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May 22, 1997
Thanks to a 1-3-5 finish in the long jump, St. Augustine's Lady Falcons track team has taken the lead in team points after the first day of competition at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Evansville, Illinois.
Andrea Giscombe, Shanka Walker and Lisa Taylor combined to earn 20 points in the long jump and give St. Aug a nine-point lead over second place Emporia State. Giscombe won the event with a jump of 6.19 meters (20' 3.75") outdistancing the second place finisher by nearly five inches. Walker, who won the long jump at the indoor championship, captured third place by a quarter of an inch with a jump of 6 meters (19' 8.25"). Taylor's best jump of 5.78 meters completed the strong showing by the CIAA Champions.
St. Augustine's is a favorite to win the championship. Their biggest challenge will come from Abilene Christian who didn't score in the three finals held on Day 1.In addition to winning the long jump, St. Augustine's Giscombe was the top qualifier in the 400 meter hurdle preliminaries. She was the fastest qualifier for the finals with a time of 58.79 seconds. Teammate Karen Constable also qualified for Saturday's finals with a 1:00.96.
Other notable first day performances by black college athletes include the dynamic duo of Lorraine Graham and Beverly Grant from Lincoln (Mo) University. Grant, the current indoor 400 meter champion, was the top qualifier in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.03. Grant, the indoor 55 meter champion, had the second best qualifing time at 23.21.
In the men's events, black college performers took four of the top eight positions in the long jump. Virginia Union's Curtis Porter finished fourth with a jump of 7.39 meters (24' 3"). St. Augustine's Lancelot Gooden finished fifth while Virginia State's Floyd Lanier and Albany State's Octavia Jones finished seventh and eighth respectively.
St. Augustine's Frederick Adongo finished seventh in the 10,000 meter run to contribute to the Falcons six points and 7th place after the first day.
In the 400 meter hurdle prelims, Jimmy Foster of St. Augustine's had the third best qualifying time of the event at 51.93. Morehouse's Hollis Watkins also qualified for Saturday's final with a 52.13 effort.
Finals in the men's and women's discus, women's high jump, women's 3,000 meter run and men's 3,000 meter steeplechase are set for Friday. Men's and women's preliminaries in the 800 meter run, 100 meter dash, 400 meter dash and 100 & 110 meter hurdles are also scheduled.
All other finals will take place Saturday.
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