Thursday, May 10
Cullowhee, NC
All Day
Samford University
at
Southern Conference Championships
Track & Field Locked In For SoCon Championships
5.9.18 | Track and Field
The Bulldog women look to repeat as outdoor conference champs
Championship Central | Schedule of Events | Heat Sheets | Live Results
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The Samford University track and field teams will be competing in their most important meet of the 2018 spring season this week as the Bulldogs square off against some the top athletes in the Southeast at the 2018 Southern Conference Outdoor Championships, which will be held Thursday and Friday at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
This year marks the 94th annual championship for the men and 32nd for the women.
Thursday's schedule gets under way with the men's 10,000-meter run at 7:30 a.m. (CT), followed by the women's 10,000 meter. The decathlon commences at 9 a.m., and the heptathlon begins at 9:15.
A full day of events concludes with the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 4:35 p.m., and the women's steeple at 4:55. In all, 12 champions will be crowned on the first day of competition.
Friday's schedule opens with the first of the final five decathlon events at 8 a.m., with the heptathlon resuming at 9. Field events begin with the shot put at 10:15, and the men's 4x100-meter relay gets the track events rolling at noon.
The day concludes with the men's and women's 4x400-meter relays at 3:25 and 3:40, respectively, followed by the awards ceremony. Thirty events will crown champions on the final day of the meet.
Western Carolina will be seeking its third consecutive men's title and eighth overall, while Samford will look to defend its 2017 crown and win its third championship overall.
Last season, the Catamounts barely earned a six-point win over Samford on the men's side, trailing by 20 points after the first day but taking a one-point lead into the final event of the meet, the 4x400-meter relay. Western Carolina won the relay for the seventh consecutive year to lock up the team title.
The women's race wasn't nearly as close, as Samford dethroned two-time defending champion Western Carolina by 51 points.
This season's power rankings – determined by the top eight times or scores that are reported by the schools for each event that will be conducted at this week's championships – predict wins for Western Carolina on both sides.
The Catamount men own 213.5 points in the power rankings, putting them well ahead of Samford's 158.5 and ETSU's 132.5. Western Carolina scored in all but the 1,500-meter run, the 3,000-meter run and the javelin throw.
The Western Carolina women hold a slimmer margin over Samford, accruing 180 points to the Bulldogs' 156.5. The Catamounts totaled 108.5 points in the field events.
This year's championship is free to the public. Live results, daily recaps, photos and video highlights can be found at SoConSports.com.
SAMFORD STORYLINES
- All of the winners of the individual superlatives from last year return this season. Most Outstanding Field Performer Selena Popp of Samford and Freshman of the Year Jazmine Gooden of Western Carolina prove to be some of the top athletes returning this year.
- Samford senior Tray Oates will be looking for his third straight outdoor pole vault title. In February, Oates became the first student-athlete in SoCon history to win the indoor event four times. He currently has the fourth-best mark on the NCAA Division I performance list with a height of 5.66 meters (18 feet, 6.75 inches), which would easily surpass the meet record of 5.50 meters that he set at the 2016 meet.
- Additionally, Samford's Keyth Fightmaster and Marquis Barnes are seeking their third titles in the high jump and long jump, respectively, each after earning wins in 2015 and 2017. ETSU's Simeon Roberts has claimed the last two titles in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
- The Citadel's Mady Riegel is vying for her third consecutive title in the javelin. Furman's Allie Buchalski is the two-time defending champion in the 5,000-meter run, while Atkins has won the last two titles in the 100-meter hurdles.
- Samford's Maggie Johnston set the SoCon record in the discus last season with a distance of 47.08 meters/154 feet, 5 inches) as a true freshman.
For results, schedule updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @Samford_Sports on Twitter.
SoCon Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Power Rankings
Team, Points
Western Carolina, 180
Samford, 156.5
ETSU, 144
Furman, 101
Wofford, 81
Mercer, 52
VMI, 40
The Citadel, 33.5
Chattanooga, 19
UNCG, 9
SoCon Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Power Rankings
Team, Points
Western Carolina, 213.5
Samford, 158.5
ETSU, 132.5
The Citadel, 96
Furman, 88
Wofford, 79.5
VMI, 39
UNCG, 7
Championship Central | Schedule of Events | Heat Sheets | Live Results
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The Samford University track and field teams will be competing in their most important meet of the 2018 spring season this week as the Bulldogs square off against some the top athletes in the Southeast at the 2018 Southern Conference Outdoor Championships, which will be held Thursday and Friday at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
This year marks the 94th annual championship for the men and 32nd for the women.
Thursday's schedule gets under way with the men's 10,000-meter run at 7:30 a.m. (CT), followed by the women's 10,000 meter. The decathlon commences at 9 a.m., and the heptathlon begins at 9:15.
A full day of events concludes with the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 4:35 p.m., and the women's steeple at 4:55. In all, 12 champions will be crowned on the first day of competition.
Friday's schedule opens with the first of the final five decathlon events at 8 a.m., with the heptathlon resuming at 9. Field events begin with the shot put at 10:15, and the men's 4x100-meter relay gets the track events rolling at noon.
The day concludes with the men's and women's 4x400-meter relays at 3:25 and 3:40, respectively, followed by the awards ceremony. Thirty events will crown champions on the final day of the meet.
Western Carolina will be seeking its third consecutive men's title and eighth overall, while Samford will look to defend its 2017 crown and win its third championship overall.
Last season, the Catamounts barely earned a six-point win over Samford on the men's side, trailing by 20 points after the first day but taking a one-point lead into the final event of the meet, the 4x400-meter relay. Western Carolina won the relay for the seventh consecutive year to lock up the team title.
The women's race wasn't nearly as close, as Samford dethroned two-time defending champion Western Carolina by 51 points.
This season's power rankings – determined by the top eight times or scores that are reported by the schools for each event that will be conducted at this week's championships – predict wins for Western Carolina on both sides.
The Catamount men own 213.5 points in the power rankings, putting them well ahead of Samford's 158.5 and ETSU's 132.5. Western Carolina scored in all but the 1,500-meter run, the 3,000-meter run and the javelin throw.
The Western Carolina women hold a slimmer margin over Samford, accruing 180 points to the Bulldogs' 156.5. The Catamounts totaled 108.5 points in the field events.
This year's championship is free to the public. Live results, daily recaps, photos and video highlights can be found at SoConSports.com.
SAMFORD STORYLINES
- All of the winners of the individual superlatives from last year return this season. Most Outstanding Field Performer Selena Popp of Samford and Freshman of the Year Jazmine Gooden of Western Carolina prove to be some of the top athletes returning this year.
- Samford senior Tray Oates will be looking for his third straight outdoor pole vault title. In February, Oates became the first student-athlete in SoCon history to win the indoor event four times. He currently has the fourth-best mark on the NCAA Division I performance list with a height of 5.66 meters (18 feet, 6.75 inches), which would easily surpass the meet record of 5.50 meters that he set at the 2016 meet.
- Additionally, Samford's Keyth Fightmaster and Marquis Barnes are seeking their third titles in the high jump and long jump, respectively, each after earning wins in 2015 and 2017. ETSU's Simeon Roberts has claimed the last two titles in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
- The Citadel's Mady Riegel is vying for her third consecutive title in the javelin. Furman's Allie Buchalski is the two-time defending champion in the 5,000-meter run, while Atkins has won the last two titles in the 100-meter hurdles.
- Samford's Maggie Johnston set the SoCon record in the discus last season with a distance of 47.08 meters/154 feet, 5 inches) as a true freshman.
For results, schedule updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @Samford_Sports on Twitter.
SoCon Women's Outdoor Track and Field
Power Rankings
Team, Points
Western Carolina, 180
Samford, 156.5
ETSU, 144
Furman, 101
Wofford, 81
Mercer, 52
VMI, 40
The Citadel, 33.5
Chattanooga, 19
UNCG, 9
SoCon Men's Outdoor Track and Field
Power Rankings
Team, Points
Western Carolina, 213.5
Samford, 158.5
ETSU, 132.5
The Citadel, 96
Furman, 88
Wofford, 79.5
VMI, 39
UNCG, 7
Championship Central | Schedule of Events | Heat Sheets | Live Results
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Tuesday, May 03
Tuesday, May 03
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