Cavaliers Head into ACC Track & Field Championships

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April 16, 2002

This weekend the University of Virginia will be hosting the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This meet consists of the nine ACC schools with over 600 athletes. Two Cavaliers, Kiamesha Otey and John Welch, lead the ACC in the long jump and the javelin, respectively, and Dawn Cleary (steeplechase) joins these two with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

Kiamesha Otey will be leading the women’s team in the sprints and jumps. She currently leads the ACC in the long jump, and is sixth in the nation with her provisional qualifying jump of 20’7.25″. In the 100m, Otey is sixth in the ACC. Last outdoor season, she qualified for Nationals in the 100m (11.43) and long jump (20’7.25″). At the 2002 Indoor NCAAs, Otey earned All-American honors by placing sixth in the long jump (20’6.5.0″). Otey’s personal best jump is 20’11.50″ which happened in the 2002 indoor season.

Megan Schwartz, Sharon O’Connor and Erin O’Doherty are running strong in the middle distances. This trio is holding the 6th, 7th, and 8th spots in the 800m in the ACC rankings. Schwartz won the 800m at the 49ers Invitational and was the runner-up at the Lou Onesty Invite. Last indoor season, O’Connor placed sixth in the mile and provisionally qualified for NCAAs.

Dawn Cleary and Melanie Matthews are both provisional qualifiers in the 3000m steeplechase, and Matthews has provisonally qualified in the 5000m. Cleary ranks 9th in and Matthews is 13th in the nation. Cleary holds the school record in the steeplechase with a 10.25.49, which also earned first place honors at the Raleigh Relays. She also won the 1500m at the 49ers Invitational with a time of 4:30.09, which ranks 7th in the ACC. Last season, Cleary placed fourth in the steeplechase (10:50.10), just missing All-ACC honors. Matthews finished second at the Raleigh Relays and provisionally qualified in the 5000m at the Duke Relays.

Naccole Guinn leads the team and is sixth in the ACC in the triple jump. Guinn is a 2001 All-American in the triple jump, and holds the indoor jump record with a 43’1.25″. She was the ACC indoor champion in 2001, indoor runner-up in 2002 and All-ACC in the 2002 outdoor season. She won the triple jump at the Lou Onesty Invite last weekend. Guinn also leads the team in the 100m hurdles (14.22).

First year Jessica Randolph holds the fifth spot in the ACC rankings for the high jump. Randolph, who earned first team honors by the Roanoke times, leads the team with her season best jump of 5’6″.

Eliese Mitchell has a provisional qualifying mark in the hammer (184’10.00″) which ranks her 22nd in the nation and fourth in the ACC. She holds the school record in the hammer (184’10.0″). She also ranks fourth in the discus and fourth in the shot put. Mitchell, a consist top performer at the ACC meet, finished second and earned All-ACC honors in the hammer, and was fourth in the discus. Last indoor season, she placed fifth in the weight throw and sixth in the shot put. Inhar Chong ranks fifth in the discus and ninth in the hammer throw. Her discus throw of 155’6″ won her the Lou Onesty Invitational.

Curtrell Frye will by doing the heptathlon, an event which has earned her All-ACC honors. In 2000, she placed third in heptathlon, and was fifth last outdoor season. Her personal best is 4,568 points. She ranks seventh in the ACC in the triple jump (40’2.25″). At Lou Onesty, she placed second in the triple jump and third in the100m hurdles.

On the men’s side, John Welch leads the ACC in the javelin with a throw of 234’5.0″, which ranks 5th in the nation. Welch is no stranger to nationals, last outdoor season he was an All-American in the javelin with a seventh place finish. Welch is the 2000 ACC champion and 2002 ACC runner up (redshirted 2001). He has competed once this year at the Duke Relays where he earned first. James Murdock, who was All-ACC in the 2002 season, ranks third in the ACC in the javelin with a throw of 209’9.0″. He was the runner-up at the 49ers Invitational and third at the Lou Onesty Invite.

Scott Kimball and Shay Clark lead the sprints, Kimball ranks fourth in the ACC in the 200m (21.04) and 10th in the 100m (10.71). Clark is ninth in the ACC in the 100m (10.69). Clark was All-ACC in the 2001 season with a third place finish in the 60m. Last indoor season, he provisionally qualified for the 60m with at 6.71. Kimball was the runner-up in the 200m at the Lou Onesty Invitational.

Matt Antunes ranks third in the ACC for the 800m (1:50.32). Antunes, a consistent performer, placed fourth in the 800m last indoor season, and 6th in the 2001 outdoor ACCs. He earned runner-up honors at the Lou Onesty Invite. Walton Kingsbery leads the distance team with the top team time in the 1500m (3:52.06) and the 5000m (14.41.18). He ranks 10th in the ACC in the 5000m. 2002 Indoor season he placed 8th in the mile at ACCs. Kingsbery was All-Southeast Region in the 2001 cross-country season. Jeff Binggeli is 6th in the ACC in the steeplechase (9:23.98). Binggeli earned runner-up honors at the 49ers Invitational in the steeple,

Jarrett Hagwood is the leading performer in the hurdles and the long jump. He is third in the ACC in the 110 high hurdles (14.21), 5th in the 400 IH (52.50) and 4th in the long jjmp (24’0.50″). Hagwood was All-ACC in the 60m HH and the long jump for the 2002 season, and he was sixth last outdoor season in the 400IH. He won the long jump at the Lou Onesty Invite and was third at the 49ers Invitational.

First year Mike Riso is 8th in the ACC in the high jump. A former Virginia state indoor and outdoor champion, he won the Lou Onesty Invite with a personal best of 6’9.0″. Riso placed seventh at the 2002 indoor ACCs. Fellow first year Chris Clementson has a personal best jump of 6’7.00″, which ranks ninth in the ACC.