March 18, 2004
BY SCOTT MacDONALD
SPORTS INFORMATION ASSISTANT
After claiming All-America honors in both the indoor and outdoor seasons of her rookie campaign, Chaunte Howard entered her sophomore season with high expectations. Howard was already atop the Atlantic Coast Conference, winning the ACC title in the high jump in her first three attempts, including at this year’s Indoor ACC Championships, but she had yet to conquer the NCAA Championships, until now. Howard earned her first national title at the 2004 Indoor NCAA Track and Field Championships with a school record clear of 6’03.50″, blowing the competition away by two inches.
“I actually didn’t think I had a shot until I won,” said Howard. “I was very confident going into the meet because I had personal-records in practice three of the seven times before the NCAA meet. So I felt that it was possible, but did not want to take anything for granted.”
The national title was the second in the history of the Georgia Tech women’s track and field program and first under head coach Alan Drosky. Natasha Alleyne was the first to capture a national championship in 1992, setting the school record in the high jump with a mark of 6’02.25″. A school record that sat on the books until this season when Howard tied it in the first indoor meet of the season at the Clemson Opener on Dec. 6, 2003.
At the ACC Championships, Howard claimed her third straight ACC crown in the high jump with a conference and Tech record [at the time] jump of 6’02.75″. Howard also posted a runner-up finish in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 20’1.00″ and tallied her third all-conference honor with a third-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 42’2.25″. For her accomplishments, Howard was named ACC Co-Performer of the Year, along with North Carolina’s Laura Gerraughty [who also won a national title in the shot put].
The indoor season had many highlights for the Riverside, Calif., native. Howard did not finish second in one high jump event and broke the Tech indoor record on three occasions. Still, nothing was real to Howard until she was actually crowned NCAA champion.
“I was so excited once it happened,” said Howard. “Once I cleared my third jump, I knew that I had it, so I felt relieved but it did not sink in until I was actually up on the podeum being awarded the national title. It was gratifying for me and my coach [Nat Page]. There is now way that I could have accomplished the things I have without his guidance, he’s the greatest.”
“She had a very consistent indoor season,” said assistant coach Nat Page. “Probably 80 percent of her meets she had cleared heights that were consistent with the top marks in the NCAA. We continued to jump at those heights in practice and she was clearing them. Chaunte is a very hard worker and understood what we were trying to get accomplished. I was very proud of what she accomplished at the Indoor NCAA Championships. Now we must continue to work during the outdoor season and try and have a consistent season again, pushing towards NCAAs and perhaps, moving up to the heights of 6’4.75″, making her one of the few women in the country to obtain Olympic qualifying marks.”
The Georgia Tech women’s track and field team finished in a tie for 21st-place with 10 points, its highest finish since 1999 when the Yellow Jackets finished in a tie for 13th place with 13 points. Tech finished second at the ACC Championships, 15 points behind champion North Carolina.
The outdoor season will begin this weekend at Florida State. The FSU Relays will be conducted on Friday and Saturday, March 19-20.
“I’m confident heading into the outdoor season,” said Howard. “I still know that I have to work hard and continue to carry high expectations for the team and myself. I don’t want to be satisfied with what I’ve accomplished so far, rather work hard for things I’ve yet to accomplish.”
