May 23, 2009
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.
2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field
Championships
