The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete this weekend at the Southern Conference Championships in Birmingham, Ala., hosted by Samford University at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
“We’ve battled injury again this season,” Chattanooga head coach Bill Gautier said. “We will be very competitive in several events. Also, with this being the last meet for the men’s team, it will be a very emotional time for us. We need to stay focused and do well.”
The championships will begin Saturday at 8 a.m.
with the women’s 10,000-meter run, followed by the men’s hammer throw at 8:30 a.m. The final event on day one will take place at 6 p.m. with the men’s pole vault. Action will resume at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning with the final five events in the men’s decathlon. The championship will conclude with the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening.
Senior John Gilpin will lead the Mocs onto the track for the last time. The Nashville, Tenn., native will run the men’s 5000 meter run and the 3000 meter Steeplechase where he is ranked fifth in the league standings with a personal best time of 9:26.90 recorded at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic.
Sophomore Paul Stuart (Brentwood, Tenn.) ranks eighth in the SoCon standings in the men’s 5K, running a 14:51.85 at the Alabama Relays to open the season. Freshman Drake Watson (Gallatin, Tenn.) ranks fifth in the men’s 400 meter hurdles in his rookie season and an injured Iman Isang (Chattanooga, Tenn.) will leg out the men’s 110 meter hurdles in his final meet.
The men’s 800 meter run will feature juniors Trevor Janssen (Jordan Station, Ontario), Patrick O’Brien (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Marquis Carter (Memphis, Tenn.) and freshman Micah Howard. Junior transfer Austin Casassa (Nashville, Tenn.) will be the Mocs’ lone competitor in the 1500 meter run where he will look to improve on his 23 ranking in the league.
Freshman Jacob Noorbergen (Ooltewah, Tenn.) will run the 200 meter dash with juniors Geoff Nelson (Brentwood, Tenn.) and DeQuantez Sandifer (Nashville, Tenn.) in the 400 meter race.
Senior Amanda Cotter (Bristol, Conn.) will run her final SoCon Championship this weekend. She will run the 1500 meter and 5000 meter races where she is ranked fourth in the league standings in both. Cross Country All-American Teghan Henderson (Pickering, Ontario) ranks second in the 5K this season and will be one of six UTC runners in the event.
Senior Keeley Stewart (Winchester, Tenn.), sophomores Anna Kate Chance (Columbia, Tenn.) and Madalyn Garland (Evensville, Tenn.) and freshman Emily Drouin (Verona, Ontario) will join Henderson and Cotter in the distance race. Stewart and Chance will also leg out the 10,000 meter run.
Drouin is ranked second in the SoCon in the 3000 meter Steeplechase in her rookie season. She will be joined by Garland in the obstacle race. Junior Kiaana Howard (Nashville, Tenn.) will the Mocs sole representative in the 400 meter dash while newcomer Nicole Sumida (Chattanooga, Tenn.) will compete in her first SoCon high jump at the outdoor championships.
The women’s 800 meter run will feature Melchionna along with junior Rebecca Greenwall (Bogart, Ga.), who has the sixth fastest time in the league followed junior Hannah Chamblin (Memphis, Tenn.) whose time ranks seventh in the SoCon. Junior Makala Diggs (Box Elder, S.D.) and junior Helenka Kis (Columbia, Tenn.) will run the 800 meter as well.
Kis will join Cotter and sophomores Jessica York (Normandy, Tenn.) and Katie Ray (Knoxville, Tenn.) in the 1500 meter. York’s time in the event is eighth in the league.
Follow the action at GoMocs.com for results and photos from each day.
Men's 200m Dash:
Jacob Noorbergen
Men's 400m Dash:
Geoff Nelson
DeQuantez Sandifer
Men's 800m Run:
Marquis Carter
Micah Howard
Trevor Janssen - 23
Patrick O'Brien
Men's 1,500m Run:
Austin Casassa - 23
Men's 5,000m Run:
Zack Darby
John Gilpin
Paul Stuart - 8
Men's 10,000m Run:
Paul Stuart
Men's 110m Hurdles:
Iman Isang - 16
Men's 400m Hurdles:
Drake Watson - 5
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase:
John Gilpin - 5
Men's 4 x 100m Relay:
(Tosin Ayotunde, Austin Ethridge, Iman Isang, Marquis Carter)
Men's 4 x 400m Relay:
(Marquis Carter, Geoff Nelson, Drake Watson, DeQuantez Sandifer)
Men's High Jump:
Geoff Nelson
Drake Watson
Women's 400m Dash:
Kiaana Howard
Women's 800m Run:
Hannah Chamblin - 7
Makala Diggs - 19
Rebecca Greenwall - 6
Helenka Kis - 22
Maddison Melchionna - 4
Women's 1,500m Run:
Amanda Cotter - 4
Helenka Kis
Katie Ray
Jessica York - 8
Women's 5,000m Run:
Anna Kate Chance
Amanda Cotter - 4
Emily Drouin
Madalyn Garland
Teghan Henderson - 2
Keeley Stewart
Women's 10,000m Run:
Anna Kate Chance
Keeley Stewart
Women's 3,000m Steeplechase:
Emily Drouin - 2
Madalyn Garland
Women's 4 x 100m Relay:
(Makala Diggs, Joanna Elmore, Katie Ray, Teghan Henderson)
Women's 4 x 400m Relay:
(Maddison Melchionna, Rebecca Greenwall, Hannah Chamblin, Kiaana Howard)
Women's High Jump:
Nicole Sumida - 8