SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse women's track & field team took down 10 first-place titles, including all six field events, and eight second-place showings while the men yielded five event crowns and three runner-up finishes in the friendly confines of Manley Field House hosted by Syracuse University on Friday afternoon.
Junior Monica Ridgeway paced the Orange with two first-place victories while the rest of the SU women flashed their versatility with eight top marks all by different individuals. The men reflected the women's winning ways by churning out six different first-place winners of their own on Friday.
Right from the get-go, sophomore Flings Owusu-Agyapong set a new school record in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.00 for the win while second-year sprinter Lareea Chisolm finished up in second with an ECAC-qualifying clip of 7.15. Sophomore LaTimberly Johnson was pegged fifth after topping out at 7.64.
Chisolm stormed back in the 200-meter dash with a BIG EAST-qualifying time of 25.26 for top billing.
In the 55-meter hurdles, newcomer Karelle Edwards dusted the field for a first-place clip of 8.40. Sophomore Kelsey Reubor was right on Edwards' heels in second place with a time of 9.32.
Senior Lauren McClenney motored around the familiar Manley Field House surface for a first-place performance in the 500-meter dash to the tune of 1:16.42 which is good enough for a BIG EAST-qualifying pace. Senior Stacie Boyle collected third in the same race with a time of 1:19.47. Boyle picked up a second-place prize in the 800-meter by concluding the four-lap race in 2:23.45 Junior Deanna Schmitt claimed third in the 800-meter with a rate of 2:24.18.
Junior distance runner Lisa Giacometti generated the Orange's quickest time in the mile with a third-place time of 5:22.72. Senior Emily Goncalves finished eighth in 5:34.44.
In the women's 3K event, freshman Natalee Fisher wrapped up in ninth place after crossing the line in 10:47.01.
Ridgeway's two triumphs came in the shot put and weight throw events. Ridgeway's lob of 12.50m in the shot put produced another win for the Orange. The third-year thrower doubled up in the wins category after heaving the 20-lb. weight for a measurement of 13.38m.
Junior Annabelle Pellerin, also an outside hitter on the SU volleyball team, bested finished with a first-place, BIG EAST-qualifying leap of 1.65m. Freshman Danielle Sherwood vanquished the rest of the pole vaulting field with a spring of 3.15m. Junior Uhunoma Osazuwa squeezed out a first-place victory in the long jump against two of her teammates with a jump of 5.33m. In the triple jump, senior Christina Connolly put forth a winning combination of 11.07m.
Turning to the men's side, freshman Kris Kolewe rounded out the 800-meter run with a first-place time of 1:59.78. Junior Matt Martina repeated Kolewe's winning ways with a victory of his own in the mile run with a 4:30.46. In the 3,000-meter run, sophomore Michael Brocks outlasted 15 other competitors for a third-place tabbing with a time of 8:49.47.
In the 55-meter hurdles, sophomore transfer Jarret Eaton put on a nice second-place show in his SU debut with an NCAA Provisional-qualifying mark of 7.31. Freshman Matthew Callanan also made his first appearance for the Orange at Manley Field House with a third-place time of 7.81 in the same event.
In the 1,600-meter relay, the Orange captured first place as freshman David Dubin, sophomore Da'Mon Merkerson (also a member of the SU football team), and seniors Terry Marshall and Skyy Simmons joined forces for a time of 3:24.32.
Junior Eric Cleckner beat out Cortland State's Nick Wilson for first place in the high jump with a leap of 1.86m.
Senior Bernard Bush took home the long jump crown with an IC4A-qualfying vault of 7.04m. Sophomore Victor Nwosu's 6.49m mark was good enough for second.
Sophomore Kwaku Boah, also a member of the Orange football team, tossed 14.62m in the shot put for first place and a second place, BIG EAST-qualifying lob of 15.86m with the 35-lb. weight.
After its excellent showing at home, the Orange returns to Ithaca, N.Y. to take on the rest of the field at the Cornell Upstate Challenge on Saturday, January 24. Syracuse opened up its 2009 indoor campaign at Cornell on December 6.