SPARTANBURG, S.C. –Michael Mentz led 10 Chattanooga athletes to all-conference honors on day two with a top place finish in the men’s Mile Run as the 2008 Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships wrapped up Saturday at the Clemson University Indoor Facility. The men’s squad finished third and the women were fourth.
“Our seniors really came through,” UTC Head Coach Bill Gautier said. “When we needed them, they all stepped up.”
Mentz, a senior, fended off a trio of Appalachian State runners in the men’s Mile Run claiming top honors in a time of 4:13.99, just .21 seconds ahead of ASU’s Josh Houser and his teammate Brian Deal (4:14.87). Also scoring for the Mocs in the race was freshman Matt Baltimore in eighth with a time of 4:19.75.
In the men’s 800 meter finals, senior Michael Danehy and Stephen George garnered all-conference honors finishing second and third, respectively. Danehy, running in his first race this season, finished in a time of 1:57.27 was just .34 seconds off the top place time of 1:56.93 set by Western Carolina’s Drew Tucker. George finished third at 1:57.62. Sophomore Blake Ketron earned points for the Mocs with a seventh place finish in a time of 1:59.95.
In the women’s 800 meter race, senior Emily Wood was two seconds off the top place pace set by Western Carolina’s Kerri Savery with a time of 2:14.34. In the women’s 400 meter dash, senior Amanda Alexander nabbed a fifth place finish with a time of 59.19.
Senior All-American Kathleen Turchin earned all-conference honors in her final Indoor 5000 meter run nabbing third, just ahead of teammate sophomore Shelley Taylor who edged her in the women’s 3000 meter finals on Friday. Turchin ran the 5K in a time of 17:51.01 with Taylor coming in seven seconds behind at 17:58.48. Senior Sabrina Lefort finished seventh for the Lady Mocs in the event with a time of 18:13.20.
Taylor led a quartet of Lady Mocs in the Mile Run, finishing with an all-conference third place performance in a time of 5:07.43. Lefort was two spots behind in fifth at 5:09.90 and Wood was eighth in a time of 5:13.96.
The women’s 4x400 meter relay team comprised of Lauran Anderson, Jacarra Dennis, Wood and Amanda Alexander finished third in a time of 3:57.84 earning six more points for the Lady Mocs who finished fourth. The men’s relay squad was fourth. George, Danehy, Katron and Baltimore cover the 400 meter distance with a combined time of 3:31.00. Appalachian State’s team was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Western Carolina’s men and women took home the championship trophies and Appalachian State’s men finished second.
