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Track & Field

SMU Repeats As American Athletic Conference Outdoor Champions

May 17, 2015

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STORRS, Conn. -- The SMU women's track & field team repeated as American Athletic Conference Outdoor Champions on Sunday at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs, Connecticut.

With 131 points, SMU finished six points ahead of host Connecticut (125 points). Cincinnati finished in third (117 points). For the team's performance, head coach Dave Wollman and his staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

"This was a complete team effort," said head coach Dave Wollman. "Every point that could have possibly been gotten out of this team was gotten. It's not often you get a perfect performance, but I would say this group of girls put together a perfect performance."

Tochi Nlemchi and Rayann Chin both landed on the podium in the shot put. Nlemchi finished second (15.56m) and Chin earned her second medal of the meet, placing third (15.28m). Freshman Jacquetta Cannon also competed in the shot put, finishing 14th (13.61m).

"Tochi and Ray getting second and third in the shot put was a big punch right when we needed it," said Wollman. "That was a big turning point for the girls."

In the 100-meter dash, Stephanie Kalu won the silver medal, finishing second with a time of 11.57. Also in the 100-meter, Craishia Washington just missed the podium, placing fourth in a new PR time of 11.77.

"Steph is the best sprinter to go to SMU," said Wollman. "She graduates with tremendous honors and we're very proud of her and what she has accomplished. She is the class of the sprint group. Craishia's performance was, perhaps, the most courageous. She entered the 100 ranked 15th and ended up finishing fourth. It was just a gutsy performance on her part."

Freshman Isabella Marten earned a pair of bronze medals on the day. Marten finished third in both the triple jump (13.12m) and high jump (1.73m). Lucija Cvitanovic also competed in the high jump, finishing 12th (1.62m).

"Bella is true competitor," said Wollman. "She hates to lose. She hates to underperform. She went from 17th-ranked to finishing third in the high jump. We won by six points and those are the six points."

In the 5,000-meter, Shanoah Souza earned her second medal of the meet. A night after winning the silver in the steeplechase, Souza grabbed the bronze in the 5,000-meter (17:02.79). Senior Caitlin Keen also scored points in 5,000-meter, crossing the finish line eighth (17:22.96). Karoline Skatteobe (9th, 17:24.79), Agnes Sjostrom (11th, 17:45.96) and Claire Trotter (14th, 38:56.87) also ran in the 5,000-meter.

"Coach [Cathy] Casey had a great plan for her," said Wollman. "She went out, got comfortable and then began picking people off. I think Shanoah ran beautifully with a lot of courage."

In the relay events, the 4x100 team opened up the day with a bronze-medal performance, as Rachel Scruggs, Stephanie Kalu, Shahira Ehiemua and Craishia Washington ran a career-best 44.75. Scruggs, Kalu, Washington and Holly Archer then ended the meet with a seventh-place finish in the 4x400 relay (3:43.54).

Archer also scored fourth-place points in the 1,500-meter, just missing the podium with a time of 4:31.44. Less than an hour later, Archer ran in the 800-meter, finishing eighth (2:18.98).

Up next for the Mustangs is the NCAA West Regional in Austin, Texas. The top 48 athletes in each event in the region are qualified to compete in Austin.

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Players Mentioned

Jacquetta Cannon

Jacquetta Cannon

Throws
5' 7"
FR
Isabella Marten

Isabella Marten

Jumps
5' 10"
FR
Holly Archer

Holly Archer

Distance
5' 3"
FR
Rayann Chin

Rayann Chin

Throws
6' 0"
JR
Lucija Cvitanovic

Lucija Cvitanovic

Multi
5' 8"
SO
Shahira Ehiemua

Shahira Ehiemua

Sprints
5' 3"
JR
Stephanie Kalu

Stephanie Kalu

Sprints
5' 6"
JR
Caitlin Keen

Caitlin Keen

Distance
5' 3"
SR
Tochi Nlemchi

Tochi Nlemchi

Throws
5' 9"
FR
Rachel Scruggs

Rachel Scruggs

Sprints
5' 4"
SO
Agnes Sjöström

Agnes Sjöström

Distance
5' 8"
FR
Shanoah Souza

Shanoah Souza

Distance
5' 5"
SO

Players Mentioned

Jacquetta Cannon

Jacquetta Cannon

5' 7"
FR
Throws
Isabella Marten

Isabella Marten

5' 10"
FR
Jumps
Holly Archer

Holly Archer

5' 3"
FR
Distance
Rayann Chin

Rayann Chin

6' 0"
JR
Throws
Lucija Cvitanovic

Lucija Cvitanovic

5' 8"
SO
Multi
Shahira Ehiemua

Shahira Ehiemua

5' 3"
JR
Sprints
Stephanie Kalu

Stephanie Kalu

5' 6"
JR
Sprints
Caitlin Keen

Caitlin Keen

5' 3"
SR
Distance
Tochi Nlemchi

Tochi Nlemchi

5' 9"
FR
Throws
Rachel Scruggs

Rachel Scruggs

5' 4"
SO
Sprints
Agnes Sjöström

Agnes Sjöström

5' 8"
FR
Distance
Shanoah Souza

Shanoah Souza

5' 5"
SO
Distance