March 2, 2008

2008 Conference USA Indoor Championships-Final Results (PDF)

HOUSTON, Texas -Houston men and Rice women win back-to-back Conference USA Track & Field Indoor Championship titles with strong team performances in the final day of the 2008 C-USA championship inside Yeoman Fieldhouse in Houston.

The Cougar men claimed their ninth overall indoor title, while the Rice women pick up their second in as many years.

Finishing second was Rice men with 116.5 points, followed by UTEP's 104 and Tulsa's 100 points for third and fourth places, respectively. Memphis (88.5), East Carolina (62) and Southern Miss (38) rounded out the team standings.

UTEP women took runner-up honors with 114.5 points, while Memphis finished third with 74.5 points. UAB (55), Houston (52) and Tulane (51) were all within four points to claim the No. 3 to 5 slots, respectively. Only two points separated Tulsa (48) and UCF (46) for the sixth and seventh spot. Southern Miss (34), East Carolina (25.5) and SMU (15) concluded the women's results.

Tulane senior and sprint specialist Gloria Asumnu made C-USA history Saturday by becoming the first four-time female champion in a single event by clocking a gold medal and provisional time of 7.22 in the 60-meter dash, which ties her meet record she established in 2007. She also won the 200m dash with another provisional time of 23.78.

The men's heptathlon title went to Rice's Phillip Adam who scored 5,317 points in seven events. Houston took the next two spots with Wesley Bray and Morgan Floyd scoring 5,298 and 5,036 points, respectively, for silver and bronze honors.

A trio of freshman took top honors in the men's triple jump as Houston's Chris Carter earned gold with a clearance of 15.22m (49-11.25), followed by Rice's Ugo Nduaguba second-place finish of 15.05m (49-04.5) and in third was Cougar Thomas Lang clearing 14.84m (48-08.25).

The top four finishers in the women's mile better the previous C-USA meet record as UTEP senior Kelly Young clocked a winning time of 4:45.08 to edge Tulsa senior Alex Becker's time of 4:47.19. Finishing third with a time of 4:47.55 was Rice's Callie Wells. The Owls took three of the top five spots in this event. Senior Lennie Waite of Rice also better the previous championship mark by clocking 4:49.28 for fourth place. The top three finishers earned all-conference honors.

Young also collected her second gold medal of the day with a winning and provisional time of 2:08.80 in the 800m. Rice's Sarah Lyons finished in an NCAA provisional mark of 54.55 in the women's 400m for gold medal honors and all-C-USA first team merits.

Tulsa scored 18 points in the men's mile as the Hurricane took the top two honors with junior Lewis Timmins edging teammate Mark Davidson for gold. Timmins clocked a winning time of 4:13.22, while Davidson crossed in 4:13.24. Earning all-conference third team honors was UTEP's Nicodemus Ng'etich with a time of 4:13.34.

Freshman Lizzie Harris won UCF's first C-USA gold medal with a clearance of 1.78m (5-10.00) in the women's high jump. Memphis took the next two spots as Charlotte Abrahams and Chen Edri had identical marks of 1.73 (5-08.00) for second and third, respectively.

The Tigers also dominated the women's shot put, taking three of the top four spots. Senior Susan King, who ranks third in the nation in the event, won gold with an NCAA provisional toss of 16.72m (54-10-25). UTEP's Keisha Walkes was second with a mark of 15.80m (51-10.00), followed by a third-place toss from Abrahams. Abrahams, C-USA Female Freshman of the Year, had an impressive championship leaving the two-day event with a gold, silver and bronze medal as she scored in the pentathlon (first), high jump (second) and shot put (third), for High Point Scorer of the Meet honors.

Memphis continued its strong showing in the field events as the Tigers scored 24 points in the men's shot put, sweeping all-conference honors. Senior Glen Edwards led the trio with a first-place throw of 17.04m (55-11.00), followed by junior Greg Norrid's 16.83m (55-02.75) mark and junior Seth Major was third with a toss of 16.46m (54-00.00).

In hurdles action, Houston's Seun Adigun tied the championship record by crossing the finish line in a time of 8.28, followed by UTEP's Quashanda Welch's time of 8.44 for second-place. UCF took the next two spots with Micaela Wimberly edging teammate Victoria Chin, 8.723 to 8.727.

East Carolina picked up its first medal of the championship when Kris Bell clocked a winning time of 8.04 in the 60m hurdles. Memphis Amaechi Oselukwue crossed in 8.12, while Rice's Tyler Whitham ran a 8.31, for second and third-place honors respectively.

Following the Bell's footstep was teammate and junior Brandon Small who won the men's 400m dash in a time of 48.57. Senior Cornelius Duncan of Southern Miss placed second in a time of 48.59, followed by UTEP senior Elias Koech's mark of 48.62.

ECU came on strong in the running events as the Pirates also took two of the top three times in the men's 60m dash. Freshman Isiah Gyasi won gold with a winning time of 6.77, while teammate Adian Sanderson was third, finishing in 6.79. Houston senior Tremaine Smith was sandwich between the Pirates with a second-place finish of 6.79.

UTEP claimed the top two marks in the men's 800m meters as senior Dominic Tanui repeated his title with a time of 1:52.74, followed by Aggrey Chirchir in 1:53.32. Taking third was ECU's Jarrett Newby, finishing in 1:53.44.

The men's 200m was highly contested as Houston's Tremaine Smith finished in a winning time of 21.63, followed by Rice's Bubba Heard in 21.64 for second and Cougar Tyrone Carrier in third with a time of 21.67.

Winning her second-straight women's 3,000m title was Tulsa senior Alex Becker. Becker clocked a C-USA record and provisional time of 9:30.44 for top honors, while UAB senior Elizabeth Ambrus also better the previous championship mark with a second place finish of 9:32.17. Tulsa also claimed the men's 3,000m title as Mark Davidson finished in a time of 8:26.46. TU clocked three of the top five times in this race. Kyle Dekker (8:28.88) and John Beattie (8:29.32) finished fourth and fifth.

After winning the women's long jump title Friday, freshman Blessing Okagbare captured gold in the triple jump with a C-USA and Yeoman Fieldhouse record of 13.53m (44-04.75), while teammate Nelly Tchayem took silver with a mark of 13.09 (42-11.5). UCF picked up bronze as Dione Thomas recorded a third-place finish of 12.85m (42-02.00).

Men's pole vault honors went to Rice's Shea Kearney with a 5.16m (16-11.00) performance. Houston took the next two marks as Alex Bentley and Derek Schutz finished second (5.01m, 16-05.25) and third (4.86m, 15-11.25), respectively.

Wrapping up championship action was the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams. Claiming the women's crown was Tulane with a winning time of 3:46.39, while UTEP took the gold on the men's side with a time of 3:17.38.

2008 C-USA WOMEN's TRACK & FIELD STANDINGS
Finals

1. Rice 133.5

2. UTEP 114.5

3. Memphis 74.5

4. Houston 55

5. Tulane 52

6. UAB 51

7. Tulsa 48

8. UCF 46

9. Southern Miss 34

10. East Carolina 25.5

11. SMU 15

12. Marshall 14

2008 C-USA MEN's TRACK & FIELD STANDINGS
Finals

1. Houston 152

2. Rice 116.5

3. Memphis 104

4. UTEP 100

5. Tulsa 88.5

6. East Carolina 62

7. Southern Miss 38