CLERMONT, Fla. (April 14, 2006) - With the first day of the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the books, the ETSU men are locked in a third place tie with Kennesaw State, while the Buccaneer women stand in sixth with one day of competition remaining at the National Training Center.
Gardner-Webb is comfortably atop the men's standings after a solid 80-point performance, 56 points ahead of second-place Campbell. The Bucs and Kennesaw State stand in third with 20 points apiece. The Runnin' Bulldogs are also leading the women's competition, tallying 53 day-one points, followed by indoor champ Jacksonville in second with 25. ETSU earned nine points on the opening day.
Junior Daniel Williams (Knoxville, Tenn.) was the top place finisher on the day, earning silver-medal honors in the pole vault. Williams cleared the bar at 15-5 (4.70m), on his way to tying the school record in the event.
Sophomore David Thomas (Maryville, Tenn.) also claimed a scoring spot in the vault, topping out at 14-5.25 (4.40m), good for sixth place.
A pair of Bucs recorded scoring performances in the 10,000-meters, led by freshman Michael Deren (Blasdell, N.Y.), who posted a fourth-place finish with a gutsy effort of 32:31.02. Jordan Ladd followed in (Lyn, Ontario) in sixth, running 32:38.82.
Michael Reber (Sunbright, Tenn.) and Michael Wright (Chattanooga, Tenn.) tallied a four-five finish in the long jump, recording season-best marks of 21-11.50 (6.69m), and 21-1.25 (6.43m), respectively.
Senior James Rainer (Alcoa, Tenn.) cruised to a spot in tomorrow's 100-meter final, clocking a top-qualifying time of 10.74. Teammate Johnny Tucker (Spartanburg, S.C.) also found a spot in the final, running 10.99, the third-fastest time in the prelims.
In women's action, freshman Rebecca Cole (Knoxville, Tenn.) made the medal stand with a third-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 9-11.75 (3.04m).
Sophomore Ebonie Jones (Richmond, Va.) claimed fifth place in the long jump, recording a season-best leap of 18-00.25 (5.49m).
In the throws, freshman Dedra McDaniel (North Tazwell, Va.) added a sixth-place finish in the hammer with a personal-best toss of 122-2 (37.23m).
Jenny Knox (Connelly Springs, N.C.) and Cagney Bailey (Statesville, N.C.) both picked up spots in Saturday's 100 final, clocking times of 12.28, and 12.31, respectively, good for the second and sixth-best times in the qualifying round.
Anna Marie Ricciardi (Canfield, Ohio) and Katelyn McCarty (Kingsport, Tenn.) earned chances to race in tomorrow's 100-meter hurdle final, with Ricciardi running 15.74, the fifth-fastest time in the prelims, and McCarty going 16.72 for the eight and final spot in the final.
Action continues Saturday with the men's high jump, men's shot put, women's discus and women's triple jump commencing at 11 a.m. The last event of the day, the 4x400-meter relay, is slated for 4 p.m.
