Conference Carolinas

Conference Carolinas Men's Track & Field Coaches Vote Mount Olive Favorite

1/8/2013 12:00:00 AM

High Point, N.C. - Mount Olive College seeks its third consecutive Conference Carolinas men’s outdoor track and field championship and hopes to capture the inaugural men’s indoor track and field title. The Trojan men’s track and field team hopes to be the third team in school history to win a conference championship three years in a row.

 

Despite losing four All-Conference Carolinas performers from last year, Mount Olive got off to an impressive start in its first indoor competition in December. Sebastian Jackson broke two-time all-conference and 2011 Conference Carolinas Men’s Field Athlete of the Year Joey Murphy’s school record in the weight throw. Freshmen Joaquim Cotano-Lezcano and Stedmond Hampton broke school records in the 500 and 300 meters, respectively.

 

The Trojans also return two All-Southeast Region performers from 2012. Erasmo Ordonez, who competed in the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championship in November, earned All-Region indoor honors. Caleb Henderson, a 2011 All-Conference Carolinas selection, earned All-Region honors last year in both indoor and outdoor track.

Mount Olive finished the 2012 indoor season atop the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Rankings and went wire-to-wire at No. 1 in the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Outdoor Rankings.

The King College men’s track & field team has been selected to finish second in the 2013 Conference Carolinas Coaches Preseason poll, following a second place finish at last year’s conference Track & Field Championships, King returns many of its key components for a strong return to the track. Sophomore sprinters Forrest Stuart and All-Region selection Reggie Warren will lead the speedsters while freshman Joktan Moore is expected to be a big contributor in jump and hurdle events. Warren and Stuart were both members of last year’s conference champion 4x100m relay team (42.11).

Members of this year’s national championship participant cross country team comprise a majority of the distance events runners, led by junior standout Spencer Frantom and steeplechase junior national qualifier Jordan Noe. Last year, Noe finished the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 6:08.05, besting the U.S. Junior National Team qualifying mark by 17 seconds.

Limestone College men’s track & field returns a number of top performers from last year’s third place squad, including a conference champion and All-Conference Carolinas First-Team selection and a pair of Second-Team honorees.

Senior Scott DiCrescenzo is the Saints top returnee following his championship performance in the javelin at last year’s conference championships. His throw of 54.76 meters gave him his third consecutive Conference Carolinas Championship and third straight First-Team All-Conference selection. He also notched a provisional qualification for the NCAA Championships during the season.

Other notable returnees include Travis Tolliver, Wendall Forbes, Jeremy Griffin, Jordan Manning, and Brandon Stanley.

 

Rounding out the women's track & field preseason poll 4-8 is: Lees-McRae, North Greenville, Belmont Abbey, and Barton & Queens (tied) respectively.