1999 ACC Championships Team Capsules

Clemson

MEN’S NOTES FROM THE 1999 SEASON Freshman Todd Matthews shared the ACC Outdoor Track Performer of the Week award for March 22 with Virginia’s Brian Kollar. He won the 110 high hurdles with a provisional time of 13.90 at the Clemson Relays.

Matthews was honored with the Pearcy Beard Award at the Florida Relays, given annually to the top hurdler at the meet. He won the collegiate 110 high hurdles with a NCAA provisional time of 13.87 and won the invitational 110 high hurdles in 14.02. Matthews, along with Sultan .

The women are coming off a team victory at South Florida, a four-team meet in the United States Collegiate Track & Field Series. Samantha George led the way as she won the 400m with an NCAA automatic time of 51.98 Freshman thrower Makiba Batten and Johnson wereTucker, Tony Washington and Ian Potter, ran on the shuttle hurdle relay team that won first place in 56.33.

At the Clemson Invitational, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Nebraska and South Carolina combined for four NCAA automatic qualifying performances, 11 provisional qualifying performances and two Rock Norman Track Records.

Also at the Clemson Invitational, junior Shawn Crawford won the 200m and set a new track record with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 20.41. The old record of 20.61 was set by James Trapp in 1990. Freshman Ato Modibo won the 400m at the meet with an automatic qualifying time of 45.33. His time is the second-fastest time in Clemson history.

The Clemson men’s track and field team competed at the Sea Ray Relays last weekend in Knoxville, TN. The 4x400m relay team of Charles Allen, Kenny Franklin, Davidson Gill and Ato Modibo set a new Clemson record with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 3:03.67. The time is the third best in the nation this season. The old record of 3:03.76 was set in 1996 by Gill, Aaron Haynes, Shawn Thomas and Tony Wheeler.

WOMEN’S NOTES FROM THE 1999 SEASON At the Florida Relays, the Tiger 4x200m relay team of Terri Robinson, Shekera Weston, Shonda Cutchin and Nikkie Bouyer set a new meet and Clemson record and placed first with a time of 1:33.61, the fastest time in the nation at that point of the season. The old Clemson record of 1:34.50 was set in 1991 by Lisa Dillard, Anita Henderson, Angel Fleetwood and Kim Graham…The same four athletes made up the 4x100m relay team that won their event with a provisional qualifying time of 44.68 at the same meet.

Senior Nikkie Bouyer won the 100m high hurdles with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 13.46 at the Florida Relays.

Sophomore Jamine Moton placed second and set a new Clemson record with a throw of 181’7″ in the hammer competition at the Florida Relays. The old record of 156′ was set by Ann Marie McAuley last year.

At the Clemson Invitational, the Tiger 4x100m relay team of Robinson, Weston, Cutchin and Bouyer placed second with a provisional qualifying time of 44.53.

The Clemson women’s track team won the U.S. Collegiate Track & Field Series Meet at UNC Charlotte this weekend. The Tigers scored 222 points, followed by UNC Charlotte with 149 points. Connecticut was third with 114 points, and Virginia Commonwealth placed fourth with 110 points. Clemson took first place in 12 events.

Duke

Duke junior Kyle Leonard is looking to make his mark at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the 1,500-meter race after a runner-up finish in the 800 meters at the ACC Indoor Championships. This season, Leonard ran first-place 3:54.93 clocking at the Florida State Relays. Freshman Katie Atlas is aiming to claim the Blue Devils’ second straight title in the women’s 800 meters. Last season, Kim Voyticky won the event and this year’s championship hopeful, Atlas, owns Duke’s top outdoor time in the event with a 2:11.96. The Blue Devils also have three championship prospects in the men’s and women’s pole vault competitions. Sophomore Seth Benson is the Duke school record holder with a leap of 16-8, capturing the Duke Invitational title, ranking him among the top ACC pole vaulters. In the women’s pole vault, the Blue Devils have a pair contenders in senior Lisa Bell and sophomore Jillian Schwartz. Bell holds the Duke school record with a jump of 10-11 3/4 to win the Raleigh Relays, while Schwartz has captured to pole vault competitions this season at Duke and Seahawk Invitationals with a height of 10-6 at both meets. Among the men’s 4×400 field will the Blue Devil quartet of freshman Josh Kommer, junior Jesse Allen, junior Matt Diglio and junior James Vasak, which ran a school record best 3:12.89 timing at the Duke Invitational.

Florida State

The Florida State men’s and women’s track and field teams will look to improve on their fourth place finishes at the ACC Indoors earlier this season. Six Lady Seminoles and four Seminoles earned All-ACC status in Blacksburg, VA. At last year’s ACC Outdoor Championships, the women were third and the men placed fourth. Chinette Johnson (heptathlon), Zuzette Mullings (long jump) and Lakeisha Mose (hammer) are back to defend their 1998 ACC titles. Multi-event standout Darius Jones, who was the conference runner-up in the decathlon last year, returns on the men’s side after scoring in three events at the ACC Outdoors in ’98 also impressive, winning two events apiece. The men were second overall in the team standings with thrower Joseph Lawrence taking top honors in both the discus and the hammer.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech’s men’s track and field team comes into the 1999 ACC Championships looking to rebound from the loss of two-time national champion Angelo Taylor, who by-passed his junior year of eligibility to turn professional. The Yellow Jackets will be led by senior Jonas Montiejunas (Phoenix, Ariz.) and junior Michael Johnson (Littleton, Colo.) in the 400 meters. Johnson enters with the conference’s second-best time at 46.13, while Montiejunas stands fourth at 46.71 and has the second fastest time in the 800 meters at 1:49.81. The two will anchor Tech’s 4×400 relay squad, which has the league’s second fastest time of 3:08.65. Sophomore Clayton Porter (Chesapeake, Va.) comes in with the league’s top mark of 25-2.5. Michael Niederhausen is third in the 3,000 steeplechase with a time of 9:20.6.

Georgia Tech’s women’s team will be led by senior Andria King (Atlanta, Ga.), who was the ACC Indoor Championship meet MVP earlier this year. She holds the league’s top times in the 100 meter dash at 11.37, 200 meter dash in 23.00, and 100 hurdles in 13.01. She has automatically qualified in the 200 and 100 hurdles. Junior Becky Megesi (Jonesboro, Ga.) holds the conference’s top times in the 800 (2:08.22) and 1,500 (4:25.58) meter runs and is the league’s defending champion in the 1,500 meters.

N.C. State

The NC State men’s team travels to Clemson this weekend in search of its eighth ACC outdoor title and its first since 1996. Tyrone Dozier is one of the league’s top sprinters, earning an NCAA provisional qualifying mark last weekend in the 400-meter dash. Chan Pons will also be in Clemson this weekend. A three-time All-American in track and cross country, Pons won the 5,000 at the ACC Indoor Championships in February. In field events, Cordell Smith is a former conference champion and two-time All-ACC selection in the long jump.

The NC State women’s team will compete for its first ACC championship this weekend. The school record holder in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dash, Lashawnda McKinnon is a former All-ACC selection. The Wolfpack also a pair of top-flight distance runners. Christy Nichols returns this year after earning All-America honors in 1997, while Jackie Coscia has won the ACC championship in the 10,000-meter run each of the last two years.

North Carolina

The University of North Carolina men and womens teams are heading into the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Clemson with a tremendous amount of momentum. The Tar Heels were victorious last weekend in Chapel Hill at the USTCA Invitational over the nationally ranked USC Trojans (men #2, women #4), NC State Wolfpack, and Georgetown Hoyas. The two squads have enjoyed similar success thus far in the outdoor season with excellent showings at the Raleigh, Texas, and Duke Relays. The USTCA meet was the first scored team meet of the year for the Tar Heels, but the individual performances have been spectacular throughout the season.

Due to their superior performances in Chapel Hill on Saturday, senior Allen Bradd and junior DeAnne Davis were awarded the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Performers of the Week. Bradd set a new school record in the shot put (603″), as well as establishing an NCAA provisional qualifying mark for that event. Bradd leads the ACC in the shot put and hammer throw. Davis earned provisional qualifying marks in both the triple jump (415.25″) and 100m hurdles (13.60) on Saturday. She ranks third in the ACC for the 100m hurdles, the long jump, and the triple jump. Outstanding performers for the women include: Crystal Cox (2nd in the ACC 200m dash, 3rd in the 100m dash), Joy Ganes (1st in ACC high jump, provisional qualifier), Nicole Gamble (1st in ACC and NCAA triple jump, automatic qualifier), LaShonda Christopher (1st in ACC long jump, 2nd in triple jump, provisional qualifier in both), and Jackie Myers (2nd in ACC shot put, 3rd in discus).

Outstanding performers for the men include: Marcus ONeal (3rd in ACC 100m dash, 5th in long jump), Terrance Wilson (1st in ACC 400m hurdles and provisional qualifier, 4th in 110m hurdles), Omar Clinton (2nd in ACC 400m hurdles and provisional qualifier), and Sal Gigante (2nd in ACC discus, 5th in shot put).

Virginia

The University of Virginia women’s track and field team is currently ranked #24 in the country, according to the Trackwire Top 25 poll for April 7. Ann Crouse headlines the women’s squad, as she literally threw herself into the record books with her performance in the javelin throw at the Raleigh Relays. Crouse recorded an impressive mark of 188′-03″ in the javelin throw to capture first place in the event. Her toss was not only won the event, it also gave her the top mark in the country as she set a new Atlantic Coast Conference and UVa record in the javelin throw. Crouse automatically qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships which will be held in Boise, Idaho on June 2-5. Her performance earned her a share of the women’s ACC Performer of the Week honor on March 29. She also holds the fifth best mark in the conference in the hammer throw with a mark of 154′-02″.

Angela Lee recorded the fastest time in the 400 meter hurdles when she ran a 58.32 in the event at the Texas Relays. Lee’s finish provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Championships. Kelly Miller has shown her versatility by posting the fifth best mark in the ACC in the long jump (19′-9.50″) and the sixth best time in the conference in the 100 meter dash (11.90). First-year performer Inhar Chong holds the ACC’s top mark in the discus with a toss of 188′-3″. K.C. Meehan and Jennifer Owens turned in the sixth best times in the conference in their respective events. Meehan finished the 10,000 meter run with a season-best time of 37:11.97 and Owens recorded a mark of 9:51.44 in the 3,000 meter run. Amy Brown holds the second best ACC mark in the discus (166′-5″) and the third best distance in the shot put (41′-5.25″).

First-year performer Brian Kollar leads a trio of Cavaliers that have posted three of the top four marks in the javelin throw. Kollar made his UVa debut in stellar fashion at the Clemson Relays, as he won the event with a mark of 2224′-10″, which provisionally qualified him for the NCAA’s. His performance earned him a shared of the men’s ACC Performer of the Week award on March 22.

John Welsh (209′-8″) and J.D. Murdock (189′-7″) round out the second and fourth best marks in the ACC javelin. Larry Wilson recorded the conferences second best mark in the discus with a toss of 182″-3″, which is only one inch shy of the ACC’s top spot. Rob Pearce tallied the third best time in the 800 meter run with a mark of 1:50.26, and Marion Mason turned in the conferences sixth fastest time in the 110 meter hurdles with a mark of 14.41. Steven Gross and Raymond Weeden hold the sixth best times in the ACC in their respective events. Gross ran a 3:54.96 in the 1,500 meter run and Weeden turned in a mark of 1:52.16 in the 800 meter dash.

Wake Forest

The Wake Forest men’s track & field team possess some of the ACC’s top sprinters and distnace runners. John Stone and Reggie Austin both rank among the top 10 in both the 100 and 200 meter dash. Stone ran a time of 10.39 in the 100m at the Texas Relays. Senior Nolan Swanson ran the nation’s fastest time of the season in the 10,000 meter run at the Stanford Invitational, 28:31.51, an NCAA automatic qualifying time. Fabian Davis has some of the ACC’s best leaps in the Triple jump and high jump competitions. Da’Vaughan Mellerson is also a strong performer is the discus and shot put events.

The Wake Forest women’s track & field squad is lead by returning ACC Champion in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter run, Janelle Kraus. Jill Snyder, Alsion Anibaldi and Kelly Brady have each run some of the ACC’s best times in the 1,500 and 3,000m run. Amy Wallace and Britton Stackhouse follow Kraus as the Deacs top 10,000m performers. Tasha Pickney, Summer Shaw and Becky Maier highlight the field event competitors for the Deacons.