CLERMONT, Fla. (April 15, 2006) - Gardner-Webb's 56-point advantage after day one proved too much to overcome, as the Runnin' Bulldogs walked away with the team title at the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the National Training Center. Senior James Rainer (Alcoa, Tenn.) continued to clean up the competition, claiming gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes for the third-place Bucs.
The senior rolled to victory in the 100, clocking a regional-qualifying time of 10.47. Teammate Johnny Tucker (Spartanburg, S.C.) followed in second, running a season-best 10.77 for the silver medal. Rainer dominated the field the 200, finishing in 21.40, over half a second ahead of the next fastest competitor. Tucker posted another scoring performance in the event, going 22.23 for fifth.
Rainer and Tucker had hands in ETSU gold in the 4x100-meter relay. The team of Tucker, Mike Wright (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Tyler Woodruff (Sevierville, Tenn.), and Rainer scorched the field by over a second with a season-best time of 41.40. Woodruff also took a medal in the 400-meters, finishing third in 49.66.
Shane Estes (Maryville, Tenn.) took his fourth-consecutive conference crown in the high jump, clearing a season-best height of 6-6.75 (4.70m). Mike Wright (Chattanooga, Tenn.) wrapped up second place, also topping 6-6.75 (4.70m). Mike Reber (Sunbright, Tenn.) rounded out the ETSU scoring in the event, recording a leap of 5-10.75 (1.80m) for sixth place.
Wright earned another silver in the 110-hurdles, posting a season-best time of 15.13, while Reber managed a fifth-place showing the triple jump, posting a season-best mark of 41-5 (12.62m).
Josh Hicks (Riceville, Tenn.) was the top place winner in the distances, earning runner-up honors in the 1,500-meters. Hicks clocked a season-low 3:58.05 for the silver medal.
The Bucs racked up the points in the 5,000-meters, with Michael Deren (Blasdell, N.Y.) and Jeff Crane (Taylors, S.C.) reeling in third and fourth place finishes. The Buccaneer duo recorded season-best marks of 15:24.94, and 15:30.09, respectively.
Peter Dalton (Dublin, Ireland) earned a scoring performance in his final conference meet, taking third place in the steeplechase with a season-best time of 9:37.47. Jordan Ladd (Lyn, Ontario) also scored in the event, finishing in 9:49.54 for fifth.
Also scoring for the Bucs was Josh Rock (Sportsylvania, Va.), who added a fourth-place finish in the 400-hurdles. Rock ran 57.71 for the race.
Gardner-Webb took the competition with a total 194 points, followed by Kennesaw State with 142, and ETSU with 125.
Next up, members of the ETSU squad are scheduled to attend either the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., or the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Both meets will take place from April 27, to April 29.
