Outdoor Opener a complete Sea Gull success
SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University men's and women's track and field teams began its 2007 outdoor schedule with a very successful home opener on Saturday. The SU Opener, a friendly event where team points are not recorded, welcomed Division III programs Shenandoah University and Virginia Wesleyan College along with junior colleges from Montgomery County (Md.) and Gloucester County (N.J.). Salisbury even entered a team comprised of Sea Gull alumni for the meet.

Salisbury dominated the first outdoor meet of the year as it won 30 of the 36 events. In the 20 running events the Sea Gulls won 17 of them. When SU took to the 16 field events the Gulls won 13.The Sea Gull underclassmen shined in the meet as 21 of the 29 individual wins by SU came from freshmen or sophomores. SU won the men's 4x400 relay as a team with a time of 3:40.7.

Freshman Quentin Briscoe won three events including the 110 high hurdles (15.8), the 400 IM hurdles (59.0) and the triple jump (43'7") where he set a huge personal record. Fellow freshmen Victoria Lawson and Ashleigh MacIntosh were also double event winners. Lawson, who played on the SU women's basketball team, traded in her high tops for track spikes and won the 200 meter (26.7) and 400 meter dash (1:00.7). MacIntosh took care of business with two field events where she finished on top in the pole vault (8'0") and long jump (15'8").

The men's and women's 800 meter and 1,500 meter run were won by a pair of SU runners. Sophomore Zach Dickerson finished the 800 meter run with a time of 2:08.7 and followed that with a 1,500 meter time of 4:20.7. Junior Casey McInerny won the 800 meter run (2:29.9) and the 1,500 meter run (5:04.2).

Back in the field events, sophomore Steve Funkhouser outdistanced the competition in the men's hammer with a throw of 127'1" and threw the discus 118'5". Junior Allison Sheridan won the women's shot put (33'7") and the hammer (110'4"). Salisbury native Jessica Carey won the women's high jump (5'1") as fellow sophomore Jenn Bulger came in second.

Salisbury will rest the next two weeks before heading south to participate in the Emory University Spring Break Invitational on March 24 in Atlanta, Ga.