Dec. 2, 2008

The Outdoor Track and Field Championships picked up where the indoor championships left off - a competitive and emotional event. However, when it was over, the results were the same: the women of Jackson State and the men of Prairie View A&M were crowned champions. In the 100-meter dash, Courtney Prentiss and Taji Dorsey placed sixth and eighth respectively. Tayari Clay finished third in the 200-meter while Dorsey returned for an eighth-place finish in the race. Clay, Dorsey and Lisa Quinn each placed in the 400-meter dash earning 11 points for the Lady Tigers. The Lady Tigers found some success in the distance events with Jemu ZarZar and Jennifer Redman finishing third and seventh in the 1,500-meter run. In the 5,000-meter event, ZarZar placed fifth earning four points for JSU. Quinn, Dorsey, Prentiss and Clay took gold for Jackson State in the 4x100 meter relay with a NCAA Regional qualifying time of 45.65. In the 4x400 the Lady tigers took second behind Grambling State with a time of 3.46:31 just two seconds behind first place. Toniece Williams won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.50 and Marlisa Hamlett won the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 60.03. In the field events, Danielle Miller won the discus throw with a mark of 41.19. The 2008 SWAC Most Outstanding Female Field Performer went to JSU's Leadrianna White. White dominated the field events with first-place finishes in the women's hammer and javelin throw with marks of 138 feet and 118 feet respectively. White also place ninth in the women's shot put and 11th in discus throw. In men's action, Prairie View A&M finished the meet with 193 points while the Grambling State Tigers finished in second place with 150 points. For the first time since 2000, PVAMU was able to bring home the Outdoor crown, marking the schools third overall title in Outdoor Track and Field in school history. Prairie View A&M's Alonzo Thomas was selected as the most outstanding male track performer. Thomas won the men's 3000 meter steeplechase and placed second in the 10,000 meters, 1500 meters and the 5,000 meter runs. Marcus Carter was named the most outstanding male field performer after winning the men's hammer throw. Carter also placed second in the shot put and the discus throw. Chris Taylor, Jarryd Gray, Brandon Samples and Jason Fobbs prevailed in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 40.84 seconds. Gray and Taylor finished second and third in the 100-meter dash while Fobbs placed sixth in the event. Gray returned to win the 200-meter dash while Jason Okoro was sixth in the 400-meter event. The team of Okoro, Gray, Dan Anderson and Jason Mitchell finished second and qualified for the NCAA regional competition with a time of 3:09.93 in the 4-by-400 meter relay.