Jan. 17, 2008

KENNESAW, GA - This weekend the Kennesaw State men's indoor track and field team will travel to Johnson City, Tenn., to participate in the Niswonger Invitational. The two day meet will feature four of KSU's Atlantic Sun Conference rivals including host ETSU.

After competing at the Clemson Opener and the Joe Hilton Tar Heel Invitational the Owls currently hold six of the top track times in the A-Sun including the 200 meter dash, the 60 meter hurdles and the five kilometer run. KSU also holds the top spots in the high jump and the shot put.

The sprint squad and the mid-distance group have really come on strong for the Owls in the past two meets. Runners James Verdi and Piotr Witczak have established themselves as top performers for the Owls in the 200m and the 400m dashes. Senior Devin Jones and sophomore Jeremy Easley have dominated the 60m hurdles as they hold the top two spots for the event in the A-Sun.

"Our guys have done a great job," said sprint coach Devin West. "With each meet they are building more confidence. Last week I saw great improvement in our sprinters. Verdi had a great run in the 200m dash and Jones set a good time in the 60m hurdles. We are really coming together as a team and I think we are going to have our best meet so far at Niswonger."

Some of the best competition this weekend could occur in the field events as the Owls will come up against ETSU's talented throwers. Joshua McNair and Casey Strickland are expected to perform well in both the shot put and the weight throw. Last week at the Tar Heel Invitational McNair took second place in the weight throw and Strickland set a new school record in the shot put. Also on the field high jumper Jerome McKinzie will face his strongest competition of the season as he tries to maintain his hold on the A-Sun high jump mark.

The Niswonger Invitational will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday and continue all day on Saturday. The Owls return to the same facility five weeks later for the A-Sun Indoor Track & Field Championships.