University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
A-Sun Indoor Championships
Spartans Break Program and A-Sun Records at Final Day of Indoor Championships
2/23/2013 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The USC Upstate men's and women's track & field teams combined to set six school records and two conference records at the final day of competition at the Atlantic Sun Conference Indoor Championships.
Senior Gilbert Kemboi claimed his fourth conference championship title in the 5,000-meter to become just the second A-Sun indoor track athlete to win an event four times as Kennesaw State's Jerome McKinzie won the high jump from 2007-10. Kemboi crossed the 5K finish line in 14:41.09, breaking his previous A-Sun record of 14:41.56, which he set last year. He also made the podium in the men's one mile run, coming in second with a time of 4:18.06.
Upstate senior Cameron Thomas took top honors in the 800-meter, an event he came in second in last year. He turned in a first-place time of 1:51.78, beating his previous school record of 1:52.94 and the previous A-Sun record of 1:53.43. Junior Matt Johnson finished fourth in the 800-meter also beating the former meet record, clocking in with a personal-best of 1:53.10.
"Simply put, I am very proud of this team across the board," said Upstate Head Coach Natalie Smith. "Everyone that lined up today in every event gave it all they had and that's what we look for especially at the championship level. As a coach, when you look around and see your team running, throwing and jumping their best of the season at the conference championship, you realize that they have an understanding of what time it is and that it is time to step up."
The Spartans also medaled in the men's weight throw and the 60-meter hurdles. Senior Kenny Sugishita finished third in the weight throw with a season-best toss of 17.11-meters (56-01.75). In the 60-meter hurdles, senior Brandon Curry took home the bronze medal with a season-best time of 8.31.
"All of those who stood on the podium in the individual events on the men's side were seniors and this shows the type of leadership that these young men have," Smith said.
On the women's side, freshman Dominique Nock turned in an impressive performance in the 60-meter dash finals, taking second-place honors. She destroyed her previous school record time of 7.65, which she set Friday in the prelims, crossing the line in 7.54. She went on to break two more school records on the day in the 200-meter and the 4x400-meter relay. In the 200-meter, Nock broke her previous program-best mark of 25.89, finishing in 24.78. She then teamed with fellow freshmen Rebecca Elliott, Heaven Briggs and Ashleigh Torres in the 4x400-meter relay to post an Upstate record time of 4:02.36. The previous school record was 4:05.20 set earlier this year.
"Dominique Nock bounced back like a champ, finishing runner-up in the 60m and running a really competitive time in the 200m," Smith said. "I thought our middle distance crew on the women's side looked great with Ashleigh Torres being just short of scoring in the 800 and only a little over a second off of our school record."
In the men's 4x400-meter relay, the Spartans finished fourth with a school record time of 3:19.99. Freshman Tracy Fisher, Thomas, junior Michael Johnson and Matt Johnson joined forces in the event to break the previous Upstate record of 3:20.04, which was set at the A-Sun Indoor Championships last season.
"On the men's side, we were a little short on numbers due to injuries, however the 15 men that we traveled most of them had personal best marks and seven of them stood on the podium," Smith said.
Upstate junior Ashley Edmond rounded out the school record performances for the Spartans on the day. She crossed the 400-meter line in 1:00.39, beating her previous program-best time of 1:00.43.
On the day, the Spartan men finished fourth in the team standings with 72 points, while the Upstate women's team came in sixth, collecting 20 points.
"We have another season ahead of us with cross country and indoor track being in the books so we will now go back to work and prepare for outdoor championships," Smith said.
Upstate opens the outdoor season March 15, traveling to Charlotte, N.C., to compete in the 49er Classic. Follow the Spartans this season on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
