Mean Green Track and Field

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From the DRC:

Track & field: UNT relay teams post record day

Women finish third men come in fourth at SBC Championship

08:18 AM CDT on Monday, May 16, 2005

NEW ORLEANS — The Mean Green relay teams rewrote the school record books, anchoring a third place finish for the women and fourth place finish for the men at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday.

The women’s 4x400 and 4x100-meter relay teams each clipped school records, while the men’s relays both captured gold medals at the conference meet.

“We had a few things that didn’t go our way this weekend, but overall I am really happy with how our kids competed,” said Mean Green head coach Rick Watkins. “I am really happy with how we finished out the season, and the way we were able to get all of our relay teams qualified for regionals.”

Overall, the Mean Green qualified 18 athletes in 13 different events for the post-season this year, eclipsing last season’s mark of 15 athletes in 11 events. The NCAA Midwest Regional Meet will begin on May 27 in Norman, Okla.

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Chi Chi Echebelem, Racquel Hudson, Chrystal Mitchell and Rhonda Williams finished in 3:41.47, qualifying the squad for the NCAA Midwest Regional Meet. The squad finished second, eclipsing the school record by nearly half a second. The time is the 18th fastest time in the region this season.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Rachael Runnels, Osaze Aghedo, Chastidy Russell and Echebelem broke its own school record set only a month ago at the Jason’s Deli Mean Green Twilight Invitational.

The team’s time of 45.15, its second qualifying mark of the season, is one of the top-10 times in the region this season and was good for a second place finish.

The men’s 4x100-meter relay did just as well, bringing home the gold medal. The team of David Schwein, Derek Logan, Brandon Irabor and Johnny Quinn finished in 40.39. It was also the second qualifying mark of the year for the men’s squad.

The men’s 4x400-meter relay also won gold, finishing with the second fastest time in school history. The team of Kory Williams, Logan, Schwein and Kelvin Wright finished in 3:08.05, the squad’s second qualifying mark of the season.

Williams also scorched his way to a win in the 400-meter hurdles by running the second fastest time in school history. The senior’s mark of 50.99 is only a hundredth of a second off the school record set by Ed Eberhart in 1975.

Williams’ time is the second fastest in the region this year and the 11th best in the nation. He has now run three of the top six times in school history this season.

Heath Smith finished second in the javelin with the third best throw in school history. The sophomore’s toss of 56.23-meters (184-06) is a career best.

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Now that SMUt has dropped track we should get even more great athletes.