 FSU Team Photo. By: John Olson of scrunners.com, sister site of flrunners.com |
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Florida State men's track and field squad won its fourth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title, second straight indoor championship behind four individual wins and one relay win. The Seminoles put 164 points on the board, after being a 20-point underdog. Sophomore Rafeeq Curry (Miami, FL/ACE Academy), Senior Brian Dzingai (Harare, Zimbabwe/Truman State), senior Sean Campbell (Orlando, FL/Evans), Junior Joep Tigchelaar (Macharen, Netherlands/Titus Branasma) and the 4x400m relay team of sophomore Derrick Baker (Miami, FL/Northwestern), senior Antonio Martin (Sanford, FL/Sanford Seminole), senior Joe Paiva (Levittown, FL/Truman), Pat Gerberich (South Lake HS, FL) and Campbell all won their respective events to best the conference competition. The women's squad finished behind an event win in the women's mile by junior Natalie Hughes (Grand Junction, CO/Palisade).
Curry successfully defended his championship title in the triple jump, winning with a jump of 51'9". The title is his second indoor title in as many tries and FSU's fifth straight win in the event. Florida State took the top two slots in the triple jump on a 50'7.25" mark by junior Willie Johnson (Orlando, FL/Edgewater) and the number six position with sophomore Ricky Argro (Orlando, FL/Lyman) posting a final of 48'8".
"I was just trying to focus on jumping and keep my composure," said Curry. "Right now, I'm still looking towards the future. I'm going to rest for a little while before I get back out there and try to automatically qualify because I don't feel safe with just a provisional mark."
The men's 4x400m relay team, also defending champions, sealed the men's team championship completing the race in 3:14.74. The relay title is the second in as many years although FSU did not win a title prior to joining the league in 1992.
Taking home the men's 400m dash championship in his last ACC Indoor Championships meet, Campbell bested the field with a time of 48.11 to put ten points on the board for FSU in addition to the points and win in the 1600m relay.
"Personally, I'm happy because I was able to put points on the board for my team," said Campbell, before getting ready for the men's 4x400m relay. "I've been working on this for four years and I just wanted to help the team as much as I could."
Dzingai, the leading sprinter in the 200m dash heading into the event, stayed true to form winning with a provisionally qualifying time of 21.44. Dzingai also medaled in the men's 60m dash, taking second in 6.81 seconds. Tigchelaar, won the men's 3000m title with a time of 8:18.10 for his second title in two years. Last year, Tigchelaar took sixth place in the event and won the 5000m run.
On the women's side, Hughes was the only women's winner for the day, leading the field in the women's mile run with a provisional qualifying time of 4:48.6, good for ten points toward the Seminoles' overall finish.
"Today's race was a test," said the two-time All-American Hughes. "I felt really good out there. It was extremely tactical especially down the stretch. I saw that (UNC's Erin Donohue) was being pulled toward the outside by (Duke's Shannon Rowbury) and so I just went around her on the inside to take the lead."
Two Tribe members finished in the top three of the men's mile run, with freshman Tom Lancashire (Bolton, England/Turton) taking two in 4:12.69 and junior Ian Hornabrook in third with a 4:12.9 mark.
In the men's weight throw, junior Dan Royal (Ft. Myers, FL/Ft. Myers) put points on the scoreboard for Florida State with a mark of 58'8", up two spots from last year's finish. Junior Marqus Johnson (Tampa, FL/Tampa Baptist) won flight one en route to placing fifth overall with a mark of 58'3.75". Royal and Johnson were seventh seeds entering the competition.
Senior Tamara Campbell (Orlando, FL/Evans) placed third overall in the women's 400m dash in a time of 54.76, allowing the outdoor All-American to provisionally qualify for nationals in the event. Competing in her first ACC Championships, freshman Dana Massiah (Trinadad & Tobago/Bishop Anesty) came in fifth overall, good for six and four points, respectively.
Senior Vicky Gill (Lancashire, England/St. Andrews) took third in the women's 3000m run in a time of 9:33.94. In the women's 60m dash, junior Kimberly Walker (Trinadad & Tobago/Polytechnic Government) finished in fourth, tying a season-best time of 7.56, posting six points for the Seminoles. In the women's triple jump, sophomore LaToya Legree (Marietta, GA/Alan C. Pope) jumped 41'0.25 to finish the day in fifth place. Senior Amanda Kinney (Lawrenceville, GA/Wyoming), originally seeded eighth, finished seventh in the weight throwing to a 54'2.5" mark. Sophomore LaKendra McColumn (Lithonia, GA/Southwest Dekalb) finished fifth in the 60m hurdles in a personal-best time of 8.54.
In the men's 800m event, senior Giscard Titus (New York City, NY/Auburn) placed fourth overall in a time of 1:54. Sophomore Shawn Allen (Beverly Hills, FL/Seven Rivers Christian) took eighth in the men's high jump with a 6'07" mark.
Team Score
Men - 1. Florida State, 164 points; 2. Clemson, 142 points; 3. N.C. State, 88 points; 4. UNC, 83 points; 5. Ga. Tech, 72 points; 6. Virginia, 35 points; 7. Duke, 27 points; 8. Maryland, 25; 9. Wake Forest, 23 points.
Women - 1. UNC, 124.50 points; 2. Ga. Tech, 109; 3. Clemson, 97 points, 4. N.C. State, 91.50; 5. Florida State, 78 points; 6. Maryland, 50.50 points; 7. Wake Forest, 48.50; 8 points. Duke, 36.50 points; 9. Virginia, 26.50 points.