Improve two places from last year's championships

Petersburg, VA - The Johnson C. Smith University women's outdoor track and field team closed the curtains on the outdoor regular season last weekend at the 2009 CIAA Spring Championships held on the Virginia State University Track. JCSU finished third in the overall event just behind Bowie State University (2nd) and Saint Augustine's College (1st).

In last year's championship, the Lady Golden Bulls placed fifth; head coach Lennox Graham has guided his team to improvement. "The girls performed excellently over the two day championship and earned the first team award and the third place plaque for the University and I'm very proud of them," said Graham of team's performance.

Saint Augustine's scored 201 points to earn the women's crown. Bowie State was second with 125 points followed by Johnson C. Smith with 86 points, Virginia State with 80 points, Shaw with 33 points, Saint Paul's with 14.50 points and Virginia Union with 5.50 points.

Sophomore Nikki Boston turned in "podium-worthy" performances for JCSU with first place in the 400m hurdles (60.99), second in the javelin (36.46, PB), and third in the 100m hurdles (14.08, PB). Sophomore Shermaine Williams won the 100m hurdles (13.41) then returned to place third in the 200m (24.75). Freshman Rosemarie Carty placed third in both the 100m hurdles (13.97) and the 400m hurdles (62.56, PB).

Freshman Kimberly Jones took home third in the shot put (12.12, PB). The 4x100m team of Carty, Williams, freshman Monique Kelly and sophomore Lakaevia Tyler finished second (47.29) and the quartet of Boston, Carty, sophomore Jesseca Gray and Williams also placed second in the 4x400m relay (3:57.47, SB).

Williams and Carty are #1 and #2 in the nation, respectively in the 100m hurdles; while Boston and Carty are #4 and 16th in the 400m hurdles. With this trio of talent cropped with a freshman and two sophomores, JCSU certainly has the potential to dominate these events looking into the future.

In the 100m, freshman Amber White (12.76) finished in fourth, while Tyler (13.10) crossed the finish line seventh. Shermaine Williams and Monique Kelly (26.03) finished in third and eighth, respectively in the 200m.

The Lady Golden Bulls also had a strong showing in the high jump, where junior Nicole Matthews placed sixth in her first conference track and field meet. The team of freshman Marcia Higgins (33.13m), Kimberly Jones (29.24m), sophomore Jasamine Hill (25.11m, PB) and sophomore Amire Harvin (20.64m, PB) threw good marks in the discus.

Jones returned (12.12m, PB) for third in the shot put and was accompanied by Higgins (11.08m, PB) and Harvin (9.96, PB). Freshman Amber White (4.88m), Nicole Matthews (4.30m) and Monique Kelly achieved sixth, ninth, and 14th respectively in the long jump.

Freshman Nada Al-Arahshun 2:35.8 (9th), 5:28.0 (10th), and 14:22.6 (9th) completed a demanding schedule in the 800m, 1500m and 300m, respectively.

The Lady Golden Bulls' national provisional/automatic qualifiers (Nikki Boston, Rosemarie Carty, and Shermaine Williams) now turn their efforts to the Penn Relays at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania, April 22-25, 2009. JCSU will try to improve their positions and times in the respective national rankings.