Spring Sports Roundup . . .
SWAC
Jackson State women, Grambling State men claim outdoor Track & Field titles
The Jackson State Lady Tigers and Grambling State Tigers were crowned the 2009 SWAC Outdoor Track and Field Champions at Texas Southern's Durley Stadium on Sunday.
Jackson State, who won the 2008 Outdoor title as well, solidified this year's victory by tallying 207 total points over three days of competition.
The Lady Tigers were led by Danielle Miller and Jemu Zar Zar, who were named Outstanding Female Field Events Athlete and Outstanding Female Running Events Athlete, respectively.
Miller had two first place finishes during the meet, including the shot put (13.72m) and the discuss throw (43.67m). Miller also finished sixth in the javelin event (32.86m).
Zar Zar competed in four different events over the weekend. She placed second in the 5000 meter run (19:28.87) and 10000 meter run (40:51.78), third in the 3000 meter steeplechase (11:31.35), and fourth in the 1500 meter run (5:00.95).
For the men, Grambling State claimed the 2009 Outdoor crown by collecting 159.50 points during the meet. The Tigers, who also took home the 2009 Indoor title, were led by Darwin Price, the 2009 Outdoor Outstanding Male Running Events Athlete.
Participating in four events, Price finished first in the 1500 meter run (3:54.26), second in the 5000 meter run (15:40.86), third in the 3000 steeplechase (9:11.58), and sixth in the 800 meter run (2:00.97).
Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Arthur Thomas was named the 2009 Outstanding Male Field Events Athlete. He placed first in the discus throw (47.91m) and hammer throw (48.24m) and fourth in the shot put (14.38m).
Women 1. Jackson State - 207 2. Grambling State 180 3. Alabama State - 164 4. Southern - 72 5. Prairie View A&M 69 6. Texas Southern 54 7. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 32 8. Alcorn State 12 9. Alabama A&M 11 10. Mississippi Valley State 5 | Men 1. Grambling State 159.50 2. Jackson State 142 3. Southern 123.50 4. Prairie View A&M 115 5. Alabama State 82 6. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 55 7. Texas Southern 51.50 8. Alcorn State 35 9. Alabama A&M 26 10. Mississippi Valley State 23.50 |
Jackson State golfers get NCAA assignments
The Jackson State men's golf team will travel to Austin, Tx. to participate in one of six 54-hole regional tournaments from May 14-16 in the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships.
The tournament will be hosted by the University of Texas Longhorns. The Tigers are participating in their 11th NCAA tournament under head coach Eddie Payton. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals from each regional.
The championships will be conducted May 26-30 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, OH. The University of Toledo is the host institution for this year's championships.
The Jackson State women's golf team will compete in the NCAA Golf East Regional May 7-9 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Florida, hosted by the University of Florida.
MEAC
Hampton women, Norfolk State men repeat for outdoor Track & Field titles
The Hampton Lady Pirates and Norfolk State Spartans won the 2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State this past weekend.
The Lady Pirates tallied 119 points en route to their seventh consecutive MEAC outdoor track and field title. Hampton's Krystle Medlin and Francena McCorory led Hampton with 24 and 22.5 points, respectively.
Coppin State's Natoya Baird earned Outstanding Performer accolades after tallying 29 points. Baird won the heptathlon during day-two action. She also scored in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and javelin during the competition.
Lady Pirates Head Coach Maurice Pierce earned Outstanding Coach accolades for the sixth consecutive year.
Maryland Eastern Shore finished second with 109 points followed by Norfolk State (106), North Carolina A&T (82) and Bethune-Cookman (70).
On the men's side the Norfolk State won its fourth straight team title and sixth overall with 133.5 points. Junior Marlon Woods earned Outstanding Performer honors after tallying 27.25 total points. Woods won the high jump with a 2.15m leap and was second in the long jump and triple jump. He also ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay that placed fourth.
Spartans' Head Coach, Kenneth Giles, earned MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Outstanding Coaching honors for the fourth time in his career.
Hampton recorded 104 points to finish as runners-up to the Spartans. Maryland Eastern Shore (93.5), North Carolina A&T (84) and Morgan State (73) rounded out the top five.
Softball championships this weekend
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will host the 2009 MEAC Softball Championship beginning Thursday, May 7 through Saturday, May 9 at the Ormond Beach (Florida) Sports Complex. Howard and Florida A&M finished as the divisional leaders and will enter tournament play as the number one seeds.
Howard earned the top spot in the north with a 9-4 conference mark and 20-26 overall record. The Lady Bison won the conference title in 2007 but fell short of a title repeat in 2008 after falling to Delaware State and Norfolk State in back-to-back games.
Florida A&M cruised through divisional play posting a 12-0 record. FAMU earned the most total wins of the season with 25 and was the only team to post an unblemished record in conference play. In addition, head coach Veronica Wiggins, who has guided the Lady Rattlers for 18 years, recorded her 500th career victory this season.
The Delaware State Lady Hornets completed a four-game tournament sweep to capture the title and the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
The softball championship gets underway Thursday, May 7 beginning at 10 a.m.
© 2009 Azeez Communications, Inc.