Spartans Prepare for Final Stretch Before A-Sun Championships
5/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 7, 2009
2009 Results & Top Performances 
SPARTANBURG, S.C.-The USC Upstate track and field team will have one final chance before the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships on May 15-16 to record some top performances and qualify for the premier heats in Jacksonville, Fla., as they will compete at the Clemson Orange & Purple Classic on Saturday, May 9 at the Rock Norman Track and Field Complex.
"The Clemson meet will act as our final stint before conference," said head track and field coach Jimmy Stephens. "We're really looking to improve on some of our early performances to see exactly where we are and how we'll match up with the competition at conference."
The college running events will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday with the men's and women's 4X100-meter relays. The field events will start at 10 a.m. with the women's javelin throw, followed by the men's pole vault.
The majority of the Upstate track and field squad last competed at the Georgia Bulldog Limited on April 18, as the team took time off for final exams last weekend. Emily Tangwar, Jemeli Sang and Joan Tangwar also recently competed in the 5,000-meters at the prestigious Penn Relays on April 23. Emily Tangwar was later named Athlete of the Week for her school-record performance at the Penn Relays, posting a 5k time of 17:23.33.
"Most of the distance runners will be focusing on priming themselves for next week's conference championships," said assistant coach Ed Schlichter. "We're looking to lower Joe Holzinger's 800-meter time on Saturday and secure a better slot for him to have a chance at being in the fast heat at conference. The rest of the distance crew will be focusing on their last few key workouts to peak next week."
"The team has made some big strides this season and we've come a long way in two years," Stephens said. "We're extremely excited about our women being able to compete at conference this year. It adds a lot of incentive to our program as last year the Clemson meet marked the finale for the women. I'm looking forward to see what we can do on Saturday in preparation for conference."
Results and complete meet information from the Rock Norman Track and Field Complex can be found at www.clemsontigers.com.
