Feb. 27, 2001

CONTACT: Mandy B. Sciba

NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- The Stephen F. Austin State University indoor track and field team wrapped up another season after a successful Southland Conference Championship Meet in Houston. Overall the Ladyjacks and Lumberjacks brought home 15 All-SLC athletes. These were the athletes who placed in the top three in each event.

On the Ladyjacks' side, two women, including junior Misty Ballard (Carlsbad, N.M.) and sophomore Blake Gordon (Gladewater, Tex.) earned All-Conference athlete honors. Misty Ballard, a pole vaulter, vaulted 4.10M (13-05.25) to clinch first place. This was a new SFA school record, all-time SLC vaulting record and a SLC Championship Meet record. Ballard earned an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships and a qualification to the USA Track and Field Championships. Blake Gordon threw her shot put 14.02M (46-00.00) to clinch second place.

The women's mile relay team consisting of seniors Sonya McMillan (Killeen, Tex.) Sisily Harrison (Houston, Tex.), sophomore Mashay Utley (Houston, Tex.) and junior Tracy Schupp (Hallsville, Tex.) finished the SLC meet with an impressive third place finish. With a time of 3:53.73 the mile relay team just missed the SFA school record of 3:53.00 set in 1997. Mashay Utley continued her success with a fourth place finish in the 400M dash. This 57.11 finish was a new personal record for Utley.

On the Lumberjacks' side nine individuals brought home All-Conference honors. Of these nine, three were individual champions of their events. Sophomore Paul Todd (Marshall, Tex.) won the high jump with 2.15M (7-00.50). Todd had provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships earlier in the indoor season. Todd was followed by junior J.W. Potter (Big Sandy, Tex.) in the 800M run. Potter finished his race in first with a time of 1:53.12, a new SFA record. Junior pole vaulter Adam Keul (Tyler, Tex.) vaulted 5.15M (16-10.75) to win his competition. Keul has also provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Senior Tom Swan (Ovilla, Tex.) had an outstanding performance as he was the runner-up with a vault of 5.05M (16-06.75). This was a season best for Swan who has been consistent for the Lumberjacks. Senior, hurdler Scott Keys (Houston, Tex.) was also runner-up in the 60M hurdles. Keys ran a season best 8.00 in this event and also set a new SFA school record. In the pentathlon, junior Matt Seale (Anahuac, Tex.) captured third place with 3,362 points.

Three freshmen Justin Meier (Lorena, Tex.), Nathan Flores (Kingwood, Tex.) and Thomas Williams (Fort Worth, Tex.) made immediate impacts at the SLC meet for SFA. Meier had a personal record in the 1600M run with 4:17.00 (third place finish) and the 3,000M run with 8:37.84. Nathan Flores set an SFA school record in the 5,000M run with 14:48.69. Thomas Williams set a personal record in the 60M dash with 6.88 and a third place finish.

"Overall, I am very pleased with this group's performance at the Southland Conference Championship Meet. All I wanted was their best performances and they gave me just that. We had balance throughout the meet. We are really looking forward to the NCAA Championships and the outdoor season as well," said Head Coach Phil Olson.

The SFA indoor track and field team will be back in action Friday, March 2, 2001, at the Louisiana State University Last Ditch Meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.