May 7, 2004
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams will travel to Clemson, S.C., for the annual Orange and Purple Classic this Saturday, May 8. The outdoor meet is scheduled to begin with the men’s hammer throw at 11:15 a.m. and end with the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay at 6:25 p.m.
Several Jackets have tallied NCAA Region qualifying marks so far this season. On the men’s side, Marcus Canty, Michael Massey, Brendon Mahoney, Zeb Sion and Montrell Person will all be competing in the NCAA Region Championships in Gainesville, Fla., May 28-29.
Canty won the ACC title in the javelin throw and holds Tech’s season-best mark at 227’01”. Massey finished second in the high jump at the conference meet and tallied a NCAA Region mark of 6’11.75″. Mahoney picked up a NCAA Region mark of 3:45.76 at the Cardinal Invitational and qualified for the region championship by winning the 800 meters at the ACC meet.
Person and Sion won the 110-meter hurdles and shot put, respectively, at the conference championships. Person tallied a NCAA Region time of 13.60 in the 110HH at the Yellow Jacket Invitational. Sion posted a NCAA mark of 58’01” in the shot put at the ACC meet to capture his first ever ACC crown.
Nine Yellow Jackets have earned berths to the NCAA Region Championships on the women’s side; Brandy Depland, Chaunte Howard, Ashlee Kidd, Andriane Lapsley, Simone Parker, Amandi Rhett, Dana Rogers, Shanta Smith and Ameca Williams.
Depland (43’1.75″), Howard (42’5.25″) and Smith (42’3.50″) will compete in the triple jump for the Jackets. Depland will also compete in the long jump, while Smith will run the 400 meters for Tech. Howard tallied an ACC and Tech record high jump of 6’4.75″ to win her fourth straight title in the event and ranks second among Americans. The Riverside, Calif., native will also run the 100-meter hurdles (13.78) and compete in the long jump (20’3.75″).
Parker broke the school record in the discus this season with a toss of 161’03” at the FSU Relays. The sophomore finished third at the conference meet to earn All-ACC honors.
Lapsley will enter the 100IH (13.87), 100 (11.65), 200 (23.90) and the 4×100. Pairing with Lapsley in the 4×100 will be Rhett, Rogers and Williams. Rhett has a NCAA mark of 11.44 in the 100-meter dash, while Rogers leads Tech in the 100IH with a time of 13.38.
Running in the 400 for the Rambling Wreck will be Kidd. The freshman won the 200 and 400 at the ACC meet with NCAA Region times of 23.53 and 52.40, respectively.
