Aug. 30, 2006

KINGSTON, RI - Senior Cassie Ficken delivered gold medal performances in the mile and 3,000m run while teammate Shareese Woods set a Conference record in the 400m dash in leading Charlotte to its first-ever Conference title on Saturday at the 2006 Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Championships, held at Mackal Field House on the campus of the University of Rhode Island.

On the men's side, senior Ben McCallum cruised to a Championship-record victory in the 55m dash and finished runner-up in the 200m dash (21.70) as the 49ers amassed 180 points in defeating two-time defending champion Rhode Island, 180-146.

Ficken posted winning times of 4:54.84 in the mile and 9:54.08 in the 3,000m while Woods posted a record-setting time of 55.11 to eclipse the previous A-10 Championship 400m dash record of 55.70, set in 1998 by Kaamilya Davis of Dayton. Woods also captured gold in the 200m dash (24.56) and anchored the winning 4x400m relay (3:51.97) en route to being named the Championship's Most Outstanding Track Performer.

"The distance events in this Conference are real strong so it is a great testament to Cassie's ability to win two events in such a short period," said Charlotte head coach Robert Olesen, who was named the Coach of the Year for both the men's and the women's Championships.

"Shareese was a little sick but was able to fight and set a Conference record. We'll move on in the upcoming weeks and see if these two standouts can earn a berth in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships."

Charlotte finished with 172 total points, the second-highest total in Championship history. La Salle finished second with 92 points, followed by Saint Joseph's (83), Richmond (79), Rhode Island (75), Fordham (73), Dayton (46), Duquesne (41.5), Massachusetts (38), Temple (31.5) and Xavier (10).

Senior Kelly Pohlman of Dayton garnered Most Outstanding Field Performer honors after winning both the weight throw (55-3/4) and shot put (47-5 1/4) competitions for the second consecutive year. It marked Pohlman's third gold medal in the shot put, which tied an A-10 record. Richmond freshman Jasmine Major was named the Most Outstanding Rookie after winning the 55m hurdles (8.30) and adding a fourth place showing in the long jump (17-10 3/4) and fifth in the 55m dash (7.20).

A second women's Championship record was shattered on Saturday as senior Elizabeth Geiger of La Salle seized the 1,000m run in a time of 2:52.79. The previous A-10 mark of 2:53.78 was established in 1999 by Nicole Way of Massachusetts.

McCallum's winning time of 6.23 in the 55m dash eclipsed the previous A-10 record of 6.30, shared by Andre Davis (2000) of Virginia Tech and Kwesi Frimpong-Boateng (2002) of Massachusetts. Charlotte also posted victories in the men's 4x400m and 4x800m relays with times of 3:18.60 and 7:51.90, respectively.

"We only had one competitor win an event but I think it's a testament to our depth across the board. It's very gratifying to win two A-10 Championships and it really justifies my coaching philosophy of paying homage to the entire sport and balance our resources in all event areas," said Olesen.

La Salle finished third with 111 points, followed by Saint Joseph's (87), Massachusetts (83), Fordham (64), Richmond (36), Temple (24) and Xavier (7).

Standout performances on Saturday included Rhode Island junior Ashhad Agyapong winning the 200m (21.63) and 400m (47.89) dashes en route to earning the Most Outstanding Track Performer honor for the second consecutive year. Junior Erik Hoagland of Massachusetts was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer after capturing gold in the long (23-4) and triple jumps (49-3) while Fordham freshman Matt DiBuono earned Most Outstanding Rookie honors for his winning throw of 58-9 ½ in the weight throw.

However, the most remarkable performance of the men's Championship came from La Salle's Sean Quigley. The sophomore won the 3,000m run in a time of 8:30.40 despite stopping twice during the opening lap after having the heel of his shoe stepped on. After the second lap Quigley kicked off his shoe, cruised in front of the 19 competitors and seized gold despite running with one shoe.

"I wasn't even thinking about my foot," said Quigley. "I just wanted to score points and help my team."

Women's First-Team All-Conference Amy Kremer, UD (high jump); Kristen Bakanowski, UM (pole vault; Kerstin Greene, FOR (triple jump); Andria Smythe, SJU (long jump); Kelly Pohlman, UD (shot put, weight throw); Jasmine Major, UR (55m hurdles); Courtney Patterson, CHA (55m dash); Danielle Schopf, LAS (5,000m); Cassie Ficken, CHA (mile, 3,000m); Shareese Woods, CHA (200m, 400m); Tynisha Gardner, CHA (500m); Thuy Nguyen, SJU (800m); Elizabeth Geiger, LAS (1,000m); Tara Gerlach, Emily Beahan, Ashley Earnest, Amy Ruffolo, DUQ (DMR); Carlitha Sturdivant, Tina Horne, LaJarsha Moses, Shareese Woods, CHA (4x400m); Adriana Boyle, Christa Plummer, Carolyn Lipovsky, Elizabeth Geiger, LAS (4x800m).

Men's First-Team All-Conference Ben McCallum, CHA (55m dash); Ashhad Agyapong, URI (200m, 400m); John Butler, LAS (mile); Andrew Thomas, SJU (500m); Matt Petrocci, SJU (800m); Jkon Molz, UR (1,000m); Sean Quigley, LAS (3,000m); Teddy Meyers, SJU (5,000m); Steve Rendall, LAS (55m hurdles); Evan Lima, URI (high jump); Sean Strizzi, URI (pole vault); Erik Hoagland, UM (long jump, triple jump); Ryan McCarthy, URI (shot put); Matt DiBuono, FOR (weight throw); Quincy Smith, Jason Moore, Lloyd LeBlanc, James Bacon, CHA (4x400m); Chase Eckard, Riann Lourens, Jordan Olsen, Russell Slade, CHA (4x800m); Joe Brancaleone, Sean Clark, James Holzwarth, David Alfano, LAS (DMR).