By Julien Benjamin, Staff Writer
Behind senior Andre Dorsey, who won an MVP Award for his performance at the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships, the men’s track and field team ran away with their fourth-straight indoor track conference title.
KSU scored 218 points over the weekend, won eight events on Sunday alone and broke five conference records. Dorsey won the triple jump with a distance of 14.84 meters, and picked up 30 points for the Owls. “It’s exciting to establish a legacy with the men’s track program,” KSU head coach Andy Eggerth said. “I’m really proud of the guys for working as hard as they did.”
Dorsey and Bilal Abdullah will both represent the Owls in the NCAA tournament, which will be held in Fayetteville March 13 and 14. Abdullah took the heptathlon events portion, scoring 5,600 points, an A-Sun Championship record, after winning the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.04.
Teammates Josh Mulder and Kaarel Mangusson finished second and third overall in a five-man heptathlon contest comprising all KSU athletes. Mulder won the pole vault after posting a 4.45m height and then won the 1,000-meter with a time of 2:43.14 over Abdullah, who finished in 2:49.25.
“We’ve had an athlete at the NCAA championships each year I’ve been here,” Eggerth said. “This is our first year with two. I’m really proud of Dorsey and Abdullah for putting in the work to succeed.” By qualifying for the tournament, Dorsey and Abdullah are considered to be one of the top 16 competitors in the nation at their event. Pending completion, both athletes could become an All-American. “That says great things about the direction our program is heading,” Eggerth said. “We’re continuing to improve and get better.”
Zac Davis finished first for the Owls in the 400-meter dash, with a time of 49.52. KSU also took the crown in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter, and 4×400 relay, with sophomore Drew Duggans leading the way. Duggans broke an A-Sun Indoor Championship record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.66. In the relay, KSU fell just short of the conference record, with a time of 3:18.01.
The women’s track team finished second to Jacksonville University, accumulating 184 points over the weekend and winning four events. The women didn’t break any records like their male counterparts, but had several members place top three in their events.
De’Von Johnson placed third in both the triple jump and 60-meter hurdles while teammate Joyce Mattagliano had the only win for KSU in an individual event. Mattagliano took the gold in the 800-meter with a time of 2:10.66. The women also won the 4×400 relay, finishing in 3:50.71.
After competing in the NCAA Indoor Championships, KSU will begin their outdoor track season at Georgia Tech to end the month of March. “The men were undefeated during the indoor season,” Eggerth said. “We’re hoping to continue that dominance.”
