Feb. 5, 2004
ATLANTA – The men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete in the Meyo Invitational this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, inside the Meyo Track in South Bend, Ind. The men’s draw includes No. 1 Arkansas and No. 8 Michigan, while the 21st-ranked Yellow Jacket women will compete against No. 11 Arkansas and No. 21, along with Tech, Notre Dame. Maryland is the only other Atlantic Coast Conference team in the event, which will host a total of 19 teams.
“We look forward to taking our team back to Notre Dame,” said men’s head coach Grover Hinsdale. “It has been several years since we competed there. It is an excellent facility and will be the last competition for many of our team members prior to the ACC Championships on Feb. 20-21.”
“We’re excited to go to Notre Dame,” said women’s head coach Alan Drosky. “It’s an oversized track which will give our competitors a chance to run some very fast times. It will also provide a different variety of competition with a lot of the Big Ten and MAC conference schools competing.”
Leading the men’s side for the Jackets are seniors Brendon Mahoney (Cumming, Ga.) and Michael Massey (Asheboro, N.C.), along with junior Montrell Person (Merriville, Ind.). Mahoney currently ranks 11th in the nation in the 800 meters with a time of 1:50.66, tops in the ACC conference.
Massey leads the ACC in the high jump with a NCAA provisional mark of 7’1.50″. He currently stands ninth in the country.
Person has been named ACC Performer of the Week on two occasions (1/19, 1/26) and leads Tech in the hurdles and sprinting events. His time of 7.76 is tied for third in the NCAA along with Arkansas’ Mike Thomas. Person leads the ACC in the 60mH and ranks fifth in the 60-meter dash (6.87) and tied for 10th in the 200 meters (22.11).
Junior transfer Holt McPherson (Mebane, N.C.) has made an immediate impact for Tech in the long jump. He leads the conference with a provisional mark of 24’11.75″ and currently ranks ninth in the country.
On the women’s side, sophomore All-American Chaunte Howard (Riverside, Calif.) continues to lead the nation in the high jump, with a NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 6’2.25″. Howard ranks third in the ACC in the long jump with a mark of 19’5.50″.
Junior Shanta Smith (Miami, Fla.) broke a school record in the triple jump earlier this year and is the reigning ACC Performer of the Week after tallying a first-place finish in the triple jump and an eighth-place finish in the 400 meters at the Gator Invitational. Smith’s jump of 43’4.50″ stands fifth in the nation and second in the ACC.
Freshman Ashlee Kidd (St. Petersburg, Fla.) leads the ACC in the 400 meters with a NCAA provisional time of 54.01. That time currently ranks 10th in the nation. Kidd also ranks in fourth conference in the 200 meters with a time of 24.22.
The final Tech competitor ranking in the NCAA is junior Dana Rogers (East Point, Ga.). Rogers leads Tech in the 60-meter hurdles and stands 12th in the NCAA with a time of 8.37.
The Yellow Jackets will return to Clemson, S.C. for the Tiger Invitational Saturday, Feb. 14. The indoor ACC Championships will be held at Clemson beginning Friday, Feb. 20.
