Feb. 25, 2009
2009 ACC Championships Page | Live Results
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams head to the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Championships this weekend, Feb. 26-28, in Blacksburg, Va. Competition begins Thursday with the men’s heptathlon at 12 p.m.
“The ACC Championships, obviously, is the biggest meet of our indoor season,” head men’s coach Grover Hinsdale said. “This team has worked very hard in preparing for this meet and I feel we are healthy, fit, and ready. We look forward to the challenge.”
The Tech men, runner-ups at the 2008 Indoor ACC’s, currently have 10 top-five event performances in the conference including the best mark in the triple jump (junior Alphonso Jordan, 52’6.75″) and best time in the 55 meter hurdles (senior Dave Ford, 7.50).
Jordan took the title at the ’08 Indoors’ in the triple jump with a distance of 52’4.50″, and has already surpassed his career mark with a 52’6.75″ jump at the Virginia Tech Elite Invitational on Feb. 7. The Charlotte, N.C. native set the provisional qualifying mark at the Rector Field House, the same complex the Jackets will be competing at this weekend.
Junior Steve Marcelle is the reigning ACC Indoor Champion in the shot put, setting a then career-best mark of 60’5″. Marcelle has already exceeded that mark this season with a provisional qualifying throw of 61’5.75″ at the J.D. Martin Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma in January. He currently has the second best distance in the conference, and the longest throw in Tech indoor history.
The men’s 4×400 meter relay team of sophomore Hunter Clasen, sophomore Subu Sivanesan, sophomore Antonio McKay Jr. and senior Matt DiDia holds the third-best relay time in the conference. The group ran a 3:13.87 at the VT Elite Invitational.
“This ACC Championship Meet is a great opportunity for our women’s team,” head women’s coach Alan Drosky said. “Our young squad is just now starting to come around and we’ll need to raise our level of performance for this weekend. I’m looking forward to watching our team compete and expect to see our best meet of the season.”
The Tech women, looking to improve on last year’s ninth-place finish, currently hold five top-five event performances in the conference. Leading the way is sophomore Joanna Wright who posted a career-best 12’11.50″ clearance in the pole vault at the J.D. Martin Invitational. Wright, currently holding the second-best mark in Tech indoor history, has already provisionally qualified for the NCAA’s.
Also posting some of the top performances are three members of the freshman class. Newcomer Melanie Akwule has the second-best time in the 55 meter hurdles with an 8.09, and Terri Ann Grant and Bianca Stewart hold the second and third best marks, respectively, in the high jump,
Freshman Bailey Wagner, along with seniors Kimery Hern and Alana Clooten will look to give Tech points in the throws events. Wagner has the fifth longest toss in the shot put (48’3.25″), while Hern (57’6.50″) and Clooten (57’5.00″) have the sixth and seventh best conference marks in the weight throw.
“We have some good opportunities to score points and will have to take full advantage of them, but there is little margin for error,” Drosky added. “Many sports point out that theirs is a game of inches. Literally, ours is a game of centimeters and hundredths of seconds.”
Complete results and a recap will be available following the conclusion of each day at www.RamblinWreck.com.
