April 18, 2008

KENNESAW, Ga. - This weekend, the Kennesaw State women's track &field team will split up to compete in two meets. Sprinter Shantela Davis and mid-distance specialist Soibhan Wolcott will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to run in the LSU Alumni Gold Meet, while the majority of the team will race in the Bulldog Limited in Athens.

Davis will run in the 400m dash at LSU as she tries to improve on her personal record of 55.57. In the past two weeks, she has dropped her time by two full seconds to smash the pervious KSU record. Davis will be running against some of the best collegiate and professional track athletes in the nation. Racing in such a strong field could push the junior to finish 400m dash with the best time of her career.

"Shantela has really been working hard," said sprint coach Devin West. "In the past few weeks she has been training more than anyone on the team. If she keeps up at this rate, she could easily run 54 seconds by the outdoor conference meet."

Racing the 800m dash will be Atlantic Sun Outdoor Champion Soibhan Wolcott. The sophomore is an expert runner in most mid-distance and relay events. At LSU she will focus her talent on only the 800m dash as she races in a field of 35 opponents.

"The 800m dash is Siobhan's race," said head coach and mid-distance specialist Don McGarey. "During most meets we have her running in multiple events. She is really excited to be able to go to LSU this weekend and just focus on her best race."

In addition to running at LSU, the Owls will also be sending a squad to UGA. Leading the Owls at the Bulldog Limited will be distance specialist Mackenzie Howe. Last week at the Seminole Track Invite, Howe claimed victory in her first ever 3k steeplechase. At UGA she will return to a much more familiar race as she competes in the 3k alongside sophomore Britany Reilly.

Leading KSU on the field will be freshman Jill Arthur. The Gainesville, Ga. native will compete in the triple jump. In her first season, the former sprint specialist has become a qualified jumper. She now holds the school record for both the triple and long jump events. Also on the field, the throwing team of Ana Ruiz and Jessica Lumpkin will have a full day as they participate in the shot put, hammer throw, javelin and discus.

The LSU Alumni Gold Meet will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. central time and continue all-day, while the UGA Bulldog Limited will begin at 9 a.m. eastern time and conclude at roughly 5 p.m.