Tech sends 21 to try for the top

[TECHAJUN]

21 Tech Athletes To Compete for NCAA Championships Apperances

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- Berths to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be on the line when 21 Louisiana Tech track and field athletes begin competition at the Mideast Regional Championships at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex on Friday.
The top five individuals and top three relays from each event will qualify for the NCAA Championships that will be held June 7-11 in Sacramento, Calif. There will also be a couple of at large selections in each event.
Leading the way for the women are Doria Appleberry and Brenda-Grace Hunt, who come into the weekend with some of the top performances in the region.
Hunt has the top throw in the javelin in the region, 186-8, and is ranked No. 2 nationally in the event.
Appleberry become the first female to sweep the 100 and 400-meter hurdles at the WAC Championships two weeks ago as the senior was named the most outstanding performer at the meet.
Nina Gilbert has the second fastest time of the region in the 400 meters and Latonia Wilson has clocked the fourth fastest 200-meter time of those running.
Johnathan Holland leads the qualifiers for the Bulldogs with the fourth fastest 100-meter time at 10.28.
WAC champion Nolan Jackson is the seventh ranked 110-meter hurdler of the Mideast Regional.
Tech will be sending three relays to the event as well. The Bulldogs 400-meter team is ranked 10th after a second place finish at the WAC Championships.
The Lady Techsters 400 and 1,600-meter teams are looking to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year. Both won WAC titles two weeks ago.
Action will begin on Friday with the men's discus at noon. The preliminaries in the running events start at 4 p.m with the men's 5,000 concluding Friday's action at 8:20 p.m.
On Saturday, the field events commence at noon with the women's discus. The running finals begin at 5 p.m., concluding at 8:15 p.m. with the men's 1,600-meter relay.
Live results are available at http://iuhoosiers.com/womenstrackandfield/05MideastRegional/05MideastRegional.html.


Tech's Regional Qualifiers

Shaterika Allen , Shot Put
Doria Appleberrry, 100 and 400-meter hurdles
Ayanna Alexander, Triple Jump
Matthew Craig, Long Jump
Shandra Freeman, 100 Meters
Nina Gilbert, 400 Meters
Brenda-Grace Hunt, Javelin
Johnathan Holland, 100 meters
Nolan Jackson, 110-Meter Hurdles
Brigitte Ladouceur, 100 and 400-meter hurdles
Stefan Malmqvist, 1,500 Meters
Jason Morgan, Discus
Chantell Richardson, Triple Jump
Donesha Spivey, 100 Meters
Bejide Williams, Long Jump
Monica Williams, Discus
Latonia Wilson. 200 Meters
Women's 400-meter relay (Spivey, Wilson, Appleberry and Freeman
Women's 16,00 Meter relay (Krystal Cole, Wilson, Appleberry, Gilbert)
Men's 400-meter relay (Jamaal London, Mark Dillard, Holland, Kevin Johnson)

[dawg80]

Good luck guys and gals. Make us proud!

[Dawgbert]

Tech's turnaround takes bigger stage
May 27, 2005
By Brian Vernellis

bvernellis@gannett.com

Gary Stanley got a hard dose of reality when the Louisiana Tech men's and women's track teams competed in the Western Athletic Conference for the first time.

Louisiana Tech finished last at its first WAC indoor track championship and that was after it won the Sun Belt Conference the previous year.

"We all faced the culture shock of going to the WAC and realizing this was three rungs up the ladder," Stanley said.

The men's and women's programs have steadily improved in the four years following that showing. The Lady Techsters won the WAC indoor and outdoor titles while the Bulldogs have climbed to the middle of the pack.

Tech has 21 athletes competing in the NCAA Mideast Regional at Indiana University today. They have a difficult path ahead of them if they hope to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

The top five individuals and the top three relays in an event will advance to the NCAAs in Sacramento, Calif., beginning June 8.

Tech's regional may be the most difficult with indoor champion and defending outdoor champion Arkansas, 2004 indoor champ LSU, Tennessee, Michigan and Indiana representing the tip of the talent.

"They have got to be prepared to get on the big stage with everything at stake and knowing you're not going to nationals unless you perform right here, right now," Stanley said.

"They're ready to do that. They just need to have a good, solid effort on that day."

Stanley credits assistant coach Shawn Jackson as one of the reasons for the Lady Techsters' rapid rise up the WAC ranks.

"We hit on some recruits at the right time and this led to some more kids coming in and gave us a look that maybe wouldn't have looked at us before," Stanley said.

Plus it helps to have the right connections to have as a feeder system.

Former Tech distance runner Lyles Lashley is head coach at Barton County Community College, one of the premier junior college programs in the country.

Lashley's program has provided Stanley with one of the Lady Techsters' best chances at qualifying "" Doria Appleberry.

Appleberry (400-meter hurdles), Ayanna Alexander (triple jump), Brenda-Grace Hunt (javelin) qualified for the NCAA Championships last season. The women's 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays qualified as well.

The three Lady Techsters and two relay teams have another excellent chance at this year's national meet.

"It's an encouragement," Appleberry said. "If I can make it last year, I know I can make it this year. It's a positive reinforcement."

Appleberry was sensational at the WAC Outdoor Championships, winning the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. She was named the conference's Outstanding Performer of the Year.

Hunt is the No. 1 javelin thrower in the region and ranks second in the nation.

Alexander won her third straight WAC championship and is ranked fourth in the region in the triple jump.

The 400 and 1,600 relay teams are ranked fourth in the region too.

Nina Gilbert and Latonia Wilson are the two best runners for Tech. Gilbert holds the school record in the 400 meters (52.93) and has the second-best time in the region.

Wilson ranks fourth at the regional in the 200 meters.

"We are more confident and we're stronger this year," Appleberry said. "We feel we can finish better.

"We do have the toughest region. We've got a lot of SEC schools and that's one of the toughest conferences."

For the Bulldogs, Johnathan Holland is a viable contender for a spot at the national meet. He is ranked fourth in the region with his time of 10.28 in the 100 meters.

Teammate Nolan Jackson could be joining Holland at the NCAA meet. Jackson, who ranks seventh in the region in the 110-meter hurdles, won the WAC title last week.

"We're getting better; it's been a climb," Stanley said of the Bulldogs. "We think we're knocking on the door in terms of moving up a place or two next year.

"We've got some good recruits coming in and we're getting some great cooperation with football which is so important. If you don't get any help from your football people, you're dead in the water."

Tech's Regional Qualifiers

Shaterika Allen Shot Put

Doria Appleberrry 100 and 400-meter hurdles

Ayanna Alexander Triple Jump

Matthew Craig Long Jump

Shandra Freeman 100 Meters

Nina Gilbert 400 Meters

Brenda-Grace Hunt Javelin

Johnathan Holland 100 meters

Nolan Jackson 110-Meter Hurdles

Brigitte Ladouceur 100 and 400-meter hurdles

Stefan Malmqvist 1,500 Meters

Jason Morgan Discus

Chantell Richardson Triple Jump

Donesha Spivey 100 Meters

Bejide Williams Long Jump

Monica Williams Discus

Latonia Wilson 200 Meters

Women's 400-meter relay (Spivey, Wilson, Appleberry and Freeman)

Women's 16,00 Meter relay (Krystal Cole, Wilson, Appleberry, Gilbert)

Men's 400-meter relay (Jamaal London, Mark Dillard, Holland, Kevin Johnson)

[dawg80]

Two things:

1) Gary Stanley got a hard dose of reality when the Louisiana Tech men's and women's track teams competed in the Western Athletic Conference for the first time.

Louisiana Tech finished last at its first WAC indoor track championship and that was after it won the Sun Belt Conference the previous year.

"We all faced the culture shock of going to the WAC and realizing this was three rungs up the ladder," Stanley said.


(Belchers will claim this is not true. Hah!)

and

2) The men's and women's programs have steadily improved in the four years following that showing. The Lady Techsters won the WAC indoor and outdoor titles while the Bulldogs have climbed to the middle of the pack.

(No excuses. No laments about budget woes. Just get down to it, bread and butter COACHING! Nuff said.)

[96bulldog]

2) The men's and women's programs have steadily improved in the four years following that showing. The Lady Techsters won the WAC indoor and outdoor titles while the Bulldogs have climbed to the middle of the pack.

(No excuses. No laments about budget woes. Just get down to it, bread and butter COACHING! Nuff said.)

. . . and I would throw in good recruiting, too!

[glm47]

Two things:

1) Gary Stanley got a hard dose of reality when the Louisiana Tech men's and women's track teams competed in the Western Athletic Conference for the first time.

Louisiana Tech finished last at its first WAC indoor track championship and that was after it won the Sun Belt Conference the previous year.

"We all faced the culture shock of going to the WAC and realizing this was three rungs up the ladder," Stanley said.


(Belchers will claim this is not true. Hah!)

and

2) The men's and women's programs have steadily improved in the four years following that showing. The Lady Techsters won the WAC indoor and outdoor titles while the Bulldogs have climbed to the middle of the pack.

(No excuses. No laments about budget woes. Just get down to it, bread and butter COACHING! Nuff said.)

Amen! Especially to that last statement.