North Carolina State University Athletics
Track Set for Big Weekend at NCAA Regional Championships
5/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Track
May 28, 2003
Raleigh, N.C. - The NC State track & field team will be competing this weekend at the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track & Field East Regional Championships being hosted by George Mason in Fairfax, Va. The competition on both days is scheduled to end at 7:30 p.m. The top five athletes in each event will automatically advance to the NCAA Championship meet at California State University June 11-14. The men's team will have 11 athletes compete in seven events, while the women's squad will send six athletes for seven events.
On the women's side, Kelly Smoke will be extremely busy as she will compete in three events, the shot put, the discus, and the hammer. Smoke recorded a top-five finish in all three events at the ACC Championships last month, and she is also the school record holder in all three throwing events. Felicia Fant, the 2003 Outdoor ACC Champion in both the 100 and 200 meters, will be competing in both of those events. Fant is ranked 15th in the 200 meters and 16th in the 100 meters. The Wolfpack will be well represented in the 5,000 meters, as NC State will send three distance runners. Beth Fonner, Jenn Modliszewski, and Renee Gunning will all run in the 5,000 meters. Also competing for the Wolfpack will be Janelle Vadnais in the 1,500 meters.
On the men's side, NC State has two runners in the top-four in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. The reigning ACC Champion Andy Smith is the top seed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase posting a top time of 8:39.80 this season. Ricky Brookshire is the fourth seed in that race, as he also earned All-ACC honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with his third place showing at the ACC Championships. The Wolfpack will also have multiple runners in the 5,000 meters, as Nick Mangum, David Christian, and Chad Pearson all qualified. Mangum is the 10th seed in that race. Also for the men's team, Monterrio Adams will run in the 400 meters and Kurtis Marlowe will run in the 1,500 meters. In the field events, freshman Jesse Williams is seeded second in the high jump, and James Rowell goes into the discus ranked 11th. In the pole vault, both David Kessler and Eric Hoverstad will compete.
