Men’s and women’s track share second-place finishes in CAA Championships

The men’s track team knew a long time ago that two-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champion William & Mary wasn’t their biggest threat going into this year’s meet.

Assistant coach Jason Smith said it a couple months ago.

Sophomore jumper Brandon Argro said it a couple of days ago.

It wasn’t so much the Tribe that the team was worried about, Argro said, as it was UNC Wilmington, the team that won six straight titles between 1997 and 2002.

VCU handled William & Mary, outscoring the Tribe by 50 points, more than twice the amount they lost by in the 2004 championship. However, UNC Wilmington upped the Tribe by 86.5 points, scoring 218.5 in 21 events to dethrone the defending champs and running away with its seventh CAA championship.

VCU’s women had a more lasting legacy facing them in William & Mary’s track team, which had won five of the past six CAA title and the George Mason team they eked out 196-195 to win last year’s title, which had won the first nine CAA championships.

While Mason fell from its established excellence, VCU’s women’s team ascended, etching a spot for itself in the CAA record books with a second place finish to William & Mary, the Rams best finish in school history.

Senior Cheri Manning brought the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer award back to Richmond with her. The sprinter scored 25 points own her own for the Rams, winning the 200 with a time of 24.77, the 400 with a 55.83 and finishing fourth in the 100.

Manning teamed with Courtney Green, Tesonia Twine, Sheemeca Berkley, to take second place in the 4×100-meter relay to pick up another eight points for the Rams.

In the 4×400, the team of Manning, Kristina Rios, Candace Childs and Shaunte Barber finished fourth to give VCU another four points.

The lady Rams won six of the meet’s 21 events. Junior Tanika Brown dominated the high jump with a leap of 5 feet 10.75 inches, earning a spot in the NCAA East Regionals. Pia Ruth cruised to a win in the 100-meter hurdles with a 14.73 and junior Yvette Simmons took the triple jump with a jump of 38 feet 4.75 inches

On the men’s side, Davion Lambert came close to his goal of winning all three jumping events, winning the high jump by leaping 6 feet 10.75 inches, taking the long jump with a 24-5 and finishing third in th triple jump with a 48-5.75.

While the Seahawks dominated throws, racking up 67 points between the shot put, discuss, hammer and javelin, VCU made its mark as newcomer Brett Frykberg won the edged out UNCW’s Bruce Smith with a throw of 105 feet 8 inches to win the event. Frykberg was also a runner up in the high jump with a leap of 6-10.75.

Sophomore sprinter James Frierson just missed wins in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, finishing second behind George Mason’s Mike Garner in both events, and finished second to UNCW’s Zeickia Ledwell.

The Rams, who hadn’t finished higher than fourth place before last year, now have consecutive second-place finishes.