Feb. 22, 2008

HOUSTON - The Stephen F. Austin men's and women's track and field teams are in first place after the opening day of competition at the SLC Indoor Championships in Houston. The Lumberjacks scored 40 points Friday to take a three-point lead over Texas-San Antonio into Saturday's final round of competition. The Ladyjacks scored 50 points, and will take a 6.50-lead over Texas State into Saturday's competition.

SFA had a tremendous effort from both the men and women during the opening day of competition. The two teams combined for six All-SLC finishes, recorded two SLC individual titles, set one SLC meet record, and recorded an NCAA provisional mark.

Sophomore Frednisha Marshall continued to dominate the women's weight throw. She set a new Southland Conference record, and recorded an NCAA provisional mark with a throw of 63-11.50 to win the event. Sophomore Matt Langdon completed an SFA sweep in the event when he won the men's weight throw with a mark of 62-2.25. Langdon's mark also set a new conference record in the event.

Sophomore Tabitha Riley has picked up in the indoor where she left off the 2007 outdoor season. The Carrollton, Texas, native, scored 3,455 points to finish second overall in the pentathlon to earn All-SLC honors. Riley finished only 122 points off the individual title.

SFA also placed two freshmen in the top eight of the pentathlon. Megan Harlan finished fifth overall with a score 3,305 points. Classmate Ebbonye Johnson was only 21 points off Harlan's pace to finish sixth overall.

SFA stands to score quite a few points in the heptathlon as well. Sophomore Aaron Harlan, brother of SFA pentathlete Megan Harlan, currently leads the field with 3,084 points heading into Saturday's competition. Harlan was strong in the 60-meter dash and the high jump. Harlan won both events clocking a time of 7.17 in the 60 meters, and clearing a height of 6-8.25 in the high jump.

Sophomore Chris Jones is third overall (2,811 points), only 159 points out of second heading into the final day. Jones was able to stay among the league leaders by winning the shot put (47-5.75). Freshman Jacques Neyrey is currently fourth overall with a score of 2,751 points. Neyrey finished second in the high jump, just behind Harlan, with his jump of 6-4.75.

Other SFA athletes that earned all-conference honors in the first day of competition included seniors Geoffrey Carey, Audrey Azu and Sumbo Adeniran. Carey cleared a height of 16-2.75 to finish third overall in the pole vault, while Adeniran recorded a mark of 24-0.25 to finish third in the long jump. Azu cleared a height of 5-8.00 to finish third in the high jump.

Azu was one of three Ladyjacks to score points in the high jump. Senior Meghan Denman cleared a height of 5-6.00 to finish fifth overall, while Johnson moved over from the pentathlon to place seventh in the high jump (5-4.25).

Sophomore Silent-Joy Egboba-Waye recorded a top-five finish for SFA in the women's long jump. Egboba-Waye recorded a mark of 18-8.00 to finish fifth overall. The Ladyjacks placed two athletes in the top five of the women's 5,000-meter run. Senior Ashley Monteau recorded a time of 18:05.92 to finish fourth overall. Monteau finished just ahead of teammate Amy Shackelford who crossed the finish line fifth with a time of 18:12.36 in the event.

The 'Jacks place three athletes in the top eight of men's 5,000 meters. Keith Mahipala was SFA's top finisher in the event. He recorded a time of 15:03.00 to place fifth overall. Mahipala finished just ahead of teammate Mitchell Ownbey (15:04.59). Freshman Dennis Yeats rounded out the scoring in the event with his eighth-place finish (15:09.83).

The Lumberjacks' distance medley relay team scored two points in the final event of the day. The team of Brian Wall, Marc Evans, Travis Beavers and Elliot Starcevich recorded a time of 10:38.43 to finish seventh overall.

SFA returns to action Saturday to close out the SLC Indoor Championships. Saturday's competition will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the final three events of the heptathlon. Field events will get under way with the men's and women's triple jump. The track events are schedule to get started at 1:30 p.m. with the women's mile run.

-SFA-