DAYTONA BEACH, FL-Anntionette Elam and the men's 4 x 800 relay team copped All-Conference honors as the USCB men's and women's track team competed in their first ever Sun Conference Track and Field Championship held Sunday and Monday on the campus of Embry Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Elam, running in the 800 meters, surged to the lead at the 500 meter and held on down the stretch to win the event in 2:22.75. Running in only her second meet since injuring a hamstring in early March, Elam becomes the first Sand Shark athlete to win an individual conference title. In securing the victory, Elam was able to beat a number of All-Americans who were in the field.
The men's 4 x 800 relay team also garnered All-Conference honors with a solid third place. The team of Nic Tones, Chris Elliott, Stephen Wilson, and Frank Tinsley was timed in 8:00.64 as all four runners ran consistent splits between 1:59 and 2:01.
The Sand Sharks women's team finished the meet with 15 points. Also scoring for USCB was Katie Mock, with a seventh place finish in the 10000 meter event and the 4 x 400 meter relay team which consisted of Elam, Selena Hutson, Kristy Grannan and Gabby Lamb.
The USCB men tallied 26 points to finish in fifth place. Competing in only five events, the Sand Sharks scored in both the aforementioned 4 x 800 relay and the 4 x 400 relay. Competing on the 4 x 400 team were Tones, Tinsley, Elliott, and Ian Evans.
Individually, USCB men scored three runners in the 10000 as Marshall Meyer, John Critchlow and Tommy Reeves took places five thru seven. Tones finished in fifth place in a very competitive 800 meter race while Wilson and Critchlow both scored in the 5000 meter race.
The Sun Conference meet concludes the season for most of the team. Meyer and Mock have both qualified for the NAIA National Marathon which will be held in conjunction with the NAIA Track and Field Championships to be held in St. Louis from May 21st to 23rd. Elam will attempt to make her way into the national meet at the Georgia Invitational on May 9th.
