By TASHA BAILEY and MATT DEARMAN

lba011@latech.edu and mwd004@latech.edu

 

After a successful indoor season that included a conference championship, Tech’s outdoor track and field team got off to a good start in the 2006 season opener at the Louisiana Classics, March 18 at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

During the indoor season, the Tech women’s squad captured their second consecutive Western Athletic Conference title, with individual awards also presented to Tech coach Gary Stanley as WAC coach of the year, junior sprinter Jonathan Holland as co-Outstanding performer award and senior sprinter Donesha Spivey as women’s high point.

“We actually lost a lot of talented athletes from last year’s team,” Tech assistant coach Shawn Jackson said, “But we stepped it up and did extremely well. It was great to accomplish what we did.”

At the meet, the Techster team of juniors Latonia Wilson, Nina Gilbert, Miriam Barnes and Krystal Cole set a new conference record in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:39.39.

Tech also shone in the women’s 200M dash and 60M sprint, with four Techsters earning team points by finishing in the top six in each event. Junior Latonia Wilson placed first in the 200 M; senior Donesha Spivey placed second; junior Lasadies McClain finished third; and junior Sophia Jackson finished sixth. Spivey finished first in the 60M; Wilson finished second; McClain finished third; and sophomore Whitney Hobbs finished fifth.

In addition to the women’s top place finish, the Bulldog indoor team finished third in the meet.

Holland led the way for the men’s squad with first place finishes in the 60M and 200M, and also competed on the 4x400 relay team.

Accompanying Holland was senior Nolan Jackson with a top finish in the 60M Hurdles.

With the indoor season over, Tech opened the 2006 outdoor season at the Louisiana Classics, where the Techsters finished with eight first place finishes and seven regional qualifying marks.

Gilbert led Tech with a time of 23.24 seconds in the women’s 200M to finish in first place.

With a mark of 53.73, Wilson also helped out the Tech effort with a first place finish in the 400M with a mark of 53.73.

Both Gilbert and Wilson were part of the women’s 4x100 meter relay team, which finished first with a time of 45.00.

In the field, sophomore Nadia Alexander finished on top in the shot put with a throw of 47’11’’, along with senior Monica Williams, who won the discuss with a 159’01’’ mark.

Senior Brenda Grace-Hunt won the women’s javelin with a throw of 161’02.’’

Senior Jason Morgan finished first in the men’s shot put and second in the discuss with marks of 57’0.75’’and 169’01,’’ respectively.

Tech will return to action Friday March 24 at the Louisiana Stat e University Relays in Baton Rouge.