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 Shareese Woods, Charlotte |
May 6, 2007
CHARLOTTE, NC - Junior Ryan McCarthy defended his title in the shot put with a mark of 54-3 ¼ and Rhode Island set a meet record in the 4x100m relay on Sunday en route to capturing the 2007 Atlantic 10 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship on at the Irwin Belk Track & Field Center on the campus of University of North Carolina Charlotte.
On the women's side, Charlotte defended its title as it amassed 195 points, with Richmond finishing runner-up with 121.5 points.
URI senior Ashhad Agyapong won both the 100m (10.25) and 200m (21.16) dashes and the Rams blistered the track in a time of 45.11, eclipsing the Championship's previous record of 45.39 (Charlotte, 2006), as it seized its sixth A-10 crown in the last seven years with 230 points.
"The past two days have gone according to plan. We haven't had a great season but everyone did exactly what they were planning on doing and it absolutely worked out great," said Rhode Island head coach John Copeland, the 2007 A-10 Coach of the Year.
"Last year, there was a very empty feeling on the team when we finished second despite some good performances so to win here this year is very sweet."
McCarthy, who also claimed gold in the javelin and finished second in the discus on Saturday, was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer for the second consecutive year. Teammate Derek Peterson garnered Rookie of the Year honors, while sophomore Chase Eckard of Charlotte earned Most Outstanding Track Performer honors.
2006 champion Charlotte finished in second place with 149 points, followed by La Salle (125), Duquesne (83), Temple (61), Fordham (59), Saint Joseph's (54), Massachusetts (48), Xavier (21), Richmond (17) and Saint Louis (11).
Notable performances on Sunday included Fordham's Matthew Spaccarelli winning the decathlon with 6,171 points, senior Sean Quigley of La Salle winning the 5,000m in a Championship-record time of 14:10.79, and La Salle claiming its first-ever gold medal in the 4x400m relay (3:16.21).
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Seniors Courtney Patterson (11.51) and Shareese Woods (52.80) topped their own Championship records in the 100m and 400m dashes, respectively, to lead Charlotte to its second consecutive A-10 women's title.
Pat Springs won the 100m hurdles (13.85) one day after winning the long jump for the 49ers, while teammate Sharonda Johnson claimed the triple jump with a Championship-record mark of 42-5 ½. The previous record of 42-2 was set in 1999 by April Bird of Virginia Tech. Woods earned Most Outstanding Track Performer honors, while senior Kerstin Greene of Fordham garnered Most Outstanding Field Performer honors. Richmond's Heather Roush was named the Most Outstanding Rookie and Bob Olesen earned Coach of the Year honors.
Also on Sunday, senior Rachel Papin of La Salle defended her title in the 5,000m run (16:40.21), while Greene claimed gold in the heptathlon with a Championship-record total of 5,088 points.
Richmond placed second with 121.5 points, followed by Rhode Island (121), Fordham (72), La Salle (68), Temple (62), Dayton (49.5), Saint Joseph's (48.5), Duquesne (46.5), Massachusetts (46), Xavier (22) and Saint Louis (six).
For complete coverage of the Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.org.
