ETSU will use meet as prep for hosting next weekend’s Niswonger Invitational

CLEMSON, S.C. (Jan. 10, 2014) – The ETSU men’s and women’s track & field teams will continue the 2013-14 indoor season Saturday at the Orange & Purple Classic inside Clemson University’s Indoor Track & Field Facility.

Competition will begin at 11 a.m. with both the men’s and women’s long jump as well as the women’s weight throw. Meet events will end with the men’s 4x400 meter relay final at 6:55 p.m.

The field of competition will feature a handful of schools from throughout the southeast including Georgia Tech, UNC Asheville and host Clemson, among others.

“We look forward to getting the real track and field year going Saturday at the Clemson Orange and Purple Classic,” said ETSU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country George Watts. “There will be a nice field of competition with several strong Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schools. It will be interesting to see how we match up against some quality opponents.”

ETSU enters competition Saturday after beginning the indoor season on Dec. 7, 2013 at the JDL College Kick-Off Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C. In this meet, a number of Buccaneers began their indoor season on positive notes. Dede Edgecombe (Spartanburg, S.C.) continued the momentum from a strong outdoor season in the spring with a solid showing in the 60 meter hurdles. The junior turned in a quick 8.51 time which earned her second place. The sprinter also notched a 12^th-place finish in the 60m dash with a time of 7.85. The women also had successes in jumps events including Katerina Vodova (Humpolec, Czech Republic) taking the top spot in the long jump with a leap of 5.88m, Katlyn Mack (Olean, N.Y.) earning second in the pole vault with a mark of 3.65m and Lexie Burley (Johnson City, Tenn.) taking third in the triple jump with a launch of 11.74m. The ETSU men also turned in strong performance in jumps events with a pair of top-two finishes in both the long jump and pole vault. In the long jump, senior Diego Lawrence (Waxhaw, N.C.) leapt to a mark of 7.07m to take second in the event, while Brett Squibs (Rock Hill, S.C.) also turned in a runner-up finish with a vault of 4.85m in the pole vault.

This meet comes as a perfect opportunity for ETSU student-athletes to test their progression and help prepare for the Niswonger Invitational on Jan. 17 and 18. The Niswonger Invitational will be held inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletics Center at David E. Walker Track at Gentry Field.

“This competition is a test to see where our fitness level is after time spent at home over Christmas break,” said Watts. “I am pleased with what I have seen this week at practice and look forward to seeing how the teams respond. Next week we host our Niswonger Invitational and this weekend is an important step to being ready to shine on our home track.” 

A complete recap of ETSU’s performance will be available following the meet Saturday at ETSUBucs.com.

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