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MEN: Three-Time Defending Champ Salisbury Is The Team To Beat At The 2015 CAC Men's Indoor Track & Field Championship
Salisbury University has been the dominant team at the Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championship every year since the meet was added to the CAC lineup in 2012. The Sea Gulls have scored at least 150 points in the standings in each of the three years on the way to the title while three different teams have finished second, but none of them hit triple digits in the team standings.
The Sea Gulls will try to extend the string of titles to four years Saturday at the 2015 Championship at Christopher Newport.
The meet has had an interesting membership dynamic, starting with seven teams in 2012, then dropping to five teams in 2013 and adding a team (CNU) last year. This year, the CAC championship is back to seven teams with the addition of Penn State Harrisburg to the lineup.
Luke Campbell returns to lead the deep and talented Salisbury lineup. Campbell is a four-time NCAA champion sprinter and hurdler who has thrilled the crowd on several occasions by bringing Sea Gull relay teams from large deficits to gold medals with his anchor leg performances.
The battle for second place in the team standings will be interesting, as host Christopher Newport tries to fend off challenges from Wesley and York. In 2014, there was only a 19-point difference from second to fourth place, and those three teams figure to see challenges from Mary Washington, Frostburg State and Penn State Harrisburg.
Here is a brief look at each team heading into the 2015 championship:
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT enters the CAC Indoor Championships hoping to improve upon its second-place finish last year. Led by head coach Tyler Wingard, the Captains boast a pair of competitors who rank among the top-50 nationally in their respective events. Dominique Torres, who qualified for the indoor nationals last year, currently sits among the top-10 in the triple jump, while Daulton Teaford is in the top-30 in the 200. Additionally, the men's DMR team, paced by Teaford, Billy Rabil, Jeff Dover, and Zachary Campbell, set a new school and conference record in the event this winter with a time of 10:21.38.
FROSTBURG STATE heads into the CAC Championships led by seniors Devin Francillon (multi) and Chris Rickell (high jump) and junior JR Lowery (throws). Francillon is ranked in several events, including 8th in the 400-meter dash (52.68), 9th in the 60m hurdles (8.97), 12th in the high jump (5ft. 8in./1.73m), 11th in the pole vault (11ft. 5.75in./3.50m) and 15th in the long jump (19ft. 9.75in./6.04m). Rickell is currently ranked 3rd in the high jump (6ft. 2.25in./1.89m). Lowery, a Second Team All-CAC honoree in both the shot put and weight throw last year, is ranked 2nd in the weight (51ft. 3.5in./15.63m) and 3rd in the shot (51ft. 5in./15.67m).
MARY WASHINGTON enters the CAC Championship with several top performers looking to push the Eagles to the top of the meet. Senior pole vaulter Nick Judy will look to better his CAC Indoor record and qualify for NCAAs, while a host of competitors such as Glenn Taylor in the sprints and runners Ben Sorensen and Ian Granger have also turned in top finishes this winter.
PENN STATE HARRISBURG is ready for this weekend's CAC Championships and one of the people to watch is Joseph Phifer, who holds the 4th best CAC time in the 800 meters with a 1:59.59 as well as the 8th best time in the 400 meter with a 51.92. Another Lion to watch is Josiah Owhe, who holds a top 20 spot in both the 60 meter dash and the long jump.
SALISBURY enters the conference championships with a strong core of athletes, who are looking to tally the program’s fourth CAC indoor title in as many years. Four-time national champion Luke Campbell leads the team, currently ranking first in the conference in three events. His 200- and 400-meter dash times of 22.38 seconds and 49.41 seconds, along with a 8.05-second time in the 60-meter hurdles, all at the Vince Brown Invitational, lead the league. Senior Thomas Burke and sophomore Zack White both have top-ranked finishes in two events. Burke tallied a time of 1:55.19 in the 800-meter run and a 4:21.48 in the one-mile run to lead the conference. White leads in two jumps with a 21’ 10.75” leap in the long jump and a 45’ 4.5” effort in the triple jump. The Sea Gulls also hold the top spot in the high jump, as junior Xavier Stinson’s 6’ 6.75” height leads the CAC by more than two inches. The throws offer another strength for the Gulls, as senior Ryan DiPascale ranks first in the shot put (52’ 7.5”) and senior Dylan Burkett ranks first in the weight throw (52’ 10”).
WESLEY once again will look to the sprints in hopes to improve from last year’s third place performance. Sophomores Dajahn Lowery and Patrick Schlosser are the top two seeds in the 60m Dash after earning All-America honors in the 4x100m Relay last spring while Schlosser and freshman Vicco Bedell are among the leaders in the 400m Dash. All-American hurdler Matt Bundy also returns in hopes to challenge for the crown in the 60m hurdles while freshman Urgy Eado is the Wolverines best hope to challenege in the middle-distance races. In the field events, De’Vaughn Trader is second in the CAC in the long jump while Robert Wiggs jumped for the first time in two years last week and is now fully recovered. Trader should also be a factor in the triple jump, as will freshman Brandon Hunter while James Okike is quickly improving in his first-ever track season in the high jump. On the throws side, Ryan Shilling, Antwan Ellerbe and Isaiah Ingram could also generate some key points for the Wolverines.
YORK head coach Stephen LoBianco is looking for the Spartans to improve on their fourth place finish from last year. He will lean on a trio of pole vaulters to earn big points for York while sprinter Darnell Tillman has been fantastic so far in the indoor campaign. The pole vault trio of Drew Chowhan, Kevin Landis and Darris Rodrigues are all ranked in the top four of the CAC during the season. The Spartan distance crew of Michael Stetson, Ryan Aug, Grant Dell, and Andy MacGibbon give LoBianco the flexibly to score points in various distance events.
WOMEN: Christopher Newport Looks To Defend Its 2014 Title At Saturday's CAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship At CNU's Freeman Center
Christopher Newport’s athletic program joined the Capital Athletic Conference in 2013, and the Captains’ women’s track & field team had an immediate impact, hosting and winning the team championship by the largest margin in the three-year history of the indoor championship meet.
The fourth-annual CAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship will be held at Christopher Newport’s Freeman Center, beginning at 10 a.m.
CNU scored 161 points to win the six-team championship in 2014 – the third different team champion in the three-year history of the meet. Meanwhile, Mary Washington (86 points), Wesley (85 points) and Salisbury (71) points battled it out for second place. Salisbury won the CAC title in the initial year of the championship (2012), followed by Mary Washington’s first-place effort in 2013.
Wesley’s third-place finish in the women’s team standings matched the Wolverines’ placement in the men’s standings, marking the first time in school history that either team achieved bronze-medal status in the final standings at a CAC track & field championship event (indoors or outdoors).
For the second time in four years, the CAC championship will boast seven competing teams. The conference started indoor championship competition in 2012 with seven teams, but dropped down to five teams in 2013. CNU was added to the championship lineup in 2014, and Penn State Harrisburg introduced its varsity indoor and outdoor program under coach Danielle Lynch this season.
Here is a brief look at each team heading into the 2015 championship:
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT enters the CAC Indoor Championships looking to defend their conference title. Guided by head coach Tyler Wingard, the Captains have pieced together a strong indoor season this year, including a tremendous effort by Enuma Ezenwa. The reigning CAC Indoor Co-Athlete of the Year ranks among the top-50 nationally in the 60-hurdles, high jump, and pentathlon. Additionally, Lydia Cromwell ranks among the league's top-five in both the 3000 and 5000, Karissa Love and Leah Richardson have paced the team in sprints, and freshmen Lillie Cummings, Kayla Jones, and Hannah Shoemaker have made a huge impact in the throws this year.
FROSTBURG STATE heads into the CAC Championships behind senior Alexis Bush (long jump) and a pair of freshmen in Kayla Truesdel (sprints) and Erin Early (hurdles). Bush is currently ranked 1st in the conference in the long jump (17ft. 7.5in./5.37m). Truesdel is ranked 1st in the 400-meter dash (1:00.88), 2nd in the 200-meter dash (26.40) and 3rd in the 60-meter dash (8.08), while classmate Early is ranked 3rd in the 60-meter hurdles (9.41).
MARY WASHINGTON will look to finish near the top of the championship standings with a balanced squad. Senior pole vaulter Claire Harrington, who broke her own school record two weeks ago at CNU, will again look to capture top honors, as will runners Lauren Braney and Teagan Young, both of whom advanced to the NCAA Championships in cross country. Throwers Elysa Baker, Sheree Turner, and Taylor Cockerille provide depth in the throwing events.
PENN STATE HARRISBURG has worked extremely hard in its first season competing in the CAC to earn the right to compete in the Championships. Keep an eye on Katlin Gould who holds top times in the 200 and 400 meters as well as holding the 3rd highest pole vault in the CAC. Another athlete to keep an eye on is Erin Goodyear, who holds top throws in both the shot put and weight throw.
SALISBURY enters the 2014-15 indoor CAC championships, looking for its second indoor title, led by a strong group of athletes, as the Sea Gulls hold seven top-two places in the conference in the field events … Sophomore Paige DeMent holds the No. 1 spot in the shot put and the weight throw, with a 40’ 11” heave in the shot put and a 47’ 1.5” toss in the weight throw … The jumps are another strong point for SU, with sophomore Ashley Jackson holding the No. 1 spot in the conference with a 37’ 1.25” leap in the triple jump and the second spot with a 16’ 8.5” effort in the long jump … Both distances are school records set in the Christopher Newport Holiday Open … Freshman Christine Randall ranks second in the conference in the triple jump, with a 35’ 6.75” jump … Sophomore Sarah Taylor also set a school record at the CNU Holiday Open in the pole vault (10’ 11.75”) to rank second the CAC, and sophomore Meghan McGowan leads the conference with a top jump of 5’ 5.75” in the high jump..
WESLEY finished third at the CAC Indoor Championship last year, which was a program-best. But head coach Stephen Kimes expects to move even higher in 2015. Leading the charge is sophomore Elizsha Streeter, last year’s CAC Rookie of the Year, who is the top seed in all three sprints and will attempt the triple crown over the weekend. Streeter is also very likely to be looked upon in the 4x400m Relay along with classmate Angel Hall, freshman Quadira Minus and one of either Danae Carter, Chiquita Deline, Aja Russell and Alexia Mitchell. Mitchell also ranks second in the CAC in the 60m Dash while freshman Ashley Morris is the second seed in the 60m hurdles. On the field side, sophomore Taylor Rae Danforth ranks among the leaders in the pole vault while sophomore Kameko Webb heads the jumps team.
YORK enters the 2015 CAC Championships looking to improve on last year's finish. Head coach Stephen LoBianco will turn to distance stalwarts Jess Miller and Caroline DeLany to give York points in various distance events. Freshman Ericka Quenzer has proven to be a jack of all trades as she will compete in the sprints, the 60 hurdles, the high jump and various Spartan relays. Junior Bria Jones has been running well heading into championships as she gives LoBianco another scorer in the sprint event.