Delaware Women Set for Colonial Athletic Association Championships this Weekend; Hens' Caruso, Seamon Look Defend Conference Titles
May 3, 2012
File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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• Live Scoring
FAIRFAX, Va. -- The University of Delaware women’s outdoor track & field squad will be looking to continue a successful spring season this weekend as the Blue Hens travel to George Mason University to take part in the Colonial Athletic Association Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Championships at George Mason Stadium.
The two-day event will get underway on Friday, May 4, at 9:30 a.m starting with competition in the men’s and women’s javelin. Track events will begin at 1 p.m. with the 1,500 meter preliminaries.
Champions will be crowned in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters Friday night. Saturday’s action will get underway at 9 a.m. The championship awards ceremony will be held after the completion of all events Saturday afternoon.
Admission to the championship is free for all spectators. Follow live scoring on the University of Delaware athletics www.bluehens.com or at www.caasports.com.
George Mason, the two-time defending men’s team champion, will host the event for the sixth time. Georgia State is out to defend its women’s title after capturing its first ever CAA track & field team crown last May.
Delaware head coach Wendy McFarlane is looking for her squad to improve upon last season’s fifth place team finish, the highest showing for the Hens since placing fifth in their first season in the league in 2002. Delaware last finished better than fifth in a conference meet back in 1996 with a third place finish at the North Atlantic Conference championships.
The Blue Hens will be defending champion in three events as senior Jillian Seamon looks to claim her third straight javelin title and junior Vicky Caruso (at right) looks to repeat in the 400 meter dash. Delaware also claimed the 4 x 400 meter relay title last season as Caruso teamed with Nijah Dupiche, Kayla Hennessy, and Kristi Cox to take first place. Seamon looks to become only the third athlete in CAA history to win three straight javelin titles.
Caruso, who also placed second in the 200 meters a year ago, is joined by five other retuning athletes who placed in the top five a year ago. Lindsay Prettyman was second in the 800 meters, Alana Pantale was third in the discus and fourth in the shot put, Dupiche was fourth in the 400 meters, Jessica Olsen was fifth in the 1,500 meters, and Latoya James was fifth in the 100 meter hurdles last spring.
Georgia State sophomore and reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Tamara Moore will eye a second consecutive victory in the 100 meter hurdles on the women’s side. Senior Angelia Nugent will be a force in field events, returning to defend titles in the triple jump and long jump. Others looking to defend titles are Delaware’s Seamon (javelin) and Caruso (400m), George Mason’s Nao Ma (1,500m), Amanda Denger (heptathlon), and Mandissa Marshall (pole vault) and James Madison’s Katie Gorman (10,000m).
On the men’s side, reigning CAA Men’s Athlete of the Year and last year’s Most Outstanding Field Performer Lavell Handy, who took medalist honors in the long jump, triple jump and 110 meter hurdle events at last year’s meet, is among the top returnees. The 2011 Most Outstanding Track Performer, Rachaunn Ruffin, of George Mason will defend titles in the 100 and 200 meters.
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