Beebe successfully defends title; a team of three Sea Gulls finishes as runner-up team at NCAA championships

BEREA, Ohio - On Friday afternoon, senior thrower Brandon Fugett (Randallstown, Md.) captured his second individual national title in the men's shot put. On Saturday afternoon, his teammate, Cory Beebe (Medina, Ohio) followed in his footsteps as he successfully defended his 400-meter hurdles title to earn his second individual national title at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. 

Beebe's time of 51.19 seconds shattered the previous stadium record of 51.72 seconds, set by Safwan Williams back in 1999. "It was a hard-fought win for Cory," said Head Coach Jim Jones. Beebe struggled out of the gates, hitting the first hurdle, but was able to finish the race cleanly to preserve the victory. He also fared extremely well in the 110-meter hurdles, placing sixth with a time of 14.31 seconds. Deciding the placement of that race came down to thousandths of a second as three competitors ran a 14.31; though Beebe found himself in sixth place instead of fourth or fifth, his finish gave the Sea Gulls valuable points toward the team's total. "It feels good to see our hard work pay off," said Beebe. "We came in there and did what we needed to do."

 Senior sprinter Delannie Spriggs (Owings, Md.) took home second place in the 100-meter dash, with a school record-breaking time of 10.48 seconds. He also placed fourth in the 200-meter dash, posting a time of 21.49 seconds. Though he didn't capture an individual title in the outdoor season, the senior still has a national championship of his own; back in March, he took home the title in the 55-meter dash at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. "Delannie had a great day," said Jones. "He came ready to race and he hit two personal records today. He's a competitor." 

Additionally, each athlete earned All-America status in each of his individual events. The top eight athletes in each event earned the title of All-American.

As a team, the three athletes left their mark on the competition as they placed second overall. They were one of the smallest contingents to compete in the championships, falling short only to North Central College, which saw over 30 of its athletes compete. "To come with three athletes and be the runner-up team is beyond words," said Jones. "They had a plan since the fall to come back and improve upon last year's performance." And they did just that, as the same trio placed fourth overall in last year's championships. "It feels great," said Fugett of his team's finish. "We came in there and [dominated], even though we only had three guys."

Beebe, Spriggs and Fugett have certainly left their mark on the Sea Gull track & field program, as 13 of the individual records in the Salisbury record books bear one of their names. They were part of a men's team which won four straight Capital Athletic Conference championships. The three superstars boast a combined five national titles and 15 All-American honors between them. Throughout their careers they were honored with 21 All-CAC First Team awards in their various events. "It's bittersweet," said Spriggs in reference to running his last collegiate race. "I wish I had done better, but I ran a pretty good race. It was great to run and score some points."

"I am so proud to have coached these guys," said Jones. "They have a lot to be proud of."

Final team standings:

1. North Central College (53 points)
2. Salisbury University (36 points) 
3. University of Wisconsin- La Crosse (28 points)
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (27 points) 
T5. Springfield College (26 points)
T5. Wheaton College (26 points)