April 20, 2004
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech women’s track and field team tallied its highest finish ever at the Outdoor Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, posting a second-place finish with 146 points. The Jackets fell behind defending ACC champion, North Carolina as the Tar Heels scored 186.50 points. On the men’s side, Tech finished fourth with 103 points as Clemson set a meet record with 224 points to capture the title.
Sophomore sensation Chaunte Howard defended her ACC title in the women’s high jump, with a World’s best tying clear of 6’04.75″, shattering the ACC meet, conference and Georgia Tech records. The mark was the best by an American this season and has now qualified her for the Olympic Trials. The indoor national champion also tallied All-ACC honors in the long jump (2nd), triple jump (3rd) and 100-meter high hurdles (3rd).
Senior Brendon Mahoney made the most of his last outdoor ACC meet, capturing the 800 meters and 1500 meters for his fifth and sixth ACC championships throughout his career. It is the second time the Cumming, Ga., had captured the 800 (2000) and first in the 1500 at the outdoor championships. Mahoney also picked up his first NCAA Region qualifying time in the 1500 with a time of 3:45.76.
Freshman phenom Ashlee Kidd proved her ACC title in the 400 during the indoor season was no fluke, as she won the 200 and 400 meters at the outdoor conference meet. In doing so, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native bettered her NCAA Region qualifying times in both events with marks of 23.53 and 52.40, respectively.
Sophomore Lauren Reimer became the first Yellow Jacket to win an ACC crown in the women’s heptathlon, with a score of 4973. The mark set a new Tech record and was the first ACC title for Reimer.
Senior sprinter Amandi Rhett captured her first outdoor ACC championship with a first-place finish in the 100 meters. Rhett posted a time of 11.77. The Willingboro, N.J., native also picked up all-conference honors in the 200 meters, finishing runner-up to Kidd with a time of 23.65.
A trio of juniors won ACC titles for the men’s track and field team; Marcus Canty, Montrell Person and Zeb Sion. Canty won the javelin throw with a NCAA Region mark of 227’01”. Despite having a fracture in his foot, Person won the 110-meter high hurdles for the Jackets with a time of 13.86. The final ACC champion for the Yellow Jackets was Sion. The Pocatello, Idaho, native posted a season-best mark of 58’01.00″ in the shot put, qualifying him for the NCAA Region Championships.
Posting a runner-up finish in the men’s high jump for Tech was senior Michael Massey. Massey tallied a NCAA Region mark of 6’11.75″ in the event, tying his personal-record mark.
Juniors Dana Rogers and Shanta Smith tallied second-place finishes for the Yellow Jackets. Rogers posted a NCAA Region time of 13.77 in the women’s 100mHH, while Smith ran a personal-best time of 53.38 in the women’s 400 meters to qualify her for the NCAA Region meet.
The final all-conference honorees for the Jackets were sophomores Brandy Depland, Simone Parker and Alexandra Van Heuven. Depland finished second in the triple jump with a NCAA Region mark of 43’01.75″, while Parker finished third in the discus with a toss of 155’01”. Van Heuven posted a season-best score of 4535 in the women’s heptathlon to finish third.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams will travel to Philadelphia, Pa., for the annual Penn Relays. The prestigious outdoor track meet is scheduled to run from April 22-24.
