BALTIMORE, Md. (April 21, 2012)-The cold and rainy weather which has plagued past Morgan State Legacy Meets and was again predicted to take place all day Saturday, was nonexistent until the event was over. Instead, the 9th Annual MSU Legacy Meet held at Hughes Stadium was blessed with plenty of sunshine and was a complete success.
“We were blessed this weekend with great weather and the athletes showed up here at home,” said Morgan State head coach Neville Hodge. “The track & field staff, the athletic department and the university did an excellent job organizing the meet and we would like to thank them along with the officials and the volunteers who helped to make the meet a success. We had some great performances on both the men's and the women's side and we hope to continue to attract more and more teams for years to come.”
In the end it was the University of Delaware Blue Hens capturing the women's title with a total of 153 points, while host Morgan State's men's team won the title with 118.50 points. The victory by Delaware ended a dominant run of four consecutive Legacy Meet title by the University of Pittsburgh's women's program.
"If we have good team energy, you can go out and do anything,” said Delaware head coach Wendy McFarlane, whose Blue Hens captured six individual first-place finishes, while setting three school records and four qualified for the ECAC championship held in May at Princeton, N.J. “The girls definitely have stepped it up a notch. Just getting the group together and everybody positively energized to (have) a good meet. That's what we did. We just came out with a lot of positive vibes.”
Added McFarlane, "we have good team energy and so far this season we've had some really good performances. All we can hope for is health and the girls are really stepping up this year. We're a pretty young team, but we have a lot of positive energy and team chemistry. We just hope to get into more championship meets like this one and do well."
Morgan State's Lady Bears placed second with 96 points, while fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe Hampton was third with 95.50 points. Defending champion Pittsburgh (92 points) was fourth, while fellow MEAC member the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) finished with 71 points to round out the top five.
“We took a different approach at the meet this year,” said Pittsburgh head coach Alonzo Webb whose Panthers had won the previous four Legacy Meets. “In the past we travelled with a full team. This season, however, we are more cautious about how much our athletes have been running the past few weekends and wanted to give them a break. Every meet from here on out will be important.”
On the men's side Morgan State captured the title with 118.50 points, fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) finished second with 109 points, while the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) claimed third place with 81 points. Pittsburgh took fourth with 69 points and MEAC rival Delaware State (61 points) came in fifth.
“Our Bears and Lady Bears showed up in full force this past weekend and everyone contributed to the overall team success,” said Hodge. “For the most part the athletes bought into the overall team goals, which were to protect our home at any cost and compete at a very high level in preparation for the upcoming 2012 MEAC Outdoor Championship [May 3-5].”
“We had no one individual that over shadowed the team's success. It was truly a 100 percent team effort from the athletes in the field events and the athletes who competed on the track. However, I would remiss if I didn't recognize Ekundayo Segobean's performance in the 200m and the 400m. She had major personal bests in those events. Keith A. Davis also had a big personal best in the men's javelin.”
Saturday's Legacy Meet also meant Senior Day for the Morgan State track and field teams. On the men's side, seniors Calvin Dascent, Trey Charles, Jordan Higgs, Simpson Penn and Derrick Barneralong with Lady Bears Tyshia Oliver, Kamice Smalls and Naomi Tucker were all recognized for their contribution to the track & field program.
“We would like to thank them for their dedication and the years of service and we wish them all the very best,” said Hodge of his senior class.
Added Hodge, “we, the coaching staff are very proud of our athletes' performances over the weekend and we look forward to improving on those performances within the next two weeks. Go Bears!”