Florida State Men and Virginia Tech Women Victorious at 2007 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Six ACC records and 18 Kehoe Track records fall during three days of competition.



April 21, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Florida State men and Virginia Tech women captured the 2007 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday afternoon at the Kehoe Track at Ludwig Field on the campus of the University of Maryland.

The Seminoles tallied 166.5 points en route to winning their third consecutive men's outdoor title, while the Hokie women notched 144.5 points to secure their first ever outdoor title. The Seminoles have won the outdoor crown five of the last six years.

The 2007 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championship featured 18 new Kehoe Track stadium records and six broken league championship meet records.

Georgia Tech junior James Lemons won the first event of the day with a leap of 52-04.0 (15.95m) in the men's triple jump. That mark set a new Kehoe Track record as the previous best of 15.81 meters was set by Sam Okantey (Independent) in 2003. Clemson senior Jason Bell placed second with a distance of 51-04.5 (15.66m), while Lemons' teammate, freshman Alphonso Jordan took third with a jump of 50-04.5 (15.35m).

In the women's shot put, Virginia Tech sophomore Brittany Pryor won with a toss of 55-00 (16.76m), adding 10 points for the Hokies and extending their early lead in the women's events in day three competition. Florida State senior Sara Reed came in second with a throw of 53-00 (16.15m), while Lindsay Neuberger of Wake Forest placed third with a distance of 52-01.00 (15.87m). Pryor's mark of 16.76 meters set the second stadium record of the day as the previous best of 15.08 meters was notched in 2001 by Cleopatra Borel (UMBC).

Florida State senior Alyce Williams earned the ACC Outdoor women's triple jump title with a mark of 43-00.50 (13.12m), set with her initial leap. A pair of rookies took the next two spots as Clemson freshman Patricia Mamona placed second with a jump of 42-01.25 (12.83m), while Florida State's Tiara Swanagan finished third with a jump of 41-07.75 (12.69m).

Senior Mitchell Pope claimed the men's shot put, the first outdoor shot put title for the NC State since 1989. Pope's winning toss totaled a distance of 62-10.0 (19.15m), setting a new stadium record. The previous best was set in 1996 when Andrew Bloom of Wake Forest tabbed 17.97 meters. Georgia Tech freshman Steve Marcelle earned second place with a mark of 61-11.75 (18.89m), while Virginia Tech junior Justin Clickett threw for 61-07.75 (18.79m), good for third place.

Concluding the field events for day three's competition was Florida State senior Matt Hurley, who won the men's pole vault competition with clearance of 17-02.75 (5.25m). Clemson junior Mitch Greeley placed second with a vault of 17-0.75 (5.20m), while Adam Bingaman placed third with a mark of 16-10.75 (5.15m).

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets captured their third consecutive title in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 44.33, setting a new stadium record. The team was composed of Shantia Moss, Ashley Kidd, Shantrell Moss and Jacqua Williams. Miami finished in second (44.58) and Virginia Tech in third (44.62).

The Florida State men also made history when they won their second ever crown in the 4x100 meter relay with a 38.78 finish, the nation's top time and a new ACC Outdoor meet record. The Seminoles' time destroyed the previous meet record of 39.02, which was set in 1995 by North Carolina. Clemson placed second (39.48) and Wake Forest was third (40.29). Greg Bolden, Walter Dix, Michael Ray Garvin and Charles Clark represented the Noles for the winning effort.

North Carolina sophomore Brianna Felnagle recorded a 4:22.88 victory in the women's 1500-meter run. The winning time also set another stadium record as the previous mark was set in 1996 by former Tar Heel Karen Godlock. Virginia Tech sophomore Tasmin Fanning placed second with a time of 4:24.90, while Duke freshman Kate Van BusKirk was third with a time of 4:25.78.

In the men's 1500m, Florida State senior Tom Lancashire posted a winning time of 3:44.08 for his third consecutive title. Virginia senior Kevin McHale was next to cross the finish line at 3:47.33 and NC State junior Chris Kollar took third with a time of 3:47.90.

Virginia Tech freshman Kristi Castlin won the women's 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.82, which would have set a new ACC record had it not been a 2.1 mph wind-aided speed. Georgia Tech pulled in second and third place, respectively, as junior Shantia Moss and senior Fatmata Fofanah posted times of 12.83 and 13.16.

Maryland junior Dominic Berger successfully defended his title in the 110mh with a time of 13.54. Florida State brought in the next two positions with junior Drew Brunson earning second with a time of 13.63. Classmate Javier Garcia-Tunon clocked a time of 13.88.

Georgia Tech senior Ashley Kidd earned first place honors in the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 52.14. Miami senior Ginou Etienne (52.75) and Florida State senior Alycia Williams (53.33) placed second and third, respectively, to round out the top three.

In men's 400-meter dash action, Florida State's Ricardo Chambers claimed his third consecutive title as the junior placed first with a time of 46.00. Chambers' time ties for the fifth-best time in the nation this season. Maryland junior Sean Lowe was next to cross the line with a 47.14 finish, while Florida State sophomore Tywayne Buchanan placed third with a time of 47.38.

Virginia Tech claimed two of the top three times in the women's 100-meter dash, giving the Hokies an 11.5 point lead in the final day's competition. Virginia Tech sophomore Patrice Potts posted a winning time of 11.40, setting a new stadium record. The previous Kehoe mark was set in 2002 by Toni Jefferson of Maryland. Miami sophomore Krista Simkins placed second with a time of 11.60, while Hokie junior Britni Spruill was notched a time of 11.62.

After defending champion Jacoby Ford was disqualified for a false start, Clemson sophomore Travis Padgett won the men's 100 meters with a meet record time of 10.22. Padgett's time tied Walter Dix's (Florida State) mark set in 2005. Florida State senior Greg Bolden placed second with a time of 10.30, while Clemson freshman CJ Spiller followed with a third-place finish (10.53).

In the women's 800, North Carolina sophomore Brianna Felnagle clocked a 2:04.93 to take home first-place honors, setting a new stadium record. The former record holder, Erica Shepard of Florida, set the previous mark of 2:07.63 in 1996. Boston College freshman Caitlin Bailey finished second with a time of 2:07.75, while Tar Heel senior Georgia Kloss clocked a time of 2:07.87 to place third.

Defending men's 800 meter run champion, Tim Harris of Miami, claimed the title with a time of 1:49.29 as the two-time ACC Indoor and two-time Outdoor champion set another Kehoe record on the day. Virginia Tech sophomore Billy Berlin clocked a time of 1:49.51 to place second, while Florida State senior Kenny Jesensky earned third with a 1:49.81 finish. The previous stadium record was set by Mark Caiafranni of LaSalle in 1998 (1:50.98).

Virginia Tech earned the top two slots of the women's 400-meter hurdles race as junior Sherlenia Green crossed first with a time of 56.66. That time nailed another Kehoe stadium record as the previous best of 59.08 was set in 1996 by Angela Lee of Virginia. Teammate and freshman Queen Harrison placed second with her 56.80 finish, while Virginia senior Erin Crawford was next to cross the line with a time of 57.48.

In the men's 400 meter hurdles, NC State junior Kevin Hutton claimed the title with a time of 50.44. North Carolina junior Reggie Berry finished in second with a mark of 51.22, while Florida State junior Elliot Wood rounded out the top three with a 51.44 finish.

Florida State junior Walter Dix won his second event of the day with an impressive 20.19 performance in the men's 200 meters, setting a new stadium and ACC Outdoor Track and Field meet record. Teammate and rookie Charles Clark, who also participated in the winning 4x100-meter relay team, earned a second-place finish with a time of 20.57. Clemson sophomore Travis Padgett rounded out the top three with a time of 21.04. Dix's win marked the fourth time the Seminoles have won the event in the last five years.

In the women's 200 meters, Miami sophomore Krista Simkins extended the Hurricanes winning streak to three consecutive years with her first-place time of 23.08. Simkins' time also set a new Kehoe stadium record as the previous best was set earlier this year by Jennifer Geter of Bowie State. Georgia Tech senior Ashley Kidd claimed second with a time of 23.08, while Virginia Tech sophomore Patrice Potts came in third with a time of 23.25.

Wake Forest senior and 2007 ACC Outdoor women's 10,000m champion Michelle Sikes placed first in the women's 5000 with a time of 16:17.12. Sikes mark set a new stadium record as the previous mark was set last year by Keira Carlstrom of American University (16:26.44). Duke sophomore Maddie McKeever recorded a time of 16:26.84 to place second, while Virginia senior Kara Scanlin was third in 16:33.36.

Virginia senior Jan Foerster won the men's 5000m with his time of 14:07.16, claiming the title for the Cavaliers for the second year in a row. Clemson junior Matt Clark registered a 14:12.12 finish to place second, while NC State junior Tibor Vegh finished in third with a time of 14:16.75. Foerster's mark set a new stadium record as the previous record was set in 1998 by Stephen Ondieki of Mount St. Mary's (14:11.30).

The Florida State women's 4x400 meter relay team of Keyla Smith, Dana Massiah, Kandia Batchelor and Alycia Williams captured a new league championship meet record with a time of 3:32.11. Miami was next to cross the finish line at 3:32.67, while Virginia Tech posted a third-place finish with a time of 3:36.05. The previous ACC Outdoor record was set in 2001 by Clemson.

Clemson won its first men's 4x400 meter relay title since 1996 as the Tigers crossed in a time of 3:09.89. Cowin Mills, Andrew Porter, Travis Swaggard and Corey Brown made up the winning relay squad. Maryland clocked a time of 3:10.39 to finish second and Wake Forest posted a time of 3:11.20 to finish in third.

Final Men's Results - After 21 Events Scored
1. Florida State 166.50 points
2. Clemson 118 points
3. N.C. State 99.50 points
4. Virginia 81 points
5. North Carolina 77 points
6. Georgia Tech 71 points
7. Virginia Tech 57 points
8. Maryland 44 points
9. Wake Forest 35 points
10. Miami 30 points
11. Duke 29 points
12. Boston College 4 points

Final Women's Results - After 21 Events Scored
1. Virginia Tech 144.5 points
2. Miami 113 points
3. Florida State 101 points
4. Georgia Tech 82 points
5. North Carolina 77 points
6. Virginia 69 points
7. Wake Forest 54 points
8. Clemson 47.5 points
9. Duke 45 points
10. NC State 38 points
11. Maryland 30 points
12. Boston College 18 points

2007 ACC Track and Field Quotes

Bob Braman, Florida State Men's Head Coach
"The ACC is emerging into an elite track conference. Some of it is adding good teams like Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, but the whole conference has just improved. This meet is a reflection of just that. We have had some phenomenal performances on a national scale and that is where I like to see our conference."

"We had some good things across the board. We had our non-scholarship athletes come in and score 30 points. These are the true walk-ons, and this is exciting for them to do so well because this is their Super Bowl. Matt Hurley, a fifth-year senior, who has never placed higher than third won the pole vault. The dominating wins for Tom Lancashire (1500m) and Andrew Lemoncelllo (steeplechase) were great to see, while the 4x100 meter relay set a Florida State school record we couldn't be more excited about."

Dave Cianelli, Virginia Tech Women's Head Coach
"It was an awesome team performance. I knew that we could do this, pull together as a group and perform. We did. Our team hung together and were tight-knit. We were able to come out and perform to our ability under difficult circumstances. That shows the character of this team."

Michelle Sikes, Wake Forest (2007 10,000m champion, 2007 5,000m champion)
"To win a double championship is amazing. I am so thrilled with how it all turned out. It was my first time running the 10k and I really liked it a lot. As a senior, I knew this was my last ACC race and I wanted to go out well."

Walter Dix, Florida State (2007 4x100 meter relay champion, 2007 200m dash champion)
"I know it wasn't my greatest race, but I was just glad to get through it."

On Florida State finishing 1-2 in the 200 meter dash...
"I think it is a great thing, but what is more important is the reminder of the VT team. Wearing these black wristbands kept the Hokies on our minds. We wanted to show our allegiance to their team in hopes that they will bounce back. They deserve all the credit for this meet and we are just happy to be competing with them."