April 20, 2008

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - The Kennesaw State women's track & field team had another successful weekend as they sent athletes to compete in two different meets. Mid-distance specailist Soibhan Wolcott and sprinter Shantela Davis raced in the LSU Alumni Gold Meet, while their teammates participated in the UGA Bulldog Limited. The Owls looked strong at both events as they turned in several season high performances.

Racing in a field of over 30 opponents, Wolcott was competing in the 800m dash against some of best runners in the nation, including athletes from LSU and Texas A&M. The sophomore put together one of her best races of the season as she crossed the finish line in 2:18.02 for 20th place. Meanwhile, Davis earned 23rd place in the 400m dash with a time of 56.63.

"Our ladies did a great job," said head coach and LSU graduate Don McGarey. "This was probably the most competitive meet that we have gone to all season. Soibhan and Shantela met the high qualifying standards to get in and they represented the team very well."

Competing at the Bulldog Limited, the Owls were led by the throwing specialist Ana Ruiz. Her best performance of the day came in the hammer throw, where she took fifth place and set a new KSU record with a toss of 120-06.0ft. She later returned to claim fourth place in the discus (109-00ft), fifth place in the shot put (36-05.50ft) and sixth place in the javelin alongside teammate Meredith Steinmetz who took 12th place (82-04.0ft).

Also on the field, Jakia Ragland placed sixth in the high jump as she posted a height of 5-01.00ft, while freshman Jill Arthur took 11th place in the triple jump with a distance of 35-05.25.

On the track, Lakeshia Stinson had a solid meet as she competed in the 400m hurdles. The sophomore raced down the straight away to earn eighth place with a time of 1:11.65. She later returned to race in the 100m hurdles where she set a new personal record of 14.96 for another eighth place finish. Arthur followed close behind in tenth place with a time of 15.25.

In sprinting events, junior Sandi Brown took ninth place in the 400m dash with a time 1:01.33. Meanwhile, Caitlin German placed ninth in the 800m dash with a time of 2:24.22.

Running in long distance events, sophomore Britany Reilly set a new KSU record in the two mile race as she crossed the finish line in 11:26.18 for fifth place.

The Owls will be back in action in two weeks as they travel to Clemson, S.C., to participate in the Purple and Orange Classic.

LSU Alumni Gold Meet
Individual Results

400m Dash
23. Shantela Davis 56.63

800m
20. Soibhan Wolcott 2:18.02

UGA Bulldog Limited
Individual Results

400m Dash
9. Sandi Brown 1:01.33

800m
9. Caitlin German 2:24.22

2 Mile Run
5. Britany Reilly 11:26.18

100m Dash
8. Lakeshia Stinson 14.96
10. Jill Arthur 15.26

400m Hurdles
8. Lakeshia Stinson 1:11.65

4x400m Relay
7. KSU 4:16.44

High Jump
6. Jakia Ragland 5-1.00ft

Triple Jump
11. Jill Arthur 35-05.25ft

Shot Put
5. Ana Ruiz 36-05.50ft

Discus
4. Ana Ruiz 109-00ft

Hammer Throw
5. Ana Ruiz 120-06.0ft
6. Jessica Lumpkin 116-00ft

Javelin
6. Ana Ruiz 110-10ft
12. Meredith Steinmetz 82-04.0ft