Vandendriessche in position
5/22/2009 2:42:16 AM | Track & Field
SAN ANGELO -- Camille Vandendriessche surrendered the lead in the fifth event, but the ACU senior decathlete posted three personal bests Thursday on the first day of the 47th annual NCAA Division II men's track and field championships.
Vandendriessche scored 3,942 points in the first five of the 10 events to trail Angelo State's Ryan McWilliams, who raced to a 48.44 in the 400 meters to close the first day with a 94-point lead at 4,036.
Friday's events will begin at 10 a.m. at LeGrand Sports Complex on the campus of Angelo State University.
Vandendriessche is a two-time defending champion who is attempting to become the first NCAA Division II athlete to win three consecutive decathlon titles.
“People say I'm a second-day guy,” he said. “I have a chance to score even higher. I will hope for my best. It is very important for me to exit on a good note.”
Also for the Wildcats here Thursday, Ramon Sparks finished seventh in the long jump (24-1.75), and Amos Sang (29:54.20 for third) and Cleophas Tanui (30:00.38 for fourth) combined for 11 points in the team race in the 10,000 meters, the final race of the night.
Abilene Christian, with a record streak of seven straight men's team titles, has 13 points in the team competition to trail Central Missouri's 16 after the first of three days of competition (three of 21 events completed).
Each of the Wildcat 400 relay teams claimed the eighth of eight spots for Saturday's final. On Thursday the men ran 40.71 without Raymond Radway, and the women were timed in 46.38.
In qualifying for individual running events, Jordan Johnson, NCAA Division II champion as a freshman, advanced for the men's team in the 400 (47.00), but Radway failed to qualify. He suffered a slight hamstring injury at the Lone Star Conference meet May 8 and withdrew from the league final. He ran 47.10 in Thursday's prelims.
Defending champion Daniel Maina of ACU easily qualified in the steeplechase in 9:18.34 to win the second of two heats after Reuben Chebon-Mwei of Adams State ran 9:13.14 to take heat one.
Also failing to advance was Desmond Jackson in the 100 (10.59). James Hardin, competing with a bruised knee from the LSC meet, is 11th in the decathlon after the first day.
In the 28th annual NCAA Division II women's meet, Abilene Christian's Kim Prather won her heat of the 400 in 54.66 to qualify for Saturday's final, and Wanda Hutson advanced in the 100 with 11.77. Azraa Rounds joined Prather in the 400 final with 55.31 in the qualifying.
The women's 100 preliminaries featured the fastest NCAA Division II women's 100 meters ever. Barbara Pierre of St. Augustine's ran 11.18 (legal 1.4 wind) to turn in the day's outstanding performance.
Vandendriessche opened with two personal bests – 11.31 in the 100 to score 793 points and 23-2 in the long jump to add 828 to his total and take the lead. He held the top spot through the shot put (49-2.25 for 789 points) and high jump (6-4 for 740 points), then ended the first day with 50.50 in the 400 for 792 points for his third personal best.
“It is hard to make predictions in the decathlon,” Vandendriessche said. “So many things can happen. But I am very happy.”
Friday's decathlon events are 110 hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1,500 meters. “I need to make sure I get safe marks on my first attempt,” he said. “My main goal in the decathlon is just to do what I need to do.
“But it's never easy,” he added. “When you wait between events, you feel the heat.”
The academic all-conference performer won NCAA titles in 2007 in Charlotte, N.C., with 7,335 points and in 2008 in Walnut, Calif., with 7,385. He also is scheduled to compete in the pole vault here Saturday.
Also scheduled to compete for the Wildcat men Friday are Nick Jones in the shot put (final event), Jackson and Johnson in the 200, Andrew McDowell in the 110 hurdles, and Sang, Tanui and Maina in the 5,000.
The ACU women competing Friday will be Callie Young in the pole vault (final), Amanda Clemons and Destinee Nixon in the triple jump (final), Prather and Hutson in the 200, and Winrose Karunde in the 5,000.
ACU also has teams in both men's and women's 1,600 relay preliminaries here Friday.
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