May 13, 2007
Photo Gallery
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.- Scott Burley's first-place finish the steeplechase highlighted the day for Kennesaw State as the men's track & field team placed fifth at the 2007 Atlantic Sun Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday at Liberty Bell Track.
"Our second day is stronger and we did manage to get some good results today," said Kennesaw State head coach Don McGarey. "There were some spots where we could have got some more points, but overall I am pleased with how we did today."
The final day of competition featured more than one outstanding individual performance. The top finish was Burley and his new meet record of 9 minutes, 14.93 seconds. Burley shattered the conference record, besting the A-Sun's four-year-old mark set by Chad Johnson of Samford in 2002, by nearly seven seconds.
Burley, who just started running the event this season, set a blistering pace early and quickly distanced himself from the field as he ended up winning the event by almost 22 seconds. He crossed the finish line with more than a half-lead of his next closest competitor, Hillary Cheruiyot of Belmont.
"I haven't been this tired in a long time," said Burley. "I just gave the race everything I had and I made sure that once I got a little distance on the other guys I wasn't going to give it back."
Josh McNair took all-conference honors in the shot put with a second-place finish. McNair finished with throw of 49-4¼, just three inches behind Jarrod Burton of ETSU. McNair also finished second in the discus throw after a controversial judges call prolonged Friday's result until Saturday after tournament officials ruled in favor of an appeal made by Kennesaw State head coach Don McGarey.
"With what happened in the discus yesterday [Friday] I had something to prove to everyone on the field today," said McNair. "I wish I had gotten first place, but I had one of my best throws ever and I'm happy with the results."
McNair and Aymerick Kolokilagi earned points in the javelin throw with McNair, who threw 156-10 to finish fifth while Kolokilagi threw 158-10 to place fourth. Kolokilagi also earned the Owls a point in the shot put with a throw of 47-11¼, good enough for a sixth-place finish.
In the 4x100-meter relay the team of Devin Jones , Deji Famuyiwa, Terrance Hooks and Ben Gray earned Kennesaw State a second-place finish behind rival ETSU in a very tough contest that came down to the final runner.
"The transfer of the baton is the most important part of running any relay," said McGarey after the event. "Without a smooth transition from one runner to the next your doomed to fail. Our guys did a great job in the race, but ETSU had better transfers."
In the 4x100-meter relay, Kennesaw State's Justin Jeter, Ben Gray, Terrance Hooks and Deji Famuyiwa placed third with a time of 42.81.
Devin Jones earned all-conference honors in the 110-meter hurdles as he finished with a time of 15.16. Terrance Hooks, a favorite in the event, was disqualified with a false start.
"I was a little nervous after Terrance went out of the race," said Jones. "We had a better chance with him in it, but I just focused on what I had do from then on. But still, I wanted to place higher."
Jones and Hooks also scored points for Kennesaw State in the 400-meter hurdles finishing fifth and sixth respectively. Jones finished with a time of 56.34 while Hooks finished with a time of 57.29.
In other events, Peikko Solla had a strong effort in the 5000-meters to finish fifth with a time of 15:00.81. Jerome McKinzie had a height of 42-5½ to finish `sixth in the triple jump.
2007 Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Track & Field Outdoor Championships
at Liberty Bell Park, Johnson City, Tenn.
Team Scoring
1. ETSU (192)
2. Gardner-Webb (148)
3. Belmont (129)
4. Campbell (93)
5. Kennesaw State (81)
8. Lipscomb (7)
Atlantic Sun Conference Records
Scott Burley - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
Kennesaw State Champions
Jerome McKinzie - High Jump
Scott Burley - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
All-Conference Performers
Devin Jones - 110 Meter Hurdles
Jerome McKinzie - High Jump
Scott Burley - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase
Joshua McNair - Shot Put, Discuss Throw
Aymerick Kolokilagi - Hammer Throw
