ACU claims crown
5/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Track & Field
ACU rolls to outdoor track crown
Manirakiza's 800-1500 double leads Wildcats to championship
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The ACU men ran away from the field Saturday night at Ralph Korte Stadium to claim their fourth straight NCAA Division II track and field national championship.
The Wildcats racked up 102 points to win the NCAA Division II outdoor championship by 33 points over second-place St. Augustine's. Western State (Colo.) was third with 64 points, followed by Cal-Davis with 45 points and Fort Hays State (Kan.) with 34 points.
Bernard Manirakiza – who won the 800 meters in March to lead ACU to the NCAA Division II indoor title – pulled off the 800-meters, 1500-meter double Saturday afternoon, winning both to score 20 big points for the Wildcats. Manirakiza won the 800 meters with a time of 1:51.77, and then went on to post a time of 3:49.26 to win the 1500 meters.
His two victories were two of just three in the entire meet for the Wildcats (Ben Washington in the triple jump on Friday was the other), whose depth wore down the competition. ACU scored points in every event in which it was entered, including 12 points by senior sprinter Nic Alexander, who was second in the 100 meters (10.28) and fourth in the 200 meters (21.10).
Nick Branen recorded his best-ever finish at a national meet by finishing third in the 3000-meter Steeplechase (9:03.53), as did freshman pole vaulter Cory Aguilar, who was fourth with a mark of 16 feet, 2.75 inches.
ACU's 4x100 relay team finished fourth with a time of 40.30, while the 4x400 relay team was third with a time of 3:12.52.
The Wildcats' national championship gives ACU 52 team national championships in its history, including 49 in track and field. The ACU men have won both the indoor and outdoor titles in each of the last two years under head coach Jon Murray, who has led his team to seven national championships in his three years as the head coach.
