Warriors, Bulldog add to Spartan track dynasty
Published 10:17 pm Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Norfolk State’s men’s track and field team won the MEAC Indoor Track and Field Championships for the sixth consecutive season last weekend in Landover, Md. Counting outdoor seasons, it’s the 11th straight MEAC championship for the Spartans.
Three former Suffolk standouts, sophomore James Taylor (Nansemond River), sophomore John James (Nansemond River) and freshman Ian Copeland (King’s Fork), helped the Spartans pile up a record-high point total, 200 points, for a MEAC Championship meet.
Taylor finished second in the 60-meter dash in 6.76 seconds and third in the 200 in 21.70.
James came in third in the high jump with a best mark of 6-feet-8.25.
Copeland finished sixth in the weight throw at 43-feet-6.5.
The USA Indoor Championship Saturday and Sunday in Albuquerque, N.M. is next up for the Spartans.
George Mason sophomore TaNay Chandler (Nansemond River) finished seventh, in a time of 7.81 seconds, in the 60-meter dash Saturday at the Virginia Tech Challenge. Chandler was also on GMU’s victorious distance medley relay team.
Also in the VT meet, St. Augustine’s Christopher Copeland (Lakeland) finished second in the high jump at 2.06 meters (6-feet-9).
Chowan’s women’s basketball squad moved a step closer to a high seed in the CIAA Tournament with a 60-47 win at St. Paul’s Saturday.
Junior guard Ransheda Jennings (King’s Fork) led the Lady Hawks with 20 points and six steals.
Chowan (14-11, 11-6) plays its regular season finale Thursday evening at Virginia St.
Marquette earned a Big East victory, 73-64 over visiting Seton Hall, Saturday.
Freshman forward Davante Gardner (King’s Fork) came off the bench to give the Golden Eagles seven points, six rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes.
Marquette (16-11, 7-7) travels to face Connecticut (20-6, 8-6) Thursday night.
On baseball and softball diamonds, where the weather permits, last weekend was the first big weekend of collegiate play.
Senior second baseman Matt Hamlet (Nansemond-Suffolk) totaled three hits and three runs while going 17-for-17 on defensive chances as Boston College went 2-1 Friday-Sunday in South Carolina. The Eagles scored 6-1 wins over Indiana and Tennessee Tech.
BC travels to Gainesville, Fla. Thursday-Sunday for three games against Florida and an exhibition game Saturday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox as the Red Sox start their spring txraining schedule.
Fayetteville St. went 3-1 on the softball diamond, winning two games over Concord and splitting a doubleheader with Shepherd, on Saturday and Sunday.
Junior LaTonia Gatling (King’s Fork) went 4-for-11 with three runs, three runs batted in and two stolen bases as FSU’s leadoff hitter in the four games. Gatling is the right fielder for the Lady Broncos (5-3).
Junior Leigh Sexton (King’s Fork) saw her first action for Longwood’s softball squad as the Lady Lancers opened their season going 4-0 in the Lancer Leadoff event with Indiana-Purdue Indianapolis, Quinnipiac and Army last weekend in Farmville.
Sexton, who transferred from Randolph College to Longwood, came on as a sub at second base in all four contests. Sexton went 2-for-4 with two runs and a double at the plate.
Longwood hosts Delaware for a doubleheader on Friday afternoon.