STATESBORO, Ga. ? The Southern Conference Indoor Championships begin tomorrow and the Georgia Southern track & field team is looking to reach the summit after finishing third the past two seasons.
The Eagles have excelled in numerous events this indoor season and GSU coach Natalie Smith believes her squad has what it takes to contend for the championship. “This year we'd like to move up a spot,” said Smith. “The goal is always to win, but realistically we want to move up a spot. The competition is tough and there aren't as many events so it's going to be a challenge.”
GSU has enjoyed a lot of success and has had key contributions from several student-athletes. Georgia Southern sophomore Demetrise Anthony claimed first place honors in the triple jump at the Clemson Opener. The Manchester, Ga. native ended with a jump of 40'9” earning the first individual title for the Eagles of the indoor season. Anthony turned in a time of 7.69 in the 60M at the Niswonger Invitational, which is the fastest by an Eagle this season.
Georgia Southern has competed very well in the 800M this season. Junior Shauntel Jennings (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and senior Abby Bloom (Snellville, Ga.) finished back-to-back in the 800M at the Carolina Chick-fil-A Invitational. Jennings came in seventh place with a time of 2:19.38, while Bloom recorded a time of 2:20.10 for an eighth place finish. Sophomore Kellie Wesson (Douglasville, Ga.) recorded a time of 2:24.78 at the Texas Roadhouse Carolina Classic.
The jumpers have been remarkable all season long. Shaunta Hamilton (Macon, Ga.) posted impressive numbers in both the long and triple jump events at the Carolina Chick-fil-A Invitational. She recorded a mark of 19'00.00” in the long jump and a 39'10.50” in the triple jump, which is the top distance by a GSU jumper this season. Hamilton, Anthony, Lynndsey Hyter and Dominique Thurman (Riverdale, Ga.) all pose a threat in the triple and long jump events at the SoCon Championships.
Senior Jennifer Charles (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) and sophomore Jessica Irizarry (Kennesaw, Ga.) have been throwing well all season long and will look to have continued success at the SoCon Championships. Charles posted the fourth best throw in school history with a distance of 44'03.50” at the Texas Roadhouse Carolina Classic. Irizarry recorded the fifth best distance in indoor history in the weight throw hurling 50'02.00” at the Clemson Opener.
Sophomore Melanie Trumbo finished fifth in the pentathlon out of 12 competitors at the Texas Roadhouse Carolina Classic. The Lilburn, Ga. native posted an overall score of 2,983, which lists as the third best score in school history. Trumbo clocked in at 10.29 in the 60M hurdles, registered a mark of 5'02.5” in the high jump, threw a distance of 36'05.75” in the shot put, leaped a distance of 14'07.25” in the long jump and recorded a time of 2:39.28 in the 800M.
“After the first day we're hoping that everyone will have qualified for the finals on Saturday,” said Smith. “I'm just looking for the girls to go out and compete the way we practice. We're a very intense practicing team so if we can go out and compete in the same manor that we do on a daily basis then I think we'll be coming home really excited. That will give us the momentum going into the outdoor season to try and go back and reclaim our title.
The SoCon Indoor Championships begin Friday, February 29, in Clemson, S.C. The meet is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.
