a good
start."
According to Meaders, Reen's high jump mark of 6-10.75 (2.10m) was a really good attempt at the NCAA provisional mark (2.14m). The mark, which tied Reen's indoor personal best, ranked tied for first
among all the competitors at the meet.
Clearing 12-06.00, Mabry improved her personal best in the indoor pole vault by two feet. She tied for second at the meet with the mark.
After redshirting the 2008 outdoor season, Hayes' placed tied for second at the meet with her shot put mark of 49-04.50 which the FSU coaching staff felt was a good throw for the first meet of the
year.
Meaders noted other solid efforts by freshman Maurice Mitchell (Kansas City, Mo.) who placed third in the 200m (21.62) and the women's mile relay (6th, 3:51.54).
"We didn't have as many athletes perform today and we did Friday but we are pleased with what we are seeing," Meaders said.
Florida State is scheduled to compete at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational next Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.
Event 1 - 60 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
17 Auja Pughsley 7.94
Event 3 - 1000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Christal Washington 2:52.02 3
Event 4 - 60 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Teona Rodgers 8.30 3
Event 5 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 46- 0.50 14.03m 5
2 Tiara Swanagan 43- 3 13.18m 4
Event 6 - Weight Throw
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Caila Coleman 54- 7.50 16.65m 2
Event 7 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Teona Rodgers 24.34 3
Event 8 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Hshkeni Richemond 57.17
11 Auja Pughsley 57.25
Event 9 - 600 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Shannon Stuckman 1:42.69
Event 11 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Danielle Williams 5- 5 1.65m 2
4 Tiara Swanagan 5- 5 1.65m 2
Event 12 - Pole Vault
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Liz Mabry 12- 6 3.81m 2
6 Tori Allen 11- 6.25 3.51m
10 Callie Giffin 11- 0.25 3.36m
Event 13 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Kamorean Hayes 49- 4.50 15.05m 4
New Balance Invitational
02/07/2009, New York, N.Y.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Find Success In Day One Of New Balance Collegiate Invitational.
Michael Ray Garvin becomes the first Seminole on the men's side to record an NCAA automatic qualifying mark this season.
Feb. 6, 2009
NEW YORK, NY - Florida State enjoyed success in the first day of the 2009 New Balance Collegiate Invitational Friday at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York, N.Y. Senior Michael Ray Garvin
(Upper Saddle Riddle, N.J.) recorded an NCAA Automatic Qualifying mark in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.63 while sophomore Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a
lifetime best time of 8.22, an NCAA provisional mark. Rodgers provisionally qualified in the event at the VT Hokie Invitational back in January with a time of 8.30.
"That's what you try to do here, knock out some qualifiers for nationals," head coach Bob Braman said. "It was a good first day. No one got injured and we got some lifetime bests and punched some
tickets to nationals. We hope to get more of that tomorrow."
Also recording a lifetime best was Christina Woytalewicz (Brandon, Fla.) in the 3000-meter run. The junior placed first at the meet with a time of 9:51.23, shaving more than 10 seconds off her
previous best mark of 10:05.62.
"Each week we train and compete to get better so we can by physically ready and peak at the right time," Braman said. "We still don't have all our runners competing but it's early February and we feel
pretty good that we've got some kids who we already know will be on the starting lines at nationals."
Heading into Day Two of the New Balance Collegiate Invitational, Florida State has now automatically or provisionally qualified for nationals in nine events.
Florida State Tops Charts In Final Day Of New Balance Collegiate Invitational.
Clark, Rodgers and McShine all put their names in record books in just one day.
Feb. 7, 2009
NEW YORK, NY - In just his first performance of the season, junior Charles Clark (Virginia Beach, Va.) showed his garnet and gold to the nation by running the fastest time in the country in a banked
track for his 200m time of 20.83 (second best time overall). Clark wasn't the only Seminole on the warpath at the final day in New York though. Armory Track and Field Center made way for several
provisional marks and records set by Florida State over the two-day competition.
"We had a really big day," sad head coach Bob Braman. "Although we didn't have a lot of people competing, we had a really good day."
Although she has had great showings over the past couple of weeks, sophomore Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) is continuing the path of success as she took third in the 200m dash with 23.57 and set her
self up to hold one of the top-seven times in the country. Rodgers' time earned her an NCAA provisional mark. Also making an NCAA provisional mark and resetting her personal record was junior Pilar
McShine's (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) first place finish in the mile run championship with 4:40.8. McShine's time also goes down as one of the top-five time in Florida State history. Among
the other top showings for the Seminoles were sophomore Britany St. Louis (Arima, Trinidad and Tobago) finishing the 200m dash in 23.68 (NCAA provisional mark) and junior Linzi Snow (Epping, England)
with her 4:46 mile run that also gave her a personal record and NCAA provisional mark.
"The women's 200-meter went really well," said Braman. "We had a pretty big day."
Aside from Clark's outstanding run, men's distance runners also had record setting times. Coming in at fourth in the mile run and setting a personal record was junior Daniel Roberts (Vicksburg, Mich.)
with 4:03.62. Coming in at an extremely close fifth was sophomore Matt Leeder (Brockville, Ontario) with 4:03.65. Finishing off for the Seminoles in the top 10 and setting a new personal record was
sophomore Justin Harbor (Bunnell, Fla.) coming in at ninth 4:07.44. Roberts', Leeder's and Harbor's time were all noted as NCAA provisional marks.
Florida State will head home now to prepare for the Tyson Invitational next weekend in Arkansas.
Event 1 - 3000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Christina Woytalewicz 9:51.23 5
22 Kacey Gibson 10:17.28
Event 2 - 500-Meter Run
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Keyla Smith 1:15.77
Event 4 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
15 Brittany St. Louis 54.88
64 Auja Pughsley 58.42
Event 6 - 60 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Teona Rodgers 8.22 2
Event 8 - 60 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
46 Danielle Jeffery 7.65
Event 12 - Mile Run
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Lydia Willemse 4:50.79 5
7 Amanda Quick 4:59.44
1 Pilar McShine 4:40.80 5 Championship Race
4 Linzi Snow 4:46.00 2 Championship Race
Event 15 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Teona Rodgers 23.57 3
8 Brittany St. Louis 23.68
57 Auja Pughsley 25.27
65 Nicole Marcus 25.50
Event 19 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
18 Christal Washington 2:13.90
Tyson Invitational
02/14/2009, February 13-14, 2009, Fayetteville, Ark.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Finishes First Day Of Tyson Invitational With Good Foundation.
Sophomore Ngoni Makusha now holds the top long jump in the conference.
Feb. 13, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - In their last chance to prepare for the conference meet, the Florida State track and field teams (men-No. 6/women-No. 5) finished the first of the two day Tyson Invitational with a
good foundation. The Seminoles faced stiff competition at the Randal Tyson Track Complex on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
"This was a good day for us," head coach Bob Braman said. "We will have more competition going on tomorrow. This is helping us get ready for conference."
The women concluded the day with two NCAA provisional marks set in two separate events. Earning the first mark and continuing her success in Arkansas was sophomore Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) in the
60m hurdles with 8.36. Rodgers set her 2008 season-best in the 60m hurdles at last year's Tyson Invitational. Newcomer Christal Washington (Hollywood, Fla.) took Rodgers' lead and notched her first
NCAA provisional mark in the 800m run with 2:08.02.
"Teona had a good performance today," Braman said. "This was her second-best performance of the season. She got another NCAA mark again so she is being consistent."
In his first long jump of the season, sophomore Ngoni Makusha (Mandedza, Zimbabwe) not only marked his leap as one of the top-fifth longest jumps in the nation, but also now holds the top long jump in
the Atlantic Coast Conference with 7.79m. Junior Stephen Wilson (Brandon, Fla.) also finished the day with an achievement. Wilson set his indoor lifetime-best record in the 800m run with 1:53.97.
Florida State continues competition tomorrow morning for the final day of Tyson Invitational.
"We got a lot of good things done today," head coach Bob Braman, who was in Fayetteville, Arkansas, said. "Here at the Tyson, the men's 200m was probably the highlight and our success in the distance
events at the Husky Invitational caps it off as a pretty good day."
Pilar McShine's (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) personal-best 4:37.71 in the mile at the Husky Classic earned the junior NCAA automatic qualification. The time, which is the best time in the ACC
this year, ranks second in school history behind Hannah England's 4:35.30 set last season. Also earning NCAA automatic qualification is senior Susan Kuijken (Nijmegen, Netherlands) whose season-best
time of 9:05.70 in the 3000m at the Husky Classic placed her first among all participants and ranks second in the ACC this season.
"Susan just didn't feel right heading into the race and I want to give credit to her courage to go out and do the work," assistant coach Karen Harvey, who was in Seattle with the Seminoles, said.
"When you're not feeling good, doing the work is really hard and she did a great job."
Florida State took three of the top four spots in the men's 200m at the Tyson Invitational with three NCAA provisional times. Reigning ACC Performer of the Week Charles Clark (Virginia Beach, Va.),
whose ACC-leading 00:20.83 last week at the New Balance Invitational earned him NCAA automatic qualification, placed second with a time of 00:20.94. Sophomore Brandon Byram (Gallatin, Tenn.) and
freshman Maurice Mitchell (Kansas City, Mo.) finished third (00.20.96) and fourth (00.20.97), respectively. Both were personal-bests and rank second and third in the ACC.
Other strong performances and NCAA provisional qualifying marks at the Husky Classic include an ACC-leading and personal-best 7:57.62 in the 3000m for junior Daniel Roberts (Vicksburg, Mich.),
sophomore Matt Leeder's (Brookville, Ontario) 8:00.01 in the 3000m - a personal best time - and senior Steeve Gabart (Miami, Fla.), who ran a 14.07 in the 5000m, a mark that is not only a
personal-best but also ranks first in the ACC this season. On the women's side, senior Lydia Willemse (Forest, Ontario) also earned an NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a personal-best time of
9.25.99 in the 3000m.
"Daniel (Roberts) was just a stud today," Coach Harvey said. "He placed second in his heat and just missed the NCAA automatic qualifying mark. It was a big race for him."
Upon learning of Gabart's success, Coach Braman said, "We are so excited for that. We knew he was ready but that mark was a bit unexpected. What a great performance for Steeve."
Senior Tim Reen (Jupiter, Fla.) recorded an NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a personal-best 2.14 (7-00.25) in the high jump which placed him first among competitors at the Tyson Invitational.
Both the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams were just off the NCAA provisional qualifying marks but are among the fastest marks in the ACC.
The Seminoles will compete at the ACC Indoor Championship in Blacksburg, Va., February 26-28th.
"It was mission-accomplished to get ready for next weekend," Braman said about this weekend's competition. "We are where we want to be heading into the ACC championships."
Event 1 - Mile Run
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Amanda Quick 4:58.36
Event 1 - 60 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Teona Rodgers 8.36
Event 2 - 60 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
17 Danielle Jeffery 7.58
26 Nicole Marcus 7.66
Event 3 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Danielle Williams 5- 3.75 1.62m 2
Event 4 - 60 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Teona Rodgers 8.36
Event 4 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
12 Liz Mabry 12- 9.50 3.90m
20 Callie Giffin 12- 3.50 3.75m
Event 5 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Kamorean Hayes 49- 9.25 15.17m 1
Event 5 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Brittany St. Louis 55.12
28 Keyla Smith 56.81
46 Auja Pughsley 58.40
Event 6 - 3000 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Jennifer Dunn 10:13.93
Event 7 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Christal Washington 2:08.02 3
Event 7 - 5000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Christina Woytalewicz 17:07.36 1
Event 8 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Tiara Swanagan 42- 3.50 12.89m 1
Event 9 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Christal Washington 2:08.02 3
Event 12 - Weight Throw
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Caila Coleman 56- 2.80 17.14m
ACC Indoor Championship, 1st place
02/28/2009, February 26-28, 2009, Blacksburg, Va.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Get Closer In Making Program History.
Williams and Kuijken helped Florida State to new levels of greatness in their first day of competition.
Feb. 27, 2009
BLACKSBURG, VA - Continuing the fight to make program history in winning its first Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Championship was the sixth-ranked Florida State women's track and field team. The
Seminoles will persist through warpath tomorrow, February 28, as they currently are in third place with 33 points.
"This is the best first day of any conference meet I have been to," said head coach Bob Braman. "We had as good of a first day that you could ask for. We achieved 90% or more of what we had hoped for.
The great thing is that this was not only a successful conference meet, but also had many national achievements with Kim and Amy in the long jump."
Sophomore jumper Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica) once again notched a medal as she placed second, set a new personal record and earned the second best performance in the ACC this season with her long
jump of 21-02.75/6.47m. Freshman Amy Harris (Birmingham, England) took Williams lead and came in third with 20-03.50/6.18m. Harris' jump is the third best in the conference for this season.
Women's distance runners all prevailed past the preliminary round and will compete at the final round of the mile run as sophomore and NCAA All-American Pilar McShine (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago) led the Seminoles in fourth place with a time of 4:57.30. ACC Champion Susan Kuijken (Nijmegen, Netherlands) came in a close fifth in 5:00.12 and Amanda Quick (Tampa, Fla.) finished in 10th
place in 4:57.55 to be the last runner to qualify for the final event. Senior Christina Woytalewicz (Brandon, Fla.) also contributed points as she placed fifth in the 5000M run with her finish time of
16:59.69.
Junior Caila Coleman (Tallahassee, Fla.) represented the Seminoles well with her weight throw of 17.73m/58-02.00. Coleman's throw reset her personal record and places sixth in the best weight throw
performance in the league.
The Seminole sprinters had a great showing today as several athletes moved past preliminaries and will compete in the finals. Sophomore and NCAA All-American Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) had a
successful day as she took second in both the 60M hurdles in 8.22 and 200M dash with 23.51. Also qualifying for finals in the 200M were Britany St. Louis (Arima, Trinidad and Tobago) in fourth (23.81)
and newcomer Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.) finishing in fifth place in 24.13. In her first conference meet, Christal Washington (Hollywood, Fla.) qualified for the 800M final with her time of
2:11.41.
The woman's distance medley concluded the day and gave Florida State its last 10 points as they captured first place in 11:12.96. Junior Linzi Snow (Epping, England), senior Keyla Smith (Daytona
Beach, Fla.) and seniors Lydia Willemse (Forest, Ontario) and Kuijken now hold the second fastest relay time of the season in the league.
Florida State Women Make History And Capture ACC Indoor Championship.
Florida State is the third program to have both men's and women's teams earn first place at the conference meet.
Feb. 28, 2009
BLACKSBURG, VA - Dominating the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Championship and taking first place with 132 points for the first time in program history was the sixth-ranked Florida State
women's track and field team. With two Seminoles setting meet records and 14 athletes earning provisional and automatic NCAA qualifying marks throughout the weekend, Florida State owned the conference
meet held in the Rector Field House, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies (defending champions).
Achieving the same success was the third-ranked men's track and field team. The last ACC school to have both men's and women's teams capture the title was North Carolina in 1992. In addition to North
Carolina and Florida State, Clemson is the only other program to accomplish such an honor.
"This is amazing to have be the first program since 1992 to win both titles because the conference has been going on for 50 years," head coach Bob Braman said. "It wasn't easy though. We had to work
for years, and it took our staff six years to achieve this. I really wanted this for the ladies. The women have been so good, but so overlooked. They are ranked sixth in the country, yet nobody knows.
I am really happy for them."
Setting the championship tone for the Seminoles was shot put thrower Kamorean Hayes (Charlotte, N.C.) earning the gold medal in her first place toss of 52-02.00/15.90m. Hayes' performance earned the
Seminoles their first 10 points and now sits as the 14th best throw in the NCAA for 2009.
Resetting the ACC meet record, earning an automatic NCAA qualifying mark and posting her lifetime best record in the triple jump was sophomore Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica) with her first place
mark of 45-03.00/13.79m. The gold medalist is a repeat winner as Williams topped the charts at last year's meet with her then triple jump of 44-00.75/13.43m. Earning the second automatic qualifying
mark of the day and setting a new personal record was junior team captain Tiara Swanagan (Orange Park, Fla.) notching second place with her triple jump of 43-04.25/13.21m.
Sophomore Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) had another successful competition as she took the second silver medal of the day with her second place 60M hurdle of 8.07 which also earned her an NCAA automatic
bid. The NCAA All-American now holds the fourth best performance in the league for the season and recorded a new personal record.
Highlighting the meet was junior Susan Kuijken (Nijmegen, Netherlands) in the women's mile run. Kuijken's 4:34.11 time earned her the third automatic mark of the day, reset the ACC meet record and now
garns the title as the third best time in the NCAA for this season.
Other Seminoles notching provisional marks were pole vaulter Lizbeth Mabry (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) and sprinters Britany St. Louis (Arima, Trinidad and Tobago) in the 200M dash and Danielle Jeffrey
(Kingston, Jamaica) in the 60M dash. All three Seminoles also achieved lifetime best in their respective events.
"They are truly beginning to do what the men's team does by getting more national qualifiers," Braman said. "We are excited for nationals in two weeks. The conference is the ultimate challenge though
because there are so many events. Even if you are a great national team, you can't have gaps and holes because you have to cover most events. We did that really well. Our walk-ons, small scholarship
athletes and regional level athletes have never looked better. They really thrive on this meet."
Florida State will head back to prepare as the Seminoles will split up between the Arkansas Last Chance Meet in Fayetteville, Ark., and the NCAA Qualifier Meet in Ames, Iowa.
Event 1 - 60 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Danielle Jeffery 7.38 8
5 Candyce McGrone 7.45 4
9 Nicole Marcus 7.52
14 Stephanie Simpson 7.64
Event 2 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Teona Rodgers 23.42 8
3 Brittany St. Louis 23.69 6
7 Candyce McGrone 24.17 2
22 Nicole Marcus 24.91
26 Stephanie Simpson 25.31
Event 3 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Hshkeni Richemond 56.09
19 Auja Pughsley 57.41
Event 4 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
8 Christal Washington 2:11.41 DNF in the finals
Event 5 - Mile Run
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Susan Kuijken 4:34.11 10
2 Pilar McShine 4:43.06 8
7 Amanda Quick 4:55.26 2
Event 6 - 5000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Christina Woytalewicz 16:59.69 4
Event 7 - 60 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Teona Rodgers 8.07 8
Event 8 - Distance Medley Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 11:12.96 10
1) Linzi Snow
2) Keyla Smith
3) Lydia Willemse
4) Susan Kuijken
Event 9 - High Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Tiara Swanagan 5- 7 1.70m
19 Danielle Williams 5- 3 1.60m
Event 10 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Kimberly Williams 21- 2.75 6.47m 8
3 Amy Harris 20- 3.50 6.18m 6
Event 11 - Weight Throw
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Caila Coleman 58- 2 17.73m 5
Event 12 - 3000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Lydia Willemse 9:32.24 6
Event 13 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Relay Team A 3:42.78 5
1) Hshkeni Richemond
2) Keyla Smith
3) Christal Washington
4) Auja Pughsley
Event 14 - Pole Vault
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Liz Mabry 13- 1.50 4.00m 4
13 Tori Allen 11-11.75 3.65m
19 Abbey Sutton 11- 5.75 3.50m
Event 15 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 45- 3 13.79m 10
2 Tiara Swanagan 43- 4.25 13.21m 8
Event 16 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kamorean Hayes 52- 2 15.90m 10
15 Caila Coleman 36- 6.25 11.13m
NCAA Indoor Championship, 8th place
03/14/2009, March 13-14, 2009, College Station, Tex.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Finishes First Day Of Indoor National Meet.
Sprinter Charles Clark and distance runner Pilar McShine highlight day for the Seminoles.
March 13, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, TX - After a long day of unexpected happenings throughout events, the Florida State track and field teams (Men-No.3/Women-No.4) were able to finish the first day of the NCAA Indoor
Championships as the men earned eight points while the women wait to win points in the final day of competition tomorrow, March 13. The Seminoles will hit the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium, located in
College Station, Texas, beginning at 12 p.m. central time.
"Due to some injuries, we had a tough day, but Charles Clark may have jump started us with his fantastic race in the 200m," head coach Bob Braman said. "Gonzalo is poised to make the run in the
heptathlon crown."
Opening the day for the Seminoles was heptathletes Gonzalo Barroilhet (Santiago, Chile) and Pelle Rietveld (Zoetermeer, Netherlands). Barroilhet, the defending champion in the heptathlon, set two
personal records throughout his event with a 60m dash of 7.12 and shot put throw of 45-7.00/13.89m. Rietveld also found success in the 60m dash as he too set a personal record with 7.16. Barroilhet,
who is currently in third place, and Rietveld, in 13th place, will hit the track tomorrow for the final three events in the heptathlon - 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1,000m run.
Men's 60m dash prelims had an unplanned mishap as sophomore Ngoni Makusha (Mandedza, Zimbabwe) injured his left leg during the sprint, causing him to finish last in his heat and not qualify for the
finals. The injury had a domino effect as Makusha withdrew from the long jump event which he was scheduled to compete in shortly after. Veteran Michael Ray Garvin (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) and
freshman Maurice Mitchell (Kansas City, Mo.) competed in the second heat of the dash where only Garvin found success with his time of 6.65 that qualified him for the finals tomorrow.
Placing first in his heat in the 200m dash with 20.90 that earned him a spot in the finals was team leader Charles Clark (Virginia Beach, Va.). Just an hour after prelims, Clark hit the track once
again for the final competition in one of his best sprints of his career as he placed second with 20.67 which now sits as this seasons second-best performance in the nation.
In an unfortunate turn of events, sophomore hurdler Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) was not able to finish the 60m hurdles prelims as she tripped over her spike. However, Rodgers did manage to regroup and
compete in her second event of the day, the 200m dash, where she finished with a time of 23.62.
Up next for the Seminole women was junior Pilar McShine (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) as she qualified for the finals in the mile run with her sixth-place finish of 4:42.35.
"The ladies have most of their big point opportunities tomorrow. Today's highlight was Pilar McShine qualifying automatically for the mile final," Braman said.
Florida State Men Earn Third While Women Take Eighth At Indoor National Meet.
Susan Kuijken set a new school record while other athletes set several personal records.
March 14, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, TX - In spite of obstacles put on the warpath in its first day of competition, the Florida State track and field teams were able to prevail past them as the men earned third place
with 32 points while the women posted up 23 points to take eighth at the 2009 NCAA Indoor National Meet.
"We had a fantastic second day," head coach Bob Braman said. "We did everything we could do. Pelle really rallied up and got sixth. Leeder, a 19 year old, in his first ever NCAA meet got sixth place.
Michael Ray was solid. The 4x400m was fantastic with three freshmen and one sophomore only a foot away from winning it. Overall we had a really good second day. With Ngoni healthy, we would have taken
second."
"The women were great," Braman said. "Pilar was huge and Susan was great as they both got lifetime bests. Although Kimberly didn't get a lifetime best, she was a national champion. We maximized with
two top ten teams."
Launching the day for the Florida State men were heptathletes Gonzalo Barroilhet (Santiago, Chile) and Pelle Rietveld (Zoetermeer, Netherlands) competing in the final three events of the heptathlon.
Barroilhet had another great performance as he earned a lifetime-best record in the 60m hurdles with 7.99. The All-American finished the heptathlon in second place with 5,879 points and set a total of
three personal records throughout the competition. Rietveld, who started the day off in 13th place, emerged in the final day of competition as one of Florida State's most important assets in gaining
additional points. The newcomer finished the heptathlon in sixth-place with 5,620 after an incredible 1,000m run where he finished second in 2:44.08.
"Earning second place is pretty good, but it was below my expectations" Barroilhet said. "I didn't have as good a day as yesterday, but I did set some personal records. I did gain some confidence from
it, but I know I can do better."
Finishing in sixth place in the 3,000m run and contributing three points for the Garnet and Gold was sophomore Matt Leeder (Brockville, Ontario) finishing with a time of 7:59.16.
Closing out the meet for the FSU men was the 4x400m relay group. The team of Kevin and Jonathan Borlee (Brussels, Belgium), Kevin Williams (Miami, Fla.) and Brandon O'Conner (Miami, Fla.) took second
place as they crossed the line in 3:05.97 to give the Seminoles eight points.
On the women's front, giving the Seminoles their first points was junior Pilar McShine (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) as she ran a lifetime-best in the mile run with a time of 4:36.87. In her
first NCAA Indoor Championship appearance, McShine earned five points for the fourth-ranked women.
The lone Seminole to be named an NCAA Champion as she took top honors in the triple jump was sophomore superstar Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica) as she placed first with a mark of 13.81m/45-3.75. The
All-American, who was the runner-up at last year's national meet, earned Florida State 10 points in her second-best performance of the season.
"Today was a good day," Williams said. "I am happy for the win and that fact I am the National Champion for 2009. Now I am going to get myself ready for the outdoor season by working on what I did
wrong today. There is always room for improvement."
Earning eight points for the women, setting a new lifetime-best record, resetting her previous school record and taking second place in the 3,000m run was junior Susan Kuijken (Nijmegen, Netherlands)
with a time of 8:56.27. Prior to the race, Kuijken held the school record with her 2008 run of 8:58.14, but reset it with her excellent time in today's event. The five-time All-American and ACC
Champion's points gave the Seminoles their final points of the meet.
"We had such a good second day for the men and women that we can build on that for outdoors," Braman said.
Event 2 - 200 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Teona Rodgers 23.62
Event 5 - Mile Run
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Pilar McShine 4:36.87 5
Event 6 - 3000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Susan Kuijken 8:56.27 8
Event 8 - 60 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
DNF Teona Rodgers Tripped over hurdle
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 45- 3.75 13.81m 10
10T Tiara Swanagan 42- 2.75 12.87m
Disney Classic
03/21/2009, March 18-21, 2009, Orlando, Fla.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Opens First Day Of Disney Invitational.
The Seminoles only competed in one event in hopes of earning regional marks.
March 18, 2009
ORLANDO, FL - The Florida State track and field teams hit the field late this afternoon to compete at the Walt Disney World Invitational just a few hours away from home. The Wide World of Sports
Complex in Orlando, Fla. hosted over 50 collegiate teams including the Seminoles who dominated in the lone event they competed in.
"The team competed well," associate head coach Harlis Meaders said. "There weren't a lot of people competing, but we did get some solid performances. I'm looking forward to the javelin tomorrow as
there will be more competitors."
Earning first place honors and setting a new personal record in the hammer throw was junior Travis Whitfield (Jay, Fla.) with a throw of 191-00/58.22m. Whitfield's throw also earned him another
regional mark in the event. Closing out the finishes for the Seminole men was senior and Tallahassee native Matt Wernke placing third with 182-06/55.63m.
The women's squad also found success in the same event as three Seminoles earned top three finishes with their mark in the hammer throw. Leading the pack was junior Caila Coleman (Tallahassee, Fla.)
who dominated the event and took top honors in just her first meet of the outdoor season. In second place was sophomore Lea Russell (Clarksville, Tenn.) with her throw of 119-00/36.28m while junior
Erin Simmons' (Argyle, Texas) mark earned her third place.
Florida State will hit the field again tomorrow to compete in the javelin throw.
Florida State Enjoys Another Solid Day In Orlando.
The Seminole men have another great day as they earned the first three spots in the javelin throw.
March 19, 2009
ORLANDO, FL - The Florida State track and field teams enjoyed another solid day of performances at the Walt Disney World Invitational. The Seminoles hit the field to compete in the javelin throws
while some of the women hit the track full speed for the 5,000m run. The Wide World of Sports Complex will continue with the third day of competition Friday, March 20, beginning at 11 a.m.
"We had another solid day of competition for this early part of the outdoor season," associate head coach Harlis Meaders said. "We kept making improvements throughout the day. The majority of the team
will come in tomorrow. I'm looking forward for our athletes to get on the track and compete in the sprints and hurdles events."
The Seminole women had a busy day as they competed on both the track and the field. Kicking off the day was the women throwers in the javelin. Amber Cornell (Jacksonville, Fla.) led the team in her
third place finish with a mark of 110-00/33.53m, while Erin Simmons' (Argyle, Texas) mark of 108-05/33.06m earned her fourth place. Closing out the day for the Seminoles was the striders who hit the
track for the 5,000m run.
Although not as busy as the women, the men did have another great stint. Making his outdoor debut and dominating the javelin throw was junior Bryan Howard (Warminster, Pa.) with his mark of
197-03/60.12m. Coming in second place with a mark of 193-01/58.85m, and improving his previous throw was junior Sean Conrecode (Naples, Fla.) while veteran Tommy Beltz (Leighton, Pa.) placed third
with 165-09/48.82m.
The Seminoles will be back in action tomorrow beginning with the triple jump at 11 a.m.
Highlighting the day for the Seminoles was newcomer Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.) in her 200m dash of 23.17. Her first place performance would have not only been recorded as the best run of the
outdoor season up to date, but also would have been a regional mark if not for the wind. McGrone will still move on to the final event along with junior Auja Pughsley (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) who took
second place with a time of 24.17. Other Seminoles qualifying for their final events were Hshkeni "Kay Kay" Richemond (Sufferin, N.Y.) in the 400m dash with a first place preliminary time of 55.16 as
well as team captain Keyla Smith (Daytona Beach, Fla.) with her 56.95 time that earned her third place. Capturing first place with her discus throw of 129-11/39.60m was junior thrower Allyn Laughlin
(Ambridge, Pa.).
The men's team also had a good outing again as two Seminole throwers earned the first two spots in the discus throw with sophomore Michael Putnam's (Miami, Fla.) first place mark of 180-04/54.96m and
veteran Shariff Small's (Kingston, Jamaica) second place finish with a mark of 145-06/44.34m. Senior Aaron Steele (Newburgh, N.Y.) finished in the top three with his triple jump mark of
48-03.25/14.71m, while sophomore Jair Francis (Manchester, Jamaica) qualified himself for the 400m dash final with his time of 49.85.
Florida State will compete in the last day of the Disney Invitational tomorrow beginning at 9 a.m.
Florida State Qualifies Nine In Last Day Of Disney Invitational.
Aside from the nine regional qualifiers, four Seminoles set personal records.
March 21, 2009
ORLANDO, FL - The Florida State track and field teams concluded the final day of competition at the Walt Disney World Invitational with a fantastic showing as a total of nine Seminoles earned regional
qualifying times/marks and four athletes set personal records.
"The field event athletes really got a lot done this weekend," head coach Bob Braman said. "They all got a lot of good marks. Sprinters and hurdlers also did a nice job. We had a successful meet. We
earned a lot of marks which I what we came to do."
Leading the women was sophomore Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) with an outstanding performance in both her events. First up on the All-American's list was the 100m hurdles where she qualified for the
finals with her first-place preliminary sprint of 13.20. With her new personal-record time, Rodgers hit the track for the finals where she not only earned first place again, but also set a new
personal record as well as became the record holder in FSU history for the 100m hurdles with a regional qualifying time of 13.01. However, Rodgers wasn't done yet. The Seminole went on to compete in
the 100m dash where she again qualified for finals with her time of 11.55 which also was another lifetime-best record and regional qualifying time.
"The highlight of the day for the women was Teona Rodgers," Braman said. "It was a great opening for the outdoor season for her. Candyce McGrone also did a good job in the preliminaries. Allyn also
had an improvement on her other regional mark she had previously earned."
Other notable women who produced regional marks were Lizbeth Mabry (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) in the pole vault with a personal record mark of 3.85m, Kamorean Hayes (Charlotte, N.C.) and Allyn Laughlin
(Ambridge, Pa.) in the shot put with their first and second place finishes respectively and Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the 100m dash with a time of 11.64 which earned her second place.
"Michael Putnam was the highlight for the men," Braman said. "That was a great effort on Michael's part."
On the men's front, Miami native Michael Putnam had another great day of leading the pack as he captured first place in the shot put with a mark of 18.08 which also denotes a personal record. Redshirt
freshman Justin Byrd (Lauderhill, Fla.) also found success as he qualified himself for the finals in the 110m hurdles with his time of 15.13. Byrd completed the finals with a fifth-place finish time
of 15.04.
The three other Seminoles to earn regional qualifications in their events were senior Javier Garcia-Tunon (Miami, Fla.) in the 400m hurdles with a time of 52.10 and Andrew Batchelor (Pompano Beach,
Fla.) with his high jump of 2.10.
The Garnet and Gold will head home to prepare for the FSU Relays beginning Thursday, March 26-28.
Event 1 - Hammer
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Caila Coleman 148-11 45.39m 5
2 Leanne Russell 119- 0 36.27m 4
3 Erin Simmons 39- 0 11.89m 3
Event 2 - 100 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Teona Rodgers 11.55 5
2 Candyce McGrone 11.64 4
3 Danielle Jeffery 11.81 3
5 Amy Harris 11.92 1
9 Maria Andrews 12.34
10 Cinnamon Johnson 12.69
Event 3 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Candyce McGrone 23.17 5
2 Auja Pughsley 24.17 4
Event 4 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Hshkeni Richemond 55.07 4
3 Keyla Smith 55.98 3
Event 5 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Jen Hillis 2:31.93
9 Briana Walker 2:37.68
10 Arica Halila 2:40.06
11 Nicole Kenna 2:40.45
Event 6 - 100 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Teona Rodgers 13.01w 5
2 Valerie Flournoy 14.34w 4
3 Maria Andrews 14.41 3
Event 7 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Shannon Stuckman 1:02.94 4
Event 8 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Allyn Laughlin 129-11 39.60m 5
Event 9 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Danielle Jeffery 5- 7.75 1.72m 4
5 Margo Zwerling 4-11.75 1.52m 1
6 Michelle Cullum 4-11.75 1.52m
Event 10 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Heather Leblanc 19- 2.25 5.85m 5
Event 11 - Pole Vault
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Liz Mabry 12- 7.50 3.85m 5
2 Callie Giffin 11- 7.75 3.55m 4
3 Abbey Sutton 11- 1.75 3.40m 3
4 Anna Lee Maciejko 10- 2 3.10m 2
Event 12 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kamorean Hayes 50- 7.50 15.43m 5
2 Allyn Laughlin 48-10.50 14.90m 4
FSU Relays
03/28/2009, March 26-28, 2009, Tallahassee, Fla.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Despite Inclement Weather, Day One Of FSU Relays In The Books.
Bad weather delayed Thursday competition but all events were completed.
March 26, 2009
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Mother Nature didn't do the 2009 FSU Track & Field Relays any favors Thursday as the first day of the three-day event at Florida State's Mike Long Track saw lightning delays. Despite
the uncooperative weather, the scheduled events were completed and Florida State is hoping for better weather the rest of the weekend.
"We expect we'll have to deal with inclement weather again tomorrow," Florida State Track & Field Associate Head Coach Harlis Meaders said, "but we're committed to getting this meet in so we'll just
have to work around the bad weather."
Thursday's competition saw day one of both the decathlon and heptathlon, the men's and women's hammer throw and the 3000m run. Thursday's 5000m run was cancelled earlier in the day. Florida State
competed only in the hammer and had success.
Senior Matt Wernke (Tallahassee, Fla.) had the highlight for the with a first-place finish in the hammer with a regional-qualifying mark of 189-08.00. Junior Travis Whitfield (Jay, Fla.), who holds
the best mark in the ACC this season at 191-00.00, placed second in Thursday's competition with a throw of 183-05.00.
Junior Caila Coleman (Tallahassee, Fla.) placed second in the women's hammer throw with a season-best 151-05.00.
"Matt (Wernke) did not have personal best but it is his third regional qualifying mark this season and improves upon his performance at the Disney Meet," Meadors said. "Caila (Coleman) improved upon
her performance at Disney as well."
Day two of the 2009 FSU Relays gets underway Friday at 10 a.m. with day two of the decathlon. Day two of the heptathlon was moved up an hour and will get underway at 11 a.m. The college field events
also get underway at 10 a.m. with the men's high jump.
Severe Weather Slows Down Day Two Of FSU Relays.
In an attempt to beat the second band of storms, FSU kept a rolling schedule throughout the competition.
March 27, 2009
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Despite inclement weather conditions that caused delays for several hours at the Mike Long Track, the Florida State track and field teams prevailed past the setbacks and continued to
dominate the 30th annual FSU Relays today. The Seminoles will hit the track tomorrow at 8 a.m. for the final day of competition.
"Despite the weather, we responded well," associate head coach Harlis Meaders said. "We kept our composer and had some solid performances. Javier Garcia in the 400m hurdles and Christal Washington in
the women's 400m dash gave really good efforts. Overall we did pretty well."
Kicking off the day for the Seminoles were the veteran high jumpers. Senior Tim Reen (Jupiter, Fla.) led FSU as he dominated the competition with his first-place mark of 2.05m/6-08.75. Taking second
place with a mark of 2.00m/6-06.75 was junior Andrew Batchelor (Pompano Beach, Fla.).
Senior sprinter Javier Garcia-Tunon (Miami, Fla.) guided the path for the Seminoles as he captured first place in the 400m hurdles with his time of 51.19 which also earned him regional qualification.
Sophomore Andrew Jacobs (Miami, Fla.) came in second place with 54.73 with junior Collin Lomagistro (Miami, Fla.) taking third place with his finishing time of 56.12.
The rain didn't stop the success of the FSU throwers as most of the Seminoles placed in the top three. On the men's front, sophomore Michael Putnam (Miami, Fla.) dominated the competition and earned
another regional mark with his first-place mark of 17.59m/57-08.50 in the shot put. Sophomore Bryan Howard (Warminster, Pa.) also had a successful throw in the javelin as he earned first place with a
mark of 59.35m/194-09. Senior Tommy Beltz (Lehighton, Pa.) placed third with his javelin throw of 51.16m/ 167-10.
Opening the day for the women's squad was the 4x200m relay team of Nicole Marcus (Tallahassee, Fla.), Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.), Danielle Jeffrey (Kingston, Jamaica) and Teona Rodgers
(Tampa, Fla.) as the quartet teamed up to capture first place with a time of 1:38.31.
The Seminole women continued to rule the meet as the sprinters hit the track for the 400m dash. Freshman Christal Washington (Hollywood, Fla.) led the pack in first place with a time of 54.92 followed
by Hshkeni Richemond (Sufferin, N.Y.) in second place with 55.60. Senior captain Keyla Smith (Daytona Beach, Fla.) came in third place in 56.06 while junior Auja Pughsley (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
finished in fourth place with a finish time of 57.80.
Earning two regional qualifying marks for the women was sophomore Kamorean Hayes (14.95m/49-00.75: Charlotte, N.C.) and junior Allyn Laughlin (14.82m/48-07.50: Ambridge, Pa.) with their first and
second place finishes respectively.
Other women having a great second-day showing were seniors Heather Leblanc (Live Oak, Fla.) with her first-place long jump of 5.66m/18-07.00 and Shannon Stuckman (Gainesville, Fla.) placing second in
the 400m hurdles as she crossed the line in 1:03.17.
"We will have a number of athletes competing tomorrow," Meaders said. "The weather will be inclement again, but we will be prepared for it this time. Our kids will be ready for it."
Florida State Concludes Last Day Of FSU Relays.
Inclement weather again plays a role into the last day of FSU Relays.
March 28, 2009
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida State track and field teams concluded the last day of competition at the Mike Long Track. Despite severe weather conditions that caused the 30th annual FSU Relays to be
changed throughout the four day meet, the Seminoles were able to prevail past the distractions and have a fantastic showing.
"It was a fantastic day for both the men's and women's team," associate head coach Harlis Meaders said. "We got a lot of things accomplished. The weather held off and the event management crew did a
fantastic job. We are recruiting the right people as most of our freshmen dominated the meet. Those athletes are getting acclimated to the college environment and they are starting to find their
groove. Expect big things to happen in the future for Florida State track and field."
Sophomore Michael Putnam (Miami, Fla.) is looking to be one of the most consistent Seminoles as he continued his reign on the field. Putnam opened up the day for FSU in the men's discus throw as he
captured first place and earned another regional mark with his throw of 54.25m/178-00. Junior Shariff Small (Kingston, Jamaica) had a good showing in the discus as he placed third with a mark of
45.76m/ 150-01.
Men's relay squads dominated the opposition in the 4x100m relay. The men's quartet made up of Michael Ray Garvin (Upper Saddle River, N.J.), Brandon Byram (Gallatin, Tenn.), Maurice Mitchell (Kansas
City, Mo.) and Charles Clark (Virginia Beach, Va.) blew past the competition with their first-place time of 39.56. The time now stands as the top performance in the nation.
"On the track, the men's 4x100 team made their debut," Meaders said. "They ran the fastest time in the country thus far."
Finishing off the day for the men were the distance runners in newcomer Nathan Duby (Winter Springs, Fla.) and Daniel Silva (Miami, Fla.). Duby had a great run as he finished the run in 3:58.59 to
earn first place. His nearest competitor was over 14 seconds behind him. Silva took fifth place with a time of 4:18.46.
The women's relay squad consisting of Tallahassee native Nicole Marcus, Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.), Danielle Jeffrey (Kingston, Jamaica) and Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) dictated the 4x100m
relay as the foursome finished the race in 44.19, over two seconds ahead of the next opponent, to earn first place.
"The women's 4x100 had an excellent performance," Meaders said. "Newcomers Danielle Williams and Danielle Jeffrey had really good performances."
Jeffrey and Marcus dominated the 100m dash to lead the Seminole sprinters and earn their ticket to regionals with their qualifying marks. Jeffrey notched first place with her finish time of 11.61 with
Marcus coming in a close second with 11.67.
Women's distance runners gave good effort in the 800m and 1500m run. Posting a finish time of 2:21.76 to lead the Seminoles' mid-distance group in the 800m run was freshmen Emily Ness (Tallahassee,
Fla.) taking third place. Newcomer Keesha Danso (Mississauga, Ontario) finished off the top 10 finishers for FSU as her time of 2:22.47 earned her sixth place. Next up was the 1500m run with Ness and
Danso again earning top 10 finishes. Ness' time of 5:07.30 took fifth place while Danso crossed the line in 5:09.14 to earn sixth place.
Other notable women having good showings in the last day of competition were juniors Valerie Flournoy (14.27: Gainesville, Fla.) and Irayize Andrews (14.57: Tampa, Fla.) in the 100m hurdles with their
third and fifth place finishes. Danielle Williams (Pensacola, Fla.) took the title in the high jump with her first-place mark of 1.70m/5-07.00.
Setting two lifetime best records at the Stanford Invitational with Head Coach Bob Braman's guidance was senior Steve Gabart (Miami, Fla.) and sophomore Justin Harbor (Bunnell, Fla.). Gabart earned a
provisional mark for nationals with a 10,000m finish time of 29:18.03 while Harbor hit the track for the 5,000m run where he finished in 14:21.77.
"We came to Stanford to set personal records and that's exactly what we did," Braman said. "Steeve earned a provisional mark and will now wait to see if he gets in to nationals with his time."
Event 3 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Danielle Williams 5- 7 1.70m 5
7T Michelle Cullum 4-11 1.50m
7T Heather Leblanc 4-11 1.50m
Event 7 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Heather Leblanc 18- 7 5.66m 5
Event 11 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Kamorean Hayes 145- 4 44.30m 3
5 Allyn Laughlin 128- 2 39.07m 1
Event 13 - Hammer
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Caila Coleman 151- 5 46.15m 4
7 Leanne Russell 117-10 35.92m
Event 15 - Javelin
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Erin Simmons 101- 7 30.96m
7 Amber Cornell 100-11 30.76m
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kamorean Hayes 49- 0.75 14.95m 5
2 Allyn Laughlin 48- 7.50 14.82m 4
Event 19 - 100 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Danielle Jeffery 11.61 5
2 Nicole Marcus 11.67 4
16 Irayiza Andrews 12.43
19 Valerie Flournoy 12.78
Event 21 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Shannon Stuckman 1:03.17 4
Event 23 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Christal Washington 54.92 5
2 Hshkeni Richemond 55.60 4
3 Keyla Smith 56.06 3
4 Auja Pughsley 57.80 2
Event 25 - 100 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Valerie Flournoy 14.27 3
5 Irayiza Andrews 14.57 1
Event 27 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 44.19 5
1) Nicole Marcus
2) Candyce McGrone
3) Danielle Jeffery
4) Teona Rodgers
Event 29 - 4x200-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 1:38.31 5
1) Nicole Marcus
2) Candyce McGrone
3) Danielle Jeffery
4) Teona Rodgers
Event 31 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Relay Team A 3:52.29 4
1) Hshkeni Richemond
2) Keyla Smith
3) Christal Washington
4) Brittany St. Louis
Event 35 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Emily Ness 2:21.76 2
6 Keesha Danso-Dapahh 2:22.47
11 Jen Hillis 2:34.45
12 Briana Walker 2:36.06
15 Arica Halila 2:40.31
16 Nicole Kenna 2:40.37
Event 37 - 1500 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Emily Ness 5:07.30 1
6 Keesha Danso-Dapahh 5:09.14
13 Arica Halila 5:37.13
14 Nicole Kenna 5:41.87
16 Briana Walker 5:56.11
Event 45 - 5000 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Meredith Kelly 19:41.35
11 Amanda Skillen 20:47.24
13 Ashley Calhoun 22:08.85
Texas Relays
04/04/2009, April 1-4, 2009, Austin, Tex.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Turns In Impressive Performances At Texas and Florida Relays.
The Seminoles earned four first-place finishes and six qualifying marks.
April 3, 2009
AUSTIN, TX AND GAINESVILLE, FL - Florida State track and field teams turned in some impressive performances in competition at both the Texas Relays and Florida Relays on Friday including first-place
finishes in the men's 4x100m Relay, the men's long jump, the women's 5000m Run and the men's 400m hurdles (on Thursday) and six regional qualifying marks.
Senior Javier Garcia-Tunon (Miami, Fla.) set the tone for Florida State at the Texas Relays with a first-place finish in the 400m hurdles prelims with a season-best and qualifying time of 50.90. The
reigning ACC co-Performer of the Week holds the best time in the event in the ACC this season.
"Javi did a great job," Florida State Assistant Coach Ken Harnden said. "I think it was the second or third fastest time of his career and he did it in very, very difficult conditions. Earlier in the
day there was upwards of 40 mile per hour winds on the track and they actually stopped the decathlon at one point, so in those conditions, to run one of your top times ever, was really good and he did
a great job against good competition."
Both the men's and women's 4x100m relays teams had good showings in the prelims at the Texas Relays. The men, comprised of Michael Ray Garvin, Brandon Byram, Maurice Mitchell and Charles Clark, placed
first in a regional qualifying time of 39.51 which bettered their ACC-leading mark of 39.56 set last week at the FSU Relays. The women's relay team of Nicole Marcus, Candyce McGrone, Danielle Jeffrey
and Teona Rodgers, placed second with a time of 44.39, its second regional qualifying mark in as many weeks as well.
"The ladies did a great job and got to stick around in a pretty good time," Harnden said. "It's one of those events where you have to have everything go right and there are so many things that can go
wrong. They did a really great job. Texas A&M is probably the favorite to win the event at nationals and they didn't get to stick around the track so the women's did a really good job. The men did a
bang up job as well. We messed up the third exchange pretty bad but managed to have the fastest qualifying time so that was impressive, particularly that early in the morning."
Other highlights at the Texas Relays included a first-place finish and qualifying score by sophomore Brian Chibudu (Harare, Zimbabwe) in Section B of the men's long jump with an outdoor personal best
mark of 24-04.25.
"It was a good day all around," Harnden said. "The jumpers did well. Brian Chibudu won the B section of the long jump. In fact he had two big fouls and they were 26-foot fouls so there's some good
stuff in there. He's been injured since the indoor conference meet and has only jumped once in practice since so for him to win the section was really good. Amy Harris had a rough day and didn't look
great on the runway but got some things down and did a decent job and Callie Giffin had a couple of good attempts at the regional mark so not bad for two of our younger kids."
At the Florida Relays, senior Lydia Willemse bettered her personal best in the 5000m run by nearly 10 seconds with a first-place finish in a regional qualifying time of 16:45.55. The time is Florida
State's best this season in the event and ranks third in the ACC.
"Lydia's win was big," Florida State head coach Bob Braman said. "Brittany St. Louis and Kay Kay Richemond both regionally qualified in the 400m dash, which I would consider another highlight of the
day. Michael Putman was third in the discus which was a good finish and a regional mark but not a personal best.
"We don't have that many men here as most of our people are in Texas but we are going to run a 4x400m relay tomorrow and try to get a regional mark."
For St. Louis (Arima, Trinidad & Tobago), Friday's race was the first time this season she has competed in the 400m and the time of 54:00 is the top mark in the ACC. Richemond's (Sufferin, N.Y.) time
of 54:57 was a season-best for the senior and ranks third in the ACC this season. Putman's (Miami, Fla.) discus mark of 54.61m (179-02) is the sophomore's third best effort of the season but would
still rank first in the ACC.
Florida State's 4x100m Relay Teams Top The Nation With Performances At Texas Relays.
The Seminoles record two nation-leading times at the Texas Relays.
April 4, 2009
AUSTIN, TX AND GAINESVILLE, FL - Florida State is the best in the nation in both the men's and women's 4x100m relays and the Seminoles proved it, running the best times in the nation Saturday at the
prestigious 2009 82nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in front of some 40,000 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium. The men ran a 38.75, just shy of a school record (38.60) while the women's time of 43.62
ranks fourth in Seminole history.
"The Texas Relays, which is really the biggest relay event of the year and both the men and women won with both setting the nation's best time and that's huge," Florida State head coach Bob Braman
said. "That was the highlight - two nation-leading 4x100 champions. That's national news, that's going to be all over the country that Tallahassee is a peak-city now.
"We are proud of it because Walter Dix leaves and people wonder what are you going to do for an encore? Well how about 38.75, the nation's leading time and we beat Texas A&M who had the leading time
coming in (women) and that's pretty impressive and we're excited about that, of course."
The same talented foursome who ran in the prelims (Michael Ray Garvin, Brandon Byram, Maurice Mitchell, Charles Clark) excelled in the finals for the Seminoles. The women's relay team of Nicole
Marcus, Candyce McGrone, Danielle Jeffrey and Teona Rodgers, which had placed second with a time of 44.39 in the prelims, earned its third straight qualifying mark.
Florida State also had success in relay events at the Florida Relays with a first-place finish in the college division of the 4x400m Relay. Kay Kay Hshkeni, Keyla Smith, Christal Washington and
Brittany St. Louis ran a 3:36.12, shaving 10 seconds off last week's time (3:46.45) at the FSU Relays. The time ranks first in the ACC this season and is a regional qualifying time.
"The women's 4x400m relay won the college division at the Florida Relays," Braman said. "They were fourth in the race but three Olympic all-star teams ahead of them that don't count so we won
that."
Javier Garcia-Tunon placed second overall in the 400m hurdles finals with yet another qualifying mark (50.96) while Garvin also competed in the 100m Dash Invitational at the Texas Relays, taking third
place with a regional-qualifying time of 10.19, good for first in the ACC.
Florida State will host the Seminole Invitational April 10th and 11th and Mike Long Track.
Event 15 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 43.62 5
1) Nicole Marcus
2) Candyce McGrone
3) Danielle Jeffery
4) Teona Rodgers
Event 17 - 100 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
16 Teona Rodgers 13.94
Event 20 - 100 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
67 Auja Pughsley 12.41
Event 89 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
7 Liz Mabry 12- 7.50 3.85m
11 Callie Giffin 12- 1.50 3.70m
Event 92 - Long Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Amy Harris 19- 6.25 5.95m
Event 94 - Triple Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
10 Tiara Swanagan 41-10.75 12.77m
Seminole Invitational
04/11/2009, April 10-11, 2009, Tallahassee, Fla.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Kicks Off First Day Of Seminole Invitational.
Senior Tim Reen earns ticket to regionals in the men's high jump.
April 10, 2009
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida State track and field teams kicked off its second home meet of the season earlier today with the Seminole Invitational. The two-day meet offers the last weekend of
preparation before the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships next week in Miami, Fla. The Seminoles closed out the first day with several good performances on the track and field including four
regional qualifying marks/times.
"We had a good day today with getting some personal bests," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "It's a great night to compete and a good way to kick-off the meet with four regional marks and several
personal records set. We will get a little more done tomorrow with more events. We're hoping it won't be so windy so it doesn't affect our performances. It was a good day particularly for the field
events."
The Seminole jumpers launched the first event of the meet with the high jump. Sophomore Tiara Swanagan (Orange Park, Fla.) and freshman Danielle Williams (Pensacola, Fla.) led the way for the women
with their second-place mark of 1.65m/5-05.00. Posting a third-place mark of 1.55m/5-01.00 was Michelle Cullum (Stuart, Fla.) while Heather Leblanc (Live Oak, Fla.) took ninth with the same mark.
Next up for the women were the Seminole throwers. Earning second place with a mark of 39.78m/ 130-06 was junior Allyn Laughlin (Ambridge, Pa.) in the women's discus throw. Other notable throwers were
Amber Cornell (36.03m/118-02) and Erin Simmons (34.96m/114-08: Argyle, Texas) placing fifth and sixth in the javelin throw, respectively.
Closing out the day for the women on the track were the Seminole distance runners with help from assistant coach Karen Harvey. Leading the warpath was Amanda Quick (Tampa, Fla.) in the 3,000m run
earning first place with a personal-best time of 10:06.05. Coming in next for FSU was freshman Kacey Gibson (New Castle, Pa.) in third place with a finish time of 10:19.64. After coaching her athletes
through the 3,000m run, Harvey went on to compete in the final women's event of the day unattached, the 5,000m run, where she placed third in 18:31.57. Crossing the line as the fourth collegiate
athlete was Meredith Kelly (Clermont, Fla.) in 20:06.68.
Dominating the men's high jump with a first place regional mark of 2.10m/6-10.75 was senior Tim Reen (Jupiter, Fla.). Coming in at second place was junior Andrew Bachelor (Pompano Beach, Fla.) with a
mark of 2.05m/6-08.75.
Continuing the reign on the field was sophomore Michael Putman (Miami, Fla.) in the discus throw. Putnam not only earned first place with his mark of 56.90m, but also produced another regional
qualification and set a new personal record. Junior Shariff Small (Kingston, Jamaica) placed fourth with a throw of 46.09m.
The men's distance squad concluded the track competition for the first day. Junior Jason Lakritz (New Windsor, N.Y.) highlighted the 3,000m run with a personal-best time of 8:38.79 that earned him
third place. Closing out the top ten finishes for the Seminoles was Nick Sunseri (Raleigh, N.C.) in ninth place with a time of 9:05.10.
Producing the last two regional qualifications of the day and setting new lifetime records were newcomer Pelle Rietveld (Zoetermeer, Netherlands) and senior Bryan Howard (Warminster, Pa.) in the
javelin throw. Howard ruled the field with his first place mark of 62.73m/205-10 while Rietveld earned second place with a throw of 61.80m/202-09.
Florida State hits the track tomorrow for the final day of competition begining at 10 a.m. Also remember to come join in the festivities as former Seminole Walter Dix will be running in the 100m dash
and signing autographs.
FSU Records Eight Regional Qualifying Marks In Day Two Of The 2009 Seminole Invitational.
Former Semiole Walter Dix runs world fastest time in the 100m dash at 2009 Seminole Invitational.
April 11, 2009
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The final day of the 2009 Seminole Invitational at Florida State's Mike Long Track saw a little bit of everything...eight regional qualifying times, numerous personal records, a
Canadian record and the world's fastest time. That's right...the fastest time in the world this season. Former Seminole Walter Dix brought the standing room only crowd to its feet when he ran this
year's fastest time in the world Saturday afternoon with a time of 10.00, in the 100m dash. Dix's season-opening performance bettered Jamaica's Yohan Blake's time of 10.08, the previous top mark in
the world this year.
"With a 1.1 headwind, that's like a 9.9 low, maybe 9.8 high, so that was a great time and that's what I wanted to do," Dix said. "The last time I ran was September. It's always good to be back home. I
am not a big fan of traveling so I always like to be home with friends and family."
Florida State will next compete at the ACC Championships in Miami, Fla., April 16-18th and this weekend served as a good tune up for the Seminoles in many areas.
"We did a lot more than maybe we were going to do this weekend," Florida State head coach Braman said. "We got a lot of things done here. We have a lot of momentum going into the ACC's so I feel
pretty good about it. The key thing is that you walk off the track healthy because next week is going to be pretty big."
The women had a great day for the Seminoles. Getting things started and in her first long jump appearance of the outdoor season, sophomore standout Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica), not only won the
event at the 2009 Seminole Invitational, but did so in impressive fashion, setting a personal record with a mark of 21-00.75 (6.42m) which ranks first in the ACC and third in the nation. The mark also
regional qualifies Williams and places her fourth in FSU history in the long jump.
Liz Mabry (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) put forth an excellent effort with a first place finish in the pole vault. Her mark of 13-01.50, a personal record for the junior, ranks first in the ACC this season and
second in Seminole history. Mabry has now recorded regional qualifying marks in three meets (Disney Classic and Texas Relays) this season.
Dominating the women's 800m run was Florida State junior Pilar McShine (Trinidad and Tobago), who recorded a first-place finish with a personal record and regional-qualifying time of 2:05.48. The time
ranks first in the ACC and third in the nation this outdoor season.
Senior Lydia Willemse's (Forest, Ontario) 6:33.28 in the 2000m steeplechase set a new Canadian record, breaking the previous mark of 6:36.05 help by Danielle Woods back in July of 2007.
On the men's side, Miami natives sophomore Kevin Williams (46.94) and freshman Brandon O'Connor (47.08) both regionally qualified in the 400m run in their first action in the event for the Seminoles
this outdoor season. Both times rank in the top four in the ACC.
Freshman Nathan Duby (Winter Springs, Fla.) placed second at the meet in the 800m run with a personal best time of 1:50.87, shaving nearly four seconds off of his previous best time, and just missed
the regional qualifying mark of 1:50.40.
Florida State's first place men's 4x400m relay capped off a successful day for the Seminoles. The team of sophomore Kevin Williams (Miami, Fla.) and freshmen Brandon O'Connor (Miami, Fla.) and Kevin
and Jonathan Borlee (Brussels, Belgium) ran a regional qualifying time of 3:04.02 which ranks third in the nation and is the best in the ACC by nearly eight seconds (3:11.54, Georgia Tech).
Event 1 - High Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2T Tiara Swanagan 5- 5 1.65m 7
2T Danielle Williams 5- 5 1.65m 7
7T Michelle Cullum 5- 1 1.55m
9T Heather Leblanc 5- 1 1.55m
Event 3 - Pole Vault
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Liz Mabry 13- 1.50 4.00m 5
3 Callie Giffin 12- 1.50 3.70m 3
4 Abbey Sutton 11- 1.75 3.40m 2
5 Lauren Giffin 11- 1.75 3.40m 1
6 Leilani Caraballo 10- 8 3.25m
Event 5 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 21- 0.75 6.42m 5
2 Heather Leblanc 18- 8.50 5.70m 4
Event 9 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Allyn Laughlin 130- 6 39.78m 4
Event 11 - Hammer
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Caila Coleman 156- 9 47.79m 4
8 Leanne Russell 113-10 34.69m
Event 13 - Javelin
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Amanda Carr 120-11 36.86m 2
5 Amber Cornell 118- 2 36.03m 1
6 Erin Simmons 114- 8 34.96m
Event 15 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Allyn Laughlin 50- 0.50 15.25m 5
Event 17 - 100 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
5 Auja Pughsley 12.03 1
16 Cinnamon Johnson 25.77
Event 21 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Stephanie Simpson 56.19 4
12 Kayann Chambers 58.66
Event 23 - 100 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Valerie Flournoy 14.18 4
Event 25 - 400 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Shannon Stuckman 1:01.66 4
Event 31 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Pilar McShine 2:05.48 5
4 Emily Ness 2:19.47 2
5 Keesha Danso-Dapahh 2:20.16 1
15 Jen Hillis 2:29.87
18 Briana Walker 2:37.00
19 Arica Halila 2:38.59
20 Nicole Kenna 2:52.12
Event 33 - 1500 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Keesha Danso-Dapahh 4:45.61 4
5 Emily Ness 4:51.38 1
10 Kara Taylor 5:05.79
11 Bree McArdle 5:06.31
15 Jen Hillis 5:13.94
16 Briana Walker 5:17.11
20 Arica Halila 5:25.07
22 Nicole Kenna 5:38.19
Event 35 - 3000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Amanda Quick 10:06.05 5
3 Kacey Gibson 10:19.64 3
5 Jennifer Dunn 10:36.85 1
Event 37 - 5000 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
6 Meredith Kelly 20:06.68
10 Ashley Calhoun 21:27.63
Event 39 - 2000-Meter Steeplechase
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Lydia Willemse 6:33.28 5
ACC Outdoor Championship, 1st place
04/18/2009, April 16-18, 2009, Coral Gables, Fla.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles In Good Position After Day One Of ACC Championships.
Miami native Steeve Gabart caps off successful day with first-place finish in the men's 10K.
April 16, 2009
MIAMI, FL - It was a storybook finish Thursday for Florida State in the first day of the 2009 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Cobb Stadium on the campus of the University of Miami as senior
Steeve Gabart, a Miami native, capped things off with a first-place finish in the 10,000m run. Gabart, who ran high school track at North Miami Senior and attended an NAIA and junior college before
heading to Florida State, hadn't competed in front of his mother for five years but did so Thursday night with an exciting victory.
"It was big for me," Gabart said. "Coming out of high school, I didn't go D-1; I had to take the rough route but Coach (Braman) took a chance on me and this was a great way to be able to repay him. I
love FSU! It was the first time ever that my mom got to watch me compete in college. It just feels good."
With four top four finishes, including Gabart's victory in the 10K which scored 10 points, and a fourth-place showing by senior Pelle Rietveld (Zoetermeer, Netherlands) after part one of the
decathlon, the Florida State men's track and field team finds itself in second place with 28 points - just two points behind leader Virginia.
"It was awesome," Florida State head coach Bob Braman said about Gabart's performance. "Steeve was far from the favorite but he just wouldn't give up and powered through and won by a foot. He was just
incredible, incredible.
"This just ended what was already a fantastic day for the Seminoles."
Junior Travis Whitfield (Jay, Fla.) and senior Matt Wernke (Tallahassee, Fla.) placed second and fourth, respectively, in the hammer throw, scoring 13 points for the Seminoles. Senior Bryan Howard
(Warminster, Pa.) added five points with a fourth-place finish in the javelin.
Only junior Caila Coleman (Tallahassee, Fla.) competed for the Florida State women on Thursday with a 154-00.00 for an 11th place overall mark in the hammer throw.
Part two of the decathlon gets underway Friday morning at 11:00 as Rietveld gets things started for the Seminoles in day two of the 2009 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Seminoles Earn Seven Medals In Second Day Of 2009 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Lydia Willemse and Kim Williams earn Gold Medals in the 3000m steeplechase and long jump events.
April 17, 2009
MIAMI, FL - With seven medals Friday in the second day of competition at the 2009 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Cobb Stadium, the Florida State men's and women's track and field teams
will enter the third and final day of the meet in first and second place, respectively. Earning Gold Medals for the Seminoles with lifetime bests were senior Lydia Willemse (Forest, Ontario) in the
3000m steeplechase (10:12.65) and sophomore Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica) with a 21-06.75 in the long jump - a mark that ranks second in the nation this year.
"On the whole, we had a really good day," Florida State head coach Bob Braman said. "We had a lot of good things happen and we're ahead of what we predicted we'd do in virtually everything. Everything
is just going really, really well. We've got kids competing hard and we put ourselves in really good positioning in qualifying and didn't miss too many opportunities."
With 63 points, FSU's men have a 14-point lead over Virginia (49) while with 39 points, the Seminole women trail leader North Carolina (52) by just 13 points. Eight events have been scored.
The Seminoles earned Silver Medals in men's high jump with Tim Reen (Jupiter, Fla.) matching his career best with a 6-10.75; in the men's long jump as sophomore Brian Chibidu (Harare, Zimbabwe) earned
personal record with a 25-04.75 and in the men's shot put as freshman Michael Putman (Miami, Fla.) gave a huge effort with a personal best 60-02.50.
Florida State picked up a pair of Bronze Medals as well. Titusville, Fla., native junior Trey Andrews in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:06.75 and junior Allyn Laughlin (Ambridge, Pa.) with a
career best 52-01.00 in the women's shot put.
Also scoring points for the Seminoles were junior Andrew Bachelor (Pompano Beach, Fla.) with a fourth place finish and 6-08.25 in the men's high jump, sophomore Kamorean Hayes (Charlotte, N.C.) with a
fifth-place finish in the women's shot put at 48-11.50, junior Amanda Quick (Tampa, Fla.) in the 3000m steeplechase and freshman Amy Harris (Birmingham, England) and Heather Leblanc (Like Oak, Fla.)
in the women's long jump.
FSU decathlete Pelle Rietveld (Zoetermeer, Netherlands) sustained a groin-pull on his first high jump attempt on Friday morning, forcing the senior to sit out the rest of the championship.
"Obviously, Pelle's injury is the big disappointment of the day," Braman said. "Not so much because we won't have a chance to win the men's (ACC) title but because his ability to score high in the
national meet - that's where we are concerned about his health. He came here for his last and only season to run the NCAA meet All-American. He did that indoors but he's really better outdoors so I
really feel for Pelle."
The Seminoles also had many notable performances in the prelims of several events Friday. On the men's side, FSU occupied three of the top four qualifying times in the men's 200m dash with junior
Charles Clark (Virginia Beach, Va.) leading the way with a first place time of 20.78. The Florida State women turned in four of the top six times in the 400 meters and three of the top seven
qualifying times in the 100m dash. Sophomore Brittany St. Louis (Trinidad & Tobago) led the way with a second place time of 54.35 in the 400 while freshman Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.)
competed like a veteran with an 11.44 for the second best qualifying time in the 100 meters and a 23.30 for the second best qualifying time in the 200m dash. Sophomore Pilar McShine (Trinidad &
Tobago) cruised to a fourth-place finish in the 1,500m prelims with a time of 4:28.82.
"We had a lot of big things happen and I think we fed off of each other," Braman said. "Today was 'moving day' and we did an awfully good job of moving in the right direction. I'm pleased but we have
a lot of work to do still."
Seminoles Crowned ACC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Champions!
The FSU women have now achieved the coveted ACC triple crown, winning ACC titles in women's cross country and women's indoor and outdoor track and field.
April 18, 2009
MIAMI, FL - The Florida State women's track & field team dominated Saturday's action at the 2009 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and earned the program's second ACC outdoor title, and first
since 2000. The FSU women have now achieved the coveted ACC triple crown, winning ACC titles in women's cross country and women's indoor and outdoor track and field. Gold medals in the triple jump,
4x100m relay, 1500m run, 400m dash, 5000m run and 4x400m relay and 10 medals in all on Saturday at Cobb Stadium gave the Florida State women a dominating victory with 160 points - 33 points more than
second-place Virginia Tech.
"It's just fantastic...the women had a great meet," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "It was, on paper, really tough. It was supposed to be really close. First it was North Carolina and then it was
Virginia Tech. When there are two teams chasing you, it's a little tricky to figure it out and know how you're doing but for the most part, we took care of our stuff. We got our championships, we
competed really, really well and got big doubles from Pilar (McShine) and Kimberly (Williams). We had a lot of kids get points and the young kids are figuring it out and doing a really good job."
The FSU women's success in the 5000m run is what clinched the ACC title for the Seminoles as a trio of Seminoles combined for 20 points with senior Susan Kuijken's gold medal winning 16:31.68,
sophomore Pilar McShine's (Trinidad & Tobago) silver medal winning 16:35.54 and senior Lydia Willemse's (Forest, Ontario) 16:49.65. McShine scored 18 points herself for the Seminoles on Saturday, also
winning the 1500m run with a personal best 4:20.83. Sophomore Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica) defended her triple jump title with a 44-08.75 to earn her second gold medal in the ACC meet in as many
days. Junior Tiara Swanagan (Orange Park, Fla.) joined Williams on the medal stand, earning the silver medal in the triple jump with a 42-09.50.
Junior Liz Mabry (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) and sophomore Kamorean Hayes (Charlotte, N.C.) got things moving in the right direction early in the day for the Seminoles. Mabry recorded a personal record with a
height of 13-03.50 in winning a silver medal in the pole vault while Hayes' throw of 163-11.00 in the discus, also a personal best, placed fourth and scored points for the Seminoles.
The Seminoles dominated in the sprints and the relays. FSU touted three of the top five times and scored 20 points overall in the 400m dash with a personal record and gold medal 52.97 by sophomore
Brittany St. Louis (Trinidad & Tobago). Freshman Christal Washington's (Hollywood, Fla.) fourth place finish with a personal best and regional qualifying mark of 54.13 and seniors Hshkeni Richemond
(Sufferin, N.Y.) and Keyla Smith's (Daytona Beach, Fla.) fifth (54.53) and eighth place (55.57) finishes combined for 10 points.
FSU also took three of the top five spots in the 100m dash with freshman Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.) taking second for the silver medal with a personal best time of 11.45. Freshman Danielle
Jeffery (Kingston, Jamaica) and senior Nicole Marcus (Tallahassee, Fla.) each turned in a time of 11.61 to finish fourth and fifth, respectively and scored nine points. McGrone and sophomore Teona
Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.), both nursing injuries, jogged the 200m dash but contributed three points.
FSU's 4x100m and 4x400m relays teams blew the competition away with gold medal-winning performances. The 4x100m foursome (Marcus, McGrone, Jeffery, Rodgers) turned in its third best time of the season
at 44.31 while the ladies in the 4x400m relay (Richemond, St. Louis, Washington, Smith) improved their season mark by nearly 16 seconds with a regional qualifying mark of 3:34.75.
"We won by 33 points but if we're healthy, the margin is even greater because the two girls in the 100 were both hurt in the 200 and just had to get through it," Braman said. "We've got even greater
heights to go but I'm real proud of them. The challenge for them now is to go from the three conference championships to the podium, the top four, and chase after a national championship. We're real,
real young but it's a pretty powerful group."
Women - Team Rankings - 21 Events Scored
===============================================================================
1) Florida State 160 2) Virginia Tech 127
3) North Carolina 123 4) Virginia 74
5) Miami 69 6) Georgia Tech 55.50
7) NC State 52.50 8) Clemson 44
9) Wake Forest 35 9) Maryland 35
11) Duke 33 12) Boston College 8
Event 1 - Hammer
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Caila Coleman 154- 0 46.94m
Event 5 - 100 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Candyce McGrone 11.44 8 Prelim time
4 Danielle Jeffery 11.61 5
5 Nicole Marcus 11.61 4
Event 6 - 200 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
7 Candyce McGrone 23.30 2 Prelim time
8 Teona Rodgers 23.60 1 Prelim time
12 Stephanie Simpson 24.31
14 Auja Pughsley 24.33
Event 7 - 400 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Brittany St. Louis 52.97 10
4 Christal Washington 54.13 5
5 Hshkeni Richemond 54.53 4
8 Keyla Smith 55.57 1
Event 9 - 1500 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Pilar McShine 4:20.83 10
Event 10 - 100 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
9 Teona Rodgers 13.99
Event 11 - 400 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
13 Shannon Stuckman 1:01.44
Event 12 - 3000 Meter Steeplechase
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Lydia Willemse 10:12.65 10
6 Amanda Quick 10:43.70 3
Event 13 - High Jump
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
9 Danielle Williams 5- 5 1.65m
10T Heather Leblanc 5- 3 1.60m
10T Tiara Swanagan 5- 3 1.60m
Event 14 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 21- 6.50w 6.57mw 10
5 Amy Harris 20- 3 6.17m 4
7 Heather Leblanc 19- 7 5.97m 2
Event 15 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Allyn Laughlin 52- 0.75 15.87m 6
5 Kamorean Hayes 48-11.50 14.92m 4
Event 16 - 5000 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Susan Kuijken 16:31.68 10
2 Pilar McShine 16:35.54 8
7 Lydia Willemse 16:49.65 2
Event 17 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 44.31 10
1) Nicole Marcus
2) Candyce McGrone
3) Danielle Jeffery
4) Teona Rodgers
Event 18 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 3:34.75 10
1) Hshkeni Richemond
2) Brittany St. Louis
3) Keyla Smith
4) Christal Washington
Event 19 - Pole Vault
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Liz Mabry 13- 3.50 4.05m 8
12 Callie Giffin 11- 7.75 3.55m
Event 20 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 44- 8.75 13.63m 10
2 Tiara Swanagan 42- 9.50 13.04m 8
Event 21 - Discus
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Kamorean Hayes 163-11 49.97m 5
15 Allyn Laughlin 133- 4 40.65m
Penn Relays
04/25/2009, April 24-26, 2009, Philadelphia, Pa.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Earns Additional Regional Qualifications At Penn Relays.
Gabart earns ticket to regionals in the 5,000m run while Williams dominates women's triple jump.
April 24, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Florida State track and field teams (Men-No. 5/Women-No. 12) concluded the second day of the 115th Penn Relays on a good note, earning seven regional marks and qualifying for
four final events. The Seminoles will be back in action at the Franklin Field House Saturday, April 25 beginning at 1:20 p.m.
Kicking off the meet was a small group of athletes late Thursday night. Qualifying for the women's 4x400m relay finals on Saturday at 5:10 p.m. were the Seminole sprinters in Hshkeni "Kay Kay"
Richemond, Britany St. Louis, Keyla Smith and Christal Washington with a third-place time of 3:37.94. The squad currently holds the seventh-best performance in the nation with their Atlantic Coast
Conference Championship time of 3:34.75.
Next up for Florida State was senior Steeve Gabart in the 5,000m run. The Miami, Fla. native went into the event vying for a ticket to regionals and reached his goal with his eighth-place finish time
of 14:05.92.
Finishing up the first day for the group was FSU thrower Allyn Laughlin (Ambridge, Pa.) in the shot put where the junior threw 15.34m/50-4 to earn her second regional mark.
"It was a good first day," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "The 4x400m women's relay group qualified the third fastest time in the meet for the finals on Saturday. Steeve Gabart got his regional mark
in the 5,000 which was great. Allyn had a nice showing as well with another regional mark."
Opening up the second day of competition was freshman Michael Putnam in the shot put. Putnam, from Miami, Fla., took third place with a throw of 18.26m/ 59-11, earning him his fourth shout put
regional qualification mark. Putnam then went on to compete in the discus throw where he set a new personal record with his throw of 57.20m/187-7. The mark earned him second place and regional
qualifications.
"Michael had a great meet," Braman added. "He would have taken first in the discus, but the thrower from Virginia beat him the last throw. His shot put throw was his second-best performance."
Making the way for the women was ACC Women's Field Performer of the Year, Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica). The ACC Champion once again crushed the competition with her first place triple jump of
13.66m/44-9.75. Williams jump is her best performance of the season.
Placing fifth in the 4x100m men's relay with a time of 40.10 to earn a spot in the championship tomorrow was the quartet of Michael Ray Garvin, Brandon Byram, Maurice Mitchell and Charles Clark.
Garvin (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) and Mitchell (Kansas City, Mo.) also competed went on to compete in the 100m dash where both Seminoles qualified for finals with their finishes. Although just a
freshmen, Mitchell led the way for FSU with his fourth-place finish of 10.55 that also earned him regional qualifications with Garvin finishing in 10.76 to take seventh place. This is the third time
Mitchell has regionally qualified in an individual event as the newcomer has qualified with the relay teams.
Closing out the day for the Seminoles was the men's 4x400m relay group in Jonathan and Kevin Borlee, Kevin Williams and Brandon O'Conner. The foursome controlled the track as they cruised into first
place with a time of 3:05.83 to earn a spot in the finals and notch regional qualifications. The time is FSU's second-best performance of the season and currently sits as the seventh-fastest
performance in the nation.
Seminoles Impress With First Place Finish In Men's 4x400m At Penn Relays.
Florida State's men's 4x400m relay team breaks 23-year old FSU record.
April 25, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Florida State showcased its speed in impressive fashion Saturday with a first place effort in the College Men's 4x400 Championship at the 2009 Penn Relays in a time of 3:01.54 - one
of the best collegiate times ever in Penn Relays history. The time also shattered the previous FSU record of 3:03.78 set back in 1986.
"Just really pleased...it was just a great, great moment for us," Florida State head coach Bob Braman said. "They call the relays the Championship of America so we're the relay champs of America."
In a team comprised of a sophomore in Kevin Williams (Miami, Fla.) and three freshmen, Brandon O'Connor (Miami, Fla.) and Kevin and Jonathan Borlee (Brussels, Belgium), the Seminoles recorded a 4x400m
relay regional qualifying time that leads the nation in 2009 and ranks third in Penn Relays history.
Florida State (Michael Ray Garvin, Brandon Byram, Maurice Mitchell, Charles Clark) finished second to Texas A&M by just three-one hundredths of a second in the College Men's 4x100 Championship of
America in a time of 38.82. The Aggies recorded a time of 38.79 in the race but the Seminoles still hold this season's best time in the country with a time of 38.75, set earlier this month at the
Texas Relays.
"Our 4x100 relay ran a great race," Braman said. "That's also one of the fastest collegiate times ever (4th best) at Penn Relays. It was an incredible effort. I don't know if any team has ever run
that fast from lane one.
"On Penn's track, it was only a five-lane track and they couldn't move the wall back to expand it to nine lanes so lanes one through four are inside of lane one." Braman explained. "So we were in lane
five but it's the circumference of lane one and to run 38.82 from there has probably never been done before in college, so if we would have gotten a better qualifying time, it would have made a
difference."
Mitchell, who runs a leg on the 4x100 for the Seminoles, ran a 10.57 in the College Men's 100m dash Championship, good for sixth place. He ran a regional qualifying time of 10.55 in Friday's
prelims.
Florida State women also fared well in Saturday's relay action. In the College Women's 4x400 Championship of America, the Seminoles' senior Hshkeni Richemond (Sufferin, N.Y.), Brittany St. Louis
(Trinidad & Tobago), Keyla Smith (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and Christal Washington (Hollywood, Fla.) placed fourth with a time of 3:34.00. Jamaica's University of Technology finished first in a time of
3:30.61, followed by TCU (3:33.63) and LSU (3:33.96).
"The ladies did well," Braman said. "They were fourth, but third U.S. in college. They had their best time of the year and rank among the top five or six in the country so that bodes well for them
with their 4x1 sitting at No. 2 in the country. So they're doing a good job."
FSU's mark ranks first in the ACC and fifth in the nation.
Event 1 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
3 Relay Team A 3:37.94 3
1) Hshkeni Richemond
2) Brittany St. Louis
3) Keyla Smith
4) Christal Washington
Event 2 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Allyn Laughlin 50- 4 15.34m 2
20 Danielle Jeffery
Event 4 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 44- 9.75 13.66m 5
Event 5 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Relay Team A 3:34.00 2
1) Hshkeni Richemond
2) Brittany St. Louis
3) Keyla Smith
4) Christal Washington
NCAA Regional Championship, 1st place
05/30/2009, May 29-30, 2009, Greensboro, N.C.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Florida State Opens First Day Of NCAA Regionals With Good Showing.
Susan Kuijken set a new facility record in the 1500m run.
May 29, 2009
GREENSBORO, NC - Although inclement weather was expected to delay the 2009 NCAA East Regional Championships Friday, May 29th, the sun continued to shine for the Florida State track and field teams
(Men-No. 5/Women-No. 3) at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T. A total of nine Seminoles were successful in prevailing past the preliminaries and will make an appearance in the
finals on Saturday, May 30, in the final day of the regional meet. The Garnet and Gold also nationally qualified four athletes for next month's NCAA Outdoor Championship.
"The women had a flawless day," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "We really had some great things like Kim Williams in the long jump, Teona Rodgers doing a nice job in the hurdles, the 4x100 tying for
first which was big, Susan in the 1500m and Pilar looked great. The women really took care of business.
"The men's side had a lot of good things. Andrew in the high jump was great as well as Bryan Howard with the huge upset. Javi was the number one qualifier with a lifetime best. Matt Leeder came in
here and competed really really well. We would have liked for Putnam to have made it in the shot put. Now if Ngoni is 12th we have a chance in the at-large pool."
The Seminoles started setting the good foundation early in the meet. Senior Bryan Howard kicked-off the day in the javelin where the Warminster, Pa., native posted a first-place throw of 64.48m/211-06
to win the first flight. The forceful throw earned Howard fourth place in the finals and is noted as a new personal record.
Despite changes in the line-up due to injuries, the men's quartet of Maurice Mitchell (Kansas City, Mo.), Brian Chibudu (Harare, Zimbabwe), Kevin Williams (Miami, Fla.) and Charles Clark (Virginia
Beach, Va.) took the track for the 4x100m relay where the men overcame the obstacle to earn first place in their heat with a time of 39.63. The four Seminoles will battle in the finals tomorrow
afternoon after the women's final.
Junior Andrew Bachelor was the second Seminole for the men to earn a ticket to nationals in the high jump. Bachelor, born in Titusville, Fla., earned fifth place and reset his personal record with his
jump of 2.13m/6-11.75.
Sprinters proved their dominance in the 400m dash were the dynamic duo of Kevin and Jonathan Borlee (Brussels, Belgium) led the way with their first (45.80) and second place (45.84) finished,
respectively. The brothers both will compete in the finals tomorrow at 6:20 p.m. Clark and Mitchell also showed their Garnet and Gold in the 200m dash where both Seminoles will compete in the finals
tomorrow afternoon. Clark's qualifying time of 20.83 earned him fourth place while Mitchell took sixth place as he crossed the line in 20.93.
Senior Javier Garcia-Tunon continued on the warpath in the 400m hurdles where the Miami, Fla., native bettered his already chart topping performance with a time 50.23 to set a new personal record. The
Seminole has now held the Atlantic Coast Conference record this season for over a month. Garcia-Tunon's time is noted as the seventh-best program performance in history.
Earning the last ticket to nationals on the men's squad was sophomore Matt Leeder. Leeder, a Brockville, Ontario native, hit the track for the final men's competition in the 5000m run where the
Seminole posted a fourth-place finish time of 14:17.55.
The women's 4x100m relay squad cruised past the competition with their first-place preliminary time of 43.91. The foursome of Nicole Marcus (Tallahassee, Fla.), Candyce McGrone (Indianapolis, Ind.),
Danielle Jeffrey (Kingston, Jamaica) and Teona Rodgers (Tampa, Fla.) blew the competition away to earn a spot at the finals tomorrow afternoon.
Rodgers then went on to make her second appearance on the track in the 100m hurdles. The sophomore qualified for the finals with her seventh-place finish time of 13.42.
Hitting the track next was Susan Kuijken (Nijmegen, Netherlands) for the 1500m preliminary run. The senior highlighted the track with her time of 4:19.91, earning her first place. Her time not only
qualified her for the finals tomorrow, but also set a new Irwin Belk Track record that was previously set in 2006.
Three-time All-American Kim Williams dominated the long jump once again as the sophomore earned first place with a new lifetime best record of 6.66m/21-10.25. The Kingston, Jamaica native, who now
holds the second-best performance in the nation, will hit the field tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to defend her regional crown from last year.
The next Seminole to earn a spot in the finals on Saturday was Pilar McShine (port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) in the 800m run. McShine took first place in heat one with a time of 2:06.88 and
finished in second-place overall in the preliminaries.
Posting up three points for the women was junior Lizbeth Mabry (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) in the pole vault with a mark of 3.91m/12-10.00 to help the women move into second place.
Florida State Women Crowned 2009 East Regional Champions While Men Finish in Fourth Place.
Kim Williams bettered who already chart topping triple jump.
May 30, 2009
GREENSBORO, NC - The Florida State track and field teams (Men-No. 5/Women-No. 3) closed out the last day of the 2009 NCAA East Regional Championship nationally qualifying a two-day total of 14
Seminoles for next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. In addition to qualifying several athletes, Kim Williams highlighted the day with an excellent triple jump that reset
several records and bettered her mark that sat as FSU's best performance in program history to help the women earn the regional crown with 71 points. The FSU men earned fourth place with 51 points.
"The women had a fantastic day," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "With the 4x100m squad and Teona battling for first, Susan, Pilar and Kim Williams taking first place was great. They really battle
today. Unfortunately we did have two injuries on their side with Tiara and Lydia. I felt bad for Lydia because she set herself up to me ranked nationally in her senior year and then she gets injured
from not landing right. However, the women were great.
"As for the men, because of injuries, we had to put a 4x100 team that had never run together in the season. We got through the first round and the second round we tried to win the race. However,
sometimes you try to win the race and get to excited rather than just qualify. It was a typical 4x100m. We just didn't make the exchange from two to three. If you don't finish the event you don't
qualify."
Opening up the day for the women were throwers Allyn Laughlin and Kamorean Hayes. Both Seminoles were set to compete in the shot put, but it was Laughlin who would be the lone Seminole to prevail past
preliminaries and move on to the finals. In the finals, the Ambridge, Pa., native threw a personal-best throw of 16.06m/52-08.25 to finish in second place.
Earning the second ticket to nationals for the women was the 4x100m relay squad of Nicole Marcus, Candyce McGrone, Danielle Jeffrey and Teona Rodgers. The foursome started off the relay in third
place, but when the baton was handed to Rodgers, the anchor leg, the sophomore quickly changed the pace as she battled against South Carolina for first place and came out successful with a first-place
finish time of 43.64.
Up next on the track was NCAA Champion and six-time All-American Susan Kuijken in the 1500m run final. The Nijmegen, Netherlands native eased into first place again with a finish time of 4:22.53 to
earn the regional title as well as earn a ticket to nationals.
Dominating the field and taking home the title for the second consecutive year in the triple jump was sophomore Kim Williams (Kingston, Jamaica). The three-time All-American jumped a personal-best
13.98m/45-10.50 to earn first place. The NCAA Champion set a new facility and regional record and now owns the best season performance in the nation.
Mid-distance runner Pilar McShine (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad &Tobago) controlled the 800m run with her first-place finish time of 2:06.55 to earn the women's fifth national qualifying spot.
The 3,000m steeplechase was up next for the women to conquer as senior Lydia Willemse and junior Amanda Quick were up for the challenge. Flight two featured Quick crushing her previous personal record
and setting a new lifetime-best record with 10:33.27 to cross the line first in her flight. Willemse, a team co-captain, lead the third flight until the Forest, Ontario native encountered an
unfortunate injury and dropped out of the race. Quick's time earned her ninth place overall.
Closing out the meet for the women was the 4x400m relay foursome of Hshkeni Richemond, Brittany St. Louis, Keyla Smith and Christal Washington. The quartet took fourth place with a time of 3:35.28 and
earned the last automatic national qualification.
On the men's front, the brother twosome of Kevin and Jonathan Borlee (Brussels, Belgium) hit the ground running in the men's 400m dash. In their first regional meet, the duo nationally qualified with
their third and fourth place finishes as K. Borlee was the first Seminole to cross at 45.54 and J. Borlee quickly followed in 45.58.
The other Seminole sprinters in Charles Clark and Maurice Mitchell turned their attention to the 200m dash where Clark's blistering time of 20.60 earned him the first-place crown and a ticket to
nationals, while Mitchell took sixth place with a finish time of 21.00.
Finishing up the day for the team was the men's 4x400m squad. Teammates Kevin Williams, Clark and the Borlee brothers grouped together to set a new facility record with their first place relay time of
3:04.53. The men helped FSU finish in fourth place.
Event 1 - 100 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
9 Danielle Jeffery 11.67
Event 2 - 800 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Pilar McShine 2:06.55 10
Event 3 - 1500 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Susan Kuijken 4:19.91 10
Event 4 - 100 Meter Hurdles
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
7 Teona Rodgers 13.42 2
31 Valerie Flournoy 14.40
Event 5 - 3000 Meter Steeplechase
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
9 Amanda Quick 10:33.27
Event 6 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Relay Team A 43.64 10
1) Nicole Marcus
2) Candyce McGrone
3) Danielle Jeffery
4) Teona Rodgers
Event 7 - 4x400-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
4 Relay Team A 3:35.28 5
1) Hshkeni Richemond
2) Brittany St. Louis
3) Keyla Smith
4) Christal Washington
Event 8 - Pole Vault
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
Liz Mabry 12-10 3.91m
Event 9 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 21-10.25w 6.66mw 10
9 Amy Harris 20- 2.25 6.15m
14 Heather Leblanc 19- 4 5.89m
Event 10 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 45-10.50 13.98m 10
6 Tiara Swanagan 42- 6.50 12.97m 3
Event 11 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Allyn Laughlin 52- 8.25 16.06m 8
12 Kamorean Hayes 47-11.25 14.61m
Event 12 - Discus
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
11 Kamorean Hayes 152- 3 46.41m
NCAA Outdoor Championship, 4th place
06/13/2009, June 10-13, 2009, Fayetteville, Ark.
From the FSU Website, seminoles.com.
Seminoles Enjoy Successful First Day At NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Florida State advances in nine events in Wednesday's action.
June 11, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - The first day of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships proved to be successful for the Florida State Seminoles with next round qualification in nine events. FSU turned
in five Top 5 finishes in Wednesday's competition at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
Setting the tone early for the Seminole squads was long jumper Ngoni Makusha. The Mandedza, Zimbabwe, native earned fourth place in his first jump with a mark of 7.87m. Makusha hits the field Thursday
for the finals at 5:45 p.m.
As the lone thrower to represent the women on the field, Allyn Laughlin showed her Garnet and Gold as she qualified for the finals with her shot put mark of 16.00m. The junior will hit the field
Thursday at 4:45 p.m. as the only ACC competitor in the event.
Mid-distance runner Pilar McShine qualified for the next round in the 800m run with a finish time of 2:05.09 that earned the junior third place and ranks third in the conference this season. She will
compete Thursday at 8:15 p.m. in the semifinals.
The Seminole women took care of business on the track as the 4x100m relay foursome of Nicole Marcus, Candyce McGrone, Danielle Jeffrey and Teona Rodgers placed third with a time of 43.79. The squad
will hit the track Friday at 7:05 p.m. for the final round of the relay and will be the lone ACC school competing.
Seminole hurdler Javier Garcia-Tunon also found success on the track as he finished the 400m hurdles with a time of 50.61 and qualified for the semifinals Thursday at 8:00 p.m.
After the meet was forced to take a three hour break due to inclement weather, the dynamic brother twosome of Jonathan and Kevin Borlee opened back up the action for the Seminoles in the 400m dash.
Kevin cruised into first place in the first heat with a time of 45.88 which went on to place him second overall right behind his brother, Jonathan, who closed out the event in heat five with a
blistering time of 45.50 that earned him the top spot overall in the race. The semifinals of the men's 400m will be Friday at 8:25 p.m.
Closing out the day for the women was sophomore Kim Williams in the long jump. The South Region Field Performer of the Year leaped a qualifying mark of 6.35m to earn a spot in the final round Thursday
at 5:45 p.m.
Matt Leeder also advanced with a 14th place finish in the 5000m run in a time of 14:02.57. He will compete in the final for the 5K race Friday at 9:40 p.m.
Makusha And Williams Earn Championships In The Long Jump At NCAA Meet.
Makusha now holds the best collegiate long jump in the nation this season.
June 12, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - In just the second day of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championship, the Florida State track and field teams reached a new level of excellence by surpassing expectations and winning the
title in both the women's and men's long jump as Kim Williams and Ngoni Makusha were named NCAA Champions. Florida State is now just the second school to have a national champion in both the men's and
women's outdoor long jump in the same season. Auburn also managed the task in 2003.
"They're just special," FSU head coach Bob Braman said about his national champions. "I'm stressing out and everybody's like, 'Kimmie's going to get it done. She won't foul three times. She'll get it
done.' And Ngoni is just incredible. He comes through. The guy is not 100 percent. He's still got that quad problem. How many people blow a quad and three months later win an NCAA championship
comfortably? He's pretty special."
Despite almost missing an invitation to nationals, Makusha, the long jump defending national champion, hit the field for the final round in the long jump where the sophomore dominated with a powerful
jump of 8.11m to top the NCAA charts. The two-time NCAA national champion's mark now sits as the nation's leading collegiate jump this season and earned the Seminoles 10 points.
"Ngoni, on his fifth jump, jumped 8.03 meters, which you remember Brian Chibudu led the nation with 8.05," Braman said. "So he jumped 8.03, took the lead and then his last jump, jumped 8.11 so he won
the championship by 10 centimeters which is about four inches. It's the best collegiate jump of the year."
Simultaneously, Williams was taking care of business for the women on the field in the finals of the long jump. The ACC and South Region Women's Field Performer of the Year opened the event with two
fouls, but found success in her third attempt as she leaped 6.54m to find herself in a four-way tie. The sophomore jumped 6.35m to win first place and contributed 10 points.
"In the women's long jump, it was a four-way tie for first and they separate those one through four places with the second best jump overall," Braman said. "So they're all tied for one and they go to
the second and Kimmie was sitting third based on her second-best jump. On her last jump, which was the last jump of the entire competition - nobody behind her - she jumped 6.35 which was not an
improvement of her top score, but it beat everybody else's second jump and she got the win."
As the lone Seminole thrower to prevail past the first round, Allyn Laughlin reached new heights in the final round of the shot put as the Seminole scored two points for FSU with a lifetime-best throw
of 6.17m. Laughlin's mark is FSU's best performance in school history.
Senior Javier Garcia-Tunon bettered his already ACC chart-topping time in the 400m hurdles as the Miami, Fla., native earned fifth place with a new personal record time of 49.99. Garcia-Tunon's
performance moved his name up in the FSU record books to the fourth-best performance in school history. Garcia-Tunon will compete in the finals Friday at 9:05 p.m.
Mid-distance runners Pilar McShine and Susan Kuijken continued to shine on the track in the semifinals of the 800m and 1500m races, respectively. McShine led the way on the warpath first with her
finish time of 2:03.47 that earned her a spot in the final round Saturday at 1:19 p.m. Kuijken followed quickly in the 1500m race where the Nijmegen, Netherlands native cruised into sixth place with a
finish time of 4:17.97 that she looks to better in the final round Saturday at 2:09 p.m.
Seminole sprinter Charles Clark had the busiest day on the track. After the Virginia Beach, Va., native qualified for the semifinals in the 200m dash with a first round time of 20.78 that earned him
second place, Clark went on to better his time in the semifinal with 20.45 to finish in sixth place. The junior will hit the track Saturday at 1:42 p.m. for the final round.
Impressing the Arkansas crowd in the final event for the Seminoles was the men's 4x400m relay squad. The foursome of Kevin Williams, Brandon O'Connor, Kevin and Jonathan Borlee hit the track to battle
among the nation's best relay groups including Indoor National Champions Baylor who the Seminoles fell a close second too at the indoor championships. The group fought hard and earned first place in
the semifinals with a finish time of 3:03.13.
"I'm just really proud," Braman said. "We've had a great meet. We've had people over-perform beyond their seed with Javi (Garcia-Tunon), Allyn (Laughlin), Makusha coming in hurt and winning it. Matt
Leeder made the final in the 5K, late, late last night. We've just had a lot of great things so far. We haven't been perfect. Brittany St. Louis got hurt and couldn't run the 4x400m. She's our best
girl. If she's in there, maybe we run faster but that was an event that was going to be hard for us to score points in.
"I'm really proud of how the guys have responded," Braman continued. "We've had such a challenging year, such a challenging regional meet and the guys have come in here and just said, we may not win,
we may not get it, but we're going to put it out there. We're going to fight like crazy and they've done that. They've just been fantastic."
Quoting the Seminole scorers...
b>Allyn Laughlin:
"It's big just to score points for the girls' team. Every little point counts and we talked about before the meet that for the girls' team, it's going to be really close. I think a lot of people don't
realize how close it's going to be for both teams. Seventh is a little bit better than eighth but eighth is better than no points at all. It was important just to scored and I PR'd and it was a good
meet for me all around so it was great to end it that way for this year."
Ngoni Makusha
"It's just great, it's just a great feeling. Just looking back at my outdoor season I never had a chance to jump really good and jumping really good at nationals and winning it again, it's just a
great feeling. It's a wonderful feeling."
Kim Williams
"It feels good because this was my first time trying to do the long jump at nationals and I'm really excited. I realized I won when I came into the mixed zone. I went out there to get my team some
points and me winning is just the icing on the cake and I'm excited about it so that's good."
FSU's 4x100m Relay Runs Season-Best Time To Push Women Into Third Place On Day Three.
Two events earn the Seminoles All-America status.
June 12, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - The women's 4x100m relay's second-place finish highlighted Florida State's day three of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships at the John McDonnell Field. The Seminole women ended the
day holding strong in a three-way tie for third place with 20 points while the men are in 15th place with 11 points. Saturday's final day of competition will begin at 11 a.m.
"The women's 4x100 was excellent," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "They did a great job and ran a lifetime best. It was a light day for us but we got done what we had to get done. We almost hit the
home run with Javi and we had some good fortune go our way."
After qualifying for the final round on Friday with a time of 43.79, the women's 4x100m relay group composed of Nicole Marcus, Candyce McGrone, Danielle Jeffrey and Teona Rodgers opened the track
events early Friday night with an impressive sprint of 43.33 to earn second place. The quartet's time is the Seminoles fastest relay time of the season and now sits as FSU's third-best performance in
school history. The second-place finish contributed eight points for the women.
The 2009 NCAA Long Jump Champion, Kim Williams, kicked-off the field events for the Garnet and Gold in the triple jump preliminary round where the sophomore finished in second place with a mark of
13.71m. Williams' mark automatically qualifies her to battle in the final round Saturday at 1 p.m.
The men's 400m dash was a sight to see as the Borlee brothers represented only one of two ACC schools on the track. Jonathan Borlee raced in the first heat of the semifinals where the Seminole blew
away his previous collegiate-record time with a first-place overall finish time of 45.25. Brother Kevin Borlee quickly followed in the second heat taking third place, sixth overall, with a time of
45.85. Both men qualified for the final round on Saturday at 1:12 p.m.
Senior Javier Garcia-Tunon battled in the 400 hurdles and finished in eighth place to give the men's team one point.
"My heart goes out to Javi," Braman said. "He was running the race of his life. He's fourth by a couple of bodies at the 10th hurdle and he just got off on his and it broke all of his momentum."
Closing out the meet was Matt Leeder in the 5000m time as the Seminole crossed the finish line in 14:23.19.
Quoting the Seminole scorers...
Teona Rodgers (4x100m relay):
"Actually, I would consider it as more than we thought it would be. Of course, we all knew we were going up against the top schools in the nation and we had one thing on our mind and that was to go
out there and win it and if not win, get close to it. Florida State women's track and field has been on the dodge for a long time so for us to come out here and get second in the nation proves that we
do have what it takes."
"I know it makes me feel good to know that I am part of Florida State history and I know that this 4x100m for go down in Florida State history as the team that got second at the NCAA
Championships."
Nicole Marcus (4x100m relay):
"It has been really intense. This is my last year and I ended it on a great note as an All-American and it's all I've ever wanted."
Javier Garcia-Tunon
"The race didn't exactly go my way but I'm glad to be here, I'm glad to be in the top eight. That's always been a goal of mine as far as college so I am happy I reached my goal. I would have liked to
be top five but I guess it wasn't in my legs today."
"I was a member of the first national championship team and the third and I never got to contribute points and that's something I always regretted. I always wanted to score some points before I left
so I was glad to do that."
"My career was pretty successful. I came a long way, battled some injuries. I think I did a pretty good job and I feel like I contributed to the team in a lot of meets. I love FSU track and
field."
FSU Men Tie For Second Place While Women Take Fourth At NCAA's.
Kim Williams earns both jump titles for the first time in program history and second time in the NCAA.
June 13, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - With the men's 4x400m relay squad setting this year's second fastest time in the world, freshman phenom Jonathan Borlee running the nation's best time in the 400m dash this season
and junior Charles Clark earning the national championship in the 200m, the Florida State men's track and field team left the John McDonnell Field with a smile on its face Saturday as the squad was
named the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Runner-up, finishing in a three-way tie for second place with 46 points alongside Oregon and Florida. The Florida State women also took care of business
with the program's best finish since 1985. Sophomore Kimberly Williams dominated the triple jump Saturday while teammate senior Susan Kuijken blazed past the competition to earn national champion
status in the 1500m to help the Seminoles win fourth-place with 40 points.
"Everybody's got a point or two that they'd like to get," Florida State head coach Bob Braman said. "Everybody's got 'em. From where we came from with our injuries and our 4x1 not making it because of
a silly handoff where we could have jogged it in, to get second, that's a pretty good meet. And a foot away from a national title...just a heck of a meet, a heck of a meet. We haven't had one like
that for 20 years.
"I really thought the women had a better chance and we hit Kimberly (Williams) and we hit Susan (Kuijken) and the 4x100 did about everything they could do but when you come to this meet, you're going
to have some miss-fires, bad strategy or somebody cuts you off or you're not perfect. What a track meet. It was a lot of fun, a lot of fun. (We) put on a show anyway. Got them on the stand and had a
little fun with it."
The men's title came down to the very last event of the meet, the men's 4x400m relay. After a late line-up change due to Brandon O'Connor's nagging injury, Clark stepped in to run the third leg. With
a quick first leg sprint by Kevin Williams and one of the fastest second leg's FSU has ever witnessed in Kevin Borlee, Clark and Jonathan Borlee were set to finish the relay with a blistering time to
blow away records. J. Borlee crossed the finish line first to push Florida State into the FSU, NCAA and World record books as the foursome's 2:59.99 time is the world's second-fastest time this season
and the best-performance in Florida State program history.
Before the Borlee brothers crushed the opposition in the relay, both Seminoles hit the track to compete in the 400m dash. J. Borlee led the way again as he bettered his collegiate-best time with 44.78
to win the crown and earn his first NCAA Championship title. Brother K. Borlee followed on the warpath with a fourth-place finish time of 45.53, also a collegiate record for the Seminole. The Borlee's
finishes earned FSU a total of 15 points.
"I don't know what his split was but that was probably the most amazing relay I've ever seen," FSU sprints coach Ken Harnden said about Kevin Borlee. "Jonathan's 400 was just pure execution. He
executed the race absolutely perfectly. Kevin's 400, he just messed up the first 200 a little bit and it cost him. When you have four or five Olympians in a race, that kind of thing costs you
big-time. Those two kids, freshmen, they're no different from a kid who went to grade 13 in the U.S. and then came to college. They're young, they're not that experienced. Yes they went to the Olympic
games but they're still just in their fifth year of track. Those two kids are amazing."
Williams continued to control the field in the triple jump as the Seminole almost trumped the world and meet record with an incredible 14.38m mark if not for the 2.1 wind which made the jump illegal.
However, the NCAA Champion was still able to defend her 2008 title with another leap of 13.88m that solidified her first place finish. The two-time NCAA Champion is the first Seminole in FSU history
to win both the long and triple jump titles in the same season and the second student-athlete to do so in NCAA history. Williams' win Saturday earned the Seminoles 10 points.
The men's 200m dash featuring Clark finally earning the retribution he so longed for as he earned the crown. After finishing in eighth place in both 2007 and 2008, Clark's hard work paid off as his
amazing start to the race pushed the Seminole into first place with a season-best time of 20.55.
As one of FSU's most decorated athletes, Kuijken earned another medal to add to her achievements with a first-place finish in the 1500m run. Kuijken cruised into the lead early on in the race and with
her arms extended the air, the Seminole finished in 4:13.05, winning 10 points for the women's team.
In all, Florida State garnered seven national champion honors at the meet.
"We came to the meet and said, 'what can we do to give ourselves a chance?'," Braman said. "My goodness, this performance is right there with the other three titles in terms of effort. In fact, it may
be the best. It was a foot away from a perfect ending. A four-way tie, maybe the three other coaches wouldn't have been happy with that, but I'm pretty happy with that. Not just because of where we've
come from but to appreciate how hard it is to win. It ain't easy."
Quoting the Seminole scorers...
Charles Clark
"It feels good to be a winner. I just prayed to God that He was going to bring me through it and I praise His name. I am so thankful and blessed to have this opportunity to be out here for nationals
in front of thousands of fans and the people on TV. It's a great feeling to be victorious."
"I can't hear anything when I'm running. I've just got to stay focused, block out all of the noise and all of the fans and try to run a good race."
"I knew I had to get out quick, because my last 100 or so hasn't been great. I got out of the blocks well and knew as soon as we turned the corner that I had the best shot to bring it home. I guess it
was with about 20 meters to go that I knew I had it."
Susan Kuijken
"I felt good. I looked and I saw that there was a little bit of a gap and was like, 'oh, already' and that made me feel even better. I felt great; I was just flying those last 200 meters. I had a lot
of fun."
"That last 300 was crazy. I started to open it up and looked back and realized everyone else was coming. It seemed a little early, but I felt good and turned it on. This is awesome."
"I have a whole collection of second place awards in the indoor, outdoor and cross country. I was like I want to win this race. Nothing else but a win counts for me today. I am so happy I did it."
"I'm really proud of our team. We're such a small team here at nationals and we are competing for a team trophy with all of these bigger teams. That's just crazy and it shows how much quality we have
on our team."
Kimberly Williams
"Today was a really tough day. My legs were kind of giving up but I had to be strong out there. I just want to thank God for keeping me out there for the four days. I'm happy with the win and although
the wind wasn't legal, I jumped that and I just want to give thanks for that."
"It was a pretty tough weekend. This was the first time I've jumped all four days (with the long jump) and I took all of my jumps in each round, so today I just had to refocus and concentrate. I had
to adjust for the wind so that my steps were right, but I'm very happy with this win."
"It feels good to be going out and doing all of the things we do. I've got to give it up to my teammates who continue to go out there and do their best. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be so
confident with everything. I want to thank the coaching staff and everybody that works with us and is patient with us. We're looking forward to next year because we're going to be up there again."
Jonathan Borlee
"That was a great race for me to run a PR and win the race, so I'm happy with that. Running with (brother) Kevin is great for us because we can push each other in practice and keep getting better."
Event 4 - 800 Meters
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
9 Pilar McShine 2:03.47 Prelim
Event 5 - 1500 Meters
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Susan Kuijken 4:13.05 10
Event 8 - 100 Meter Hurdles
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
28 Teona Rodgers 14.18
Event 11 - 4x100-Meter Relay
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
2 Relay Team A 43.33 8
1) Nicole Marcus
2) Candyce McGrone
3) Danielle Jeffery
4) Teona Rodgers
Event 12 - 4x400-Meter Relay
======================================================
Place Name Results
======================================================
18 Relay Team A 3:37.55
1) Hshkeni Richemond
2) Stephanie Simpson
3) Keyla Smith
4) Christal Washington
Event 13 - Long Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 21- 5.50w 6.54mw 10
Event 14 - Triple Jump
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
1 Kimberly Williams 47- 2.25w 14.38mw 10
Event 17 - Shot Put
==============================================================
Place Name Results Points
==============================================================
7 Allyn Laughlin 53- 0.75 16.17m 2
