BEEBE, FUGETT WIN FIRST-EVER TRACK AND FIELD NATIONAL TITLES FOR SU; TEAM PLACES FOURTH OVERALL
MARIETTA, Ohio - Salisbury University's trio of men's track and field All-Americans entered this weekend's 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships with high expectations and on Saturday afternoon the Sea Gulls delivered at Don Drumm Stadium on the campus of Marietta College.
Juniors Cory Beebe and Brandon Fugett became the first-ever SU track and field athletes to win a national title in an individual event. Beebe ran the fastest 400-meter hurdle time in Division III this season as he crossed the finish line with a time of 51.28 seconds. Fugett tossed the shot put a Division III best distance of 58 feet and 10 and a quarter inches (17.94 meters) to win the event. Beebe, Fugett and fellow junior Delannie Spriggs (second in the 100-meter dash) all earned All-American honors for their respective performances on Saturday. The three All-American honors up SU's men's track and field program total to 13.
The Salisbury trio also accumulated 28 team points to finish fourth overall in the final men's team standings. This is the highest team finish in Sea Gull track and field history. Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the national championship with 46 points to edge out McMurry University (40 points) and University of St. Thomas, who took third.
Fugett got things started on Saturday afternoon as he won round one, flight one in the shot put with the record distance of nearly 59 feet. In the finals, his throw of 58 feet and 10 and a quarter inches held up to win the men's shot put national title. Fugett's throw also set a new SU school record and a Don Drumm Stadium record which was previously held by Mount Union's Justin Archer (55 feet, one inch) set on May 13, 2006. Fugett edged out Wisconsin La Crosse senior thrower Bobby Riley who was an inch short. Fugett gained 10 team points for the Sea Gulls. It was Riley who edged Fugett out for the 2009 indoor national title in the shot put with a toss of 17.51 meters to Fugett's second place toss of 16.86 meters.
Beebe torched the field in the 400-meter hurdles as he crossed the finish line in 51.28 seconds. Like Fugett, Beebe's time sets a new SU school record and a Don Drumm Stadium record. Coincidently, the previous stadium record was held by Beebe when he ran for Heidelberg College. Beebe's old stadium record was 53.24 seconds set on May 13, 2006 when Beebe was a freshman. This is the third All-American honor for Beebe in the 400-meter hurdles, first at SU, and his first national title in the event. His previous best finish was fifth in 2007 where he ran a 56.16. The year before he placed sixth. He did not run at nationals last season. Beebe beat Wisconsin-Oshkosh junior Ben Zill who finished second with a time of 52.07 seconds. The day before, Beebe ran the fastest qualifying time as he was clocked at 51.44 seconds. Beebe earned 10 crucial team points as the final four men's events finished out on Saturday.
Spriggs just missed out on the Salisbury hat trick of three national individual titles as he placed second in the 100-meter dash. The junior sprinter renewed his budding rivalry with Springfield College junior Stephen Headley. The two met this year in the national indoor championships where Headley won the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.24 seconds ahead of Sprigg's 6.30 seconds second-place mark. On Saturday, Headley finished in the 100-meter finals in first place with a time of 10.51 seconds. The two won their respective qualifying heats on Friday evening as Spriggs took the first heat (10.67 seconds) while Headley took the third heat (10.68 seconds). The final on Saturday had a wind factor of -1.4 m/s. Sprigg's garnered eight team points with the second place finish. This is Spriggs' second outdoor All-American honor and fourth total in his track and field career.
On Friday, Fugett finished ninth overall in the men's discus throw and just missed the top eight cut for Saturday's national final. Fugett threw the discus 156 feet (47.54 meters) and was an inch short of eighth place.
The future is bright for the SU men's track and field program as the trio is slated to return for their senior seasons next year to anchor a veteran Sea Gull squad.
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