Day One of Competition Concludes at ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championship :: FSU's Lacy Janson sets collegiate record en route to women's pole vault title.

April 20, 2006

2006 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championship Page

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship got underway Thursday afternoon at Kentner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University. Virginia Tech and North Carolina share the day one lead with 28 points on the men's side, while the women's day one lead belongs to Florida State and Virginia Tech with 17 points. Making headlines on Thursday afternoon was Seminole Lacy Janson who set the women's pole vault collegiate record en route to her fourth ACC title.

North Carolina's Justin Ryncavage got things started with a win in the men's javelin throw posting a regional qualifying mark of 240-01 (73.18m), the top throw in the ACC this season. Freshman teammate Adam Montegue finished second with a throw of 224-08 (68.47m), also qualifying for the NCAA East Regional. Georgia Tech senior Nico Shaner placed third with a regional qualifying mark of 216-04 (65.93m).

The women's competition got under way with Laura Gerraughty of North Carolina winning her second women's hammer throw title, her first since her freshman season, posting a regional qualifying mark of 204-05 (62.32m). Virginia Tech's Kristen Callan placed second at 198-01 (60.39m), while Della Clark of Clemson finished third with a throw of 185-04 (56.49m).

Virginia Tech's Saskia Triesscheijn leads after the first day of competition in the women's heptathlon accumulating 3,352 points. The senior from Berlin, Germany captured a pair of first place finishes winning the high jump (5-07.75, 1.72m) and the shot put (44-05.50, 13.55m) events. Miami's Amy Seward currently sits in second place trialing Triesscheijn by just 8 points, tallying 3,344 points. Seward crossed the finish line in first with a time of 23.90 to win the 200m dash. Kasey Hill of Boston College took the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.97 and currently sits in third place with 3,238 points. The heptathlon will conclude on Friday with three more events, including the long jump, javelin throw and 800 run events.

The Hokies went one-two in the men's hammer throw as freshman Mohsen Anani claimed his first outdoor title with a regional qualifying mark of 231-05 (70.55m). 2005 conference champion Spyridon Jullien placed second with a throw of 226-10 (69.13m) followed by North Carolina's Nick Owens, who took third throwing 225-03 (68.33m). Both throws by Jullien and Owens met regional qualifying standards.

Clemson's Ryan Koontz, the 2006 Indoor heptathlon champion, leads after five events of the men's decathlon with 3,872 points. Koontz registered a pair of first place finishes winning the shot put (41-07.25, 12.68m) and high jump (6-09.50, 2.07m) events. Brent LaRue of Wake Forest is in second place with 3,807 points, while Clemson's Brent Hobbs sits in third place with 3,661 points. LaRue won both the 100m and 400m dash events on day one finishing in times of 11.21 and 47.75, respectively. Hobbs was the fifth event winner on the afternoon claiming the long jump with a mark of 23-02.75 (7.08m). The decathlon will conclude on Friday with five more events, including the 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500m run.

Florida State's Lacy Janson set the collegiate record in the women's pole vault as she became just the second woman to clear 15 feet in NCAA history. The redshirt-senior vaulted 15-00.25 (4.58m) to register her fourth outdoor pole vault title. Janson shattered her own ACC meet record of 14-00.00 set in Charlottesville back in 2002. The mark also tops her conference record set earlier in the year at 14-07.25. Duke's Lara Jones cleared a season-best and regional qualifying mark of 12-09.50 (3.90m) to finish second. The Tar Heels' Rhian Jenks placed third with a vault of 12-05.50 (3.80m).

Virginia's Ryan Foster wrapped up day one of competition on the men's side winning the 10,000m run in a time of 30:20.72. Foster becomes just the third Cavalier to win the 10K in the events 31-year history and first since Mark Hammons in 1994. NC State's John Crews placed second crossing the finish line in a time of 30:26.25, while UVa's Andrew Dumm finished third at 30:29.11.

In the final event of the evening, Maryland's Meghan Braffet registered a win in the women's 10K marking the first victory in the event for the Terrapins in school history. The junior distance runner used a late charge on the final lap to overtake Duke's Laura Stanley for the win. Braffet set the Kentner Stadium record in the win with a time of 35:39.38. Stanley would finish in second place at 35:47.33, while NC State's Anne Wheatly placed third at 35:55.97.

Day two of the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championship will begin on Friday, April 21 at 10:30 am with the men's decathlon 110m hurdle event. For complete day two results, stayed tuned to www.theacc.com.

Women's Standings (After 3 Events Complete)
1) Virginia Tech 17
1) Florida State 17
3) North Carolina 16
3) Duke 16
5) Clemson 13
5) Maryland 13
7) NC State 11
8) Virginia 10
9) Miami 3
10) Georgia Tech 1

Men's Standings (After 3 Events Complete)
1) Virginia Tech 28
1) North Carolina 28
3) Virginia 20
4) Georgia Tech 10
4) NC State 10
6) Duke 9
7) Clemson 4
8) Boston College 3
8) Florida State 3
10) Maryland 2

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