By: KSU Sports Information
Day One Results I
Day Two Schedule
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Kennesaw State track and field teams concluded day one of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in shape for a strong finale on Saturday.
The men hold a one-point advantage over archrival East Tennessee State. Claiming two gold medals on Friday, the Black and Gold are set to repeat as Outdoor Champions.
The winners on the day for the Owls were Rasmus Rooks who took home first place in the long jump with a leap of 23.9 feet.
Ryan Burruss claimed the second title for the squad in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 9:20.94. Racing to a photo finish, Burruss edged out Ashton Fisher of Lipscomb by two hundredths of a second.
Senior Brian Graham sits in second place in the decathlon with 3364 points after clocking top-three finishes in four of the five events, while junior Hendrick Themas set a new conference record in the decathlon shot put with a mark of 12.15m (39-10 1/2).
In the 10,000m, Nabil Hamid and Jaakko Niemien finished second and third, posting times of 30:47.50 and 31:16.50, in that order.
“It is going to come down to who has more heart,” Rooks said. “We are at an advantage having won the indoor championship over this same team by the narrowest of margins earlier this season.”
On the women’s side, a lot of work is needed to hunt down the perennial powerhouse Jacksonville Dolphins, who lead the Owls by 35 points.
Junior Christie Leverette used a first-place finish in the high jump and four top-three finishes to claim the top spot in the women’s heptathlon after the first day of competition. Leverette finished the day with 3106 points after she cleared a mark of 1.73m (5-8) to lead the field in the high jump.
In the running portion of the heptathlon, senior Naomi Mack took first in the 100m with a time of 14.51. Mack also claimed the top honors in the 200m dash, clocking a 25.59.
A collection of bronze medal performances were also earned on Friday after Michelle Quimby earned a third-place finish at 3.71m (12-02), Gwennetta Jones in the shot put with a mark of 13.27m (43-6.5) and Shannon Hooper in the hammer throw with a toss of 47.70m.
Competition on Saturday has been moved to a 7:30 a.m. start due to the threat of inclement weather. All events have been moved up four hours. To follow all the action, check for updates on Twitter @KSUTrackFieldXC.
