Shareese Woods won both the 200 and 400 meter races as the 49ers' women won their second straight A-10 title. |
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Charlotte Women Claim 2nd Straight A-10 Outdoor Title
May 6, 2007
Charlotte, N.C. - Charlotte's women's track and field team successfully defended its title at the 2007 Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Sunday at the Irwin Belk Center. The men placed second. Charlotte senior Shareese Woods was named the Most Oustanding Women's Track Performer, 49ers sophomore Chase Eckard was named the Most Outstanding Men's Track Performer and head coach Bob Olesen was named the A-10 Women's Track and Field Coach of the Year.
Woods captured titles in both the 200 and 400 meter races and ran legs on the championship 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. Eckard won both the 800 and 1500 meter races and anchored the championship 4x800 meter relay team.
Charlotte defended its women's title as it amassed 195 points, with Richmond finishing runner-up with 121.5 points. 2006 men's champion Charlotte finished in second place with 149 points, behind champion Rhode Island (230 points). La Salle was third (125), followed by Duquesne (83), Temple (61), Fordham (59), Saint Joseph's (54), Massachusetts (48), Xavier (21), Richmond (17) and Saint Louis (11).
Junior Ryan McCarthy defended his title in the shot put with a mark of 54-3 ¼ and Rhode Island set a meet record in the 4x100m relay en route to capturing the 2007 Atlantic 10 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship.
URI senior Ashhad Agyapong won both the 100m (10.25) and 200m (21.16) dashes and the Rams blistered the track in a time of 45.11, eclipsing the Championship's previous record of 45.39 (Charlotte, 2006), as it seized its sixth A-10 crown in the last seven years.
"The past two days have gone according to plan. We haven't had a great season but everyone did exactly what they were planning on doing and it absolutely worked out great," said Rhode Island head coach John Copeland, the 2007 A-10 Coach of the Year.
"Last year, there was a very empty feeling on the team when we finished second despite some good performances so to win here this year is very sweet."
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McCarthy, who also claimed gold in the javelin and finished second in the discus on Saturday, was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer for the second consecutive year. Teammate Derek Peterson garnered Rookie of the Year honors, while sophomore Chase Eckard of Charlotte earned Most Outstanding Track Performer honors.
Notable performances on Sunday included Fordham's Matthew Spaccarelli winning the decathlon with 6,171 points, senior Sean Quigley of La Salle winning the 5,000m in a Championship-record time of 14:10.79, and La Salle claiming its first-ever gold medal in the 4x400m relay (3:16.21).
Seniors Courtney Patterson (11.51) and Shareese Woods (52.80) topped their own Championship records in the 100m and 400m dashes, respectively, to lead Charlotte to its second consecutive A-10 women's title. Patterson's title led a 49er sweep of the 100 meters as Lamarra Currie (11.53) and Lajarsha Moses (11.60) placed second and third.
Pat Springs won the 100m hurdles (13.85) one day after winning the long jump for the 49ers, while teammate Sharonda Johnson claimed the triple jump with a Championship-record mark of 42-5 ½. The previous record of 42-2 was set in 1999 by April Bird of Virginia Tech. Woods earned Most Outstanding Track Performer honors, while senior Kerstin Greene of Fordham garnered Most Outstanding Field Performer honors. Richmond's Heather Roush was named the Most Outstanding Rookie and Bob Olesen earned Coach of the Year honors.
Also on Sunday, senior Rachel Papin of La Salle defended her title in the 5,000m run (16:40.21), while Greene claimed gold in the heptathlon with a Championship-record total of 5,088 points.
Richmond placed second with 121.5 points, followed by Rhode Island (121), Fordham (72), La Salle (68), Temple (62), Dayton (49.5), Saint Joseph's (48.5), Duquesne (46.5), Massachusetts (46), Xavier (22) and Saint Louis (six).
For complete coverage of the Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.org
