Another title defense begins Friday for the JU track & field team as it competes in the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Championships at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

The Dolphins have won the last six outdoor championships, tying UCF (2000-05) for the most consecutive conference titles. Another title would put the Dolphins one shy of UCF’s record eight overall A-Sun championships.

“It is readily apparent that the A-Sun conference has gotten significantly stronger and deeper in recent years,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “There is a lot of parity amongst the top individuals and top teams. This championship will be the most competitive ever. It will require a full team effort of excellent performances to earn this championship. Whichever program can produce that effort will leave with the team trophy...”

The Dolphins will compete in the first of two relays at 5:05 p.m. with the 4x100-meter. JU has won the last three 4x100-meter relay, including posting a meet record 44.82 in 2009. They will look for their third straight 4x400-meter relay title later in the day at 8:45 p.m. The Dolphins posted a championship record time of 45.60 last season.

Pierre, Meyer, junior Morgan Keel and freshman Sarah Bailey are scheduled to run in the 1,500-meter at 5:25 p.m. Junior Bienna Freeman and senior Amalia Vogler will join Pierre and Bailey in the 800-meter at 6:55 p.m.

Fans can follow the live results through the conference championship page on atlanticsun.org. There will also be a special live blog during the meet on JUDolphins.com.

The JU track & field team had a good performance in its final meet before the A-Sun Championships at the Seminole Invitational Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Shanique Walker led JU by running the program’s fourth-highest 400-meter hurdle mark all-time in 1:00.59 (2nd). Fellow freshman Courtney Walker ran a time of 24.21 to finish second in the 200-meter.

“We needed to get a few things accomplished today,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “We did some nice work in the 400 hurdles. Now, we turn our focus to the team effort that will be required to contend for a championship.”

Senior Stacey Young was the next highest finisher in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:02.68 (5th). Freshman Alexis Taylor was 10th in 1:04.32, while junior Alana Walker ran a time of 1:05.83 for 12th.

Young (13.87) and junior Charlene Charles (14.12) were third and fourth, respectively, in the 100-meter hurdles. Freshman Petra Munkacsy finished sixth in 17.72.

In the 400-meter, junior LaTonya Payne led the Dolphins with a time of 56.03 (4th). Freshman Shadaey Campbell was sixth in 57.53, while senior Amalia Vogler ran a time of 59.02 (9th).

Junior Morgan Keel ran a time of 5:00.60 (15th) in the 1,500-meter to round out JU’s day.

The Dolphins will compete for their seventh straight conference outdoor title beginning Friday at the A-Sun Championships on the UNF campus in Jacksonville.

The JU track & field team had several strong efforts on the first day of the Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla.

Junior Bienna Freeman paced the Dolphins by breaking the 800-meter program record in 2:07.16 (2nd), while junior LaTonya Payne had the second-fastest mark in school history for the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:00.45 (26th).

“We got a lot accomplished today,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “We are seeing consistency and predictable improvements.”

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Svenja Meyer recorded a personal-best time of 10:51.64 for ninth. Junior Akeela Bravo led the Dolphins in the discus throw with a toss of 138’10” (15th). Senior Laura Phillips tallied of toss of 137’11” in the same event.

Freshman Sarah Bailey ran a time of 4:41.70 in the 1,500-meter. Junior Morgan Keel was not too far behind her in 4:58.66.

Freshman Shanique Walker posted a mark of 14.61 in the 100-meter hurdles, while freshman Courtney Walker had a time of 11.92 in the 100-meter to round out the Dolphins.

The JU track & field team switches gears to the outdoor campaign Friday when it starts the season with the UNF Spring Break Open at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Dolphins are back in action for the first time in two weeks since winning their seventh consecutive A-Sun Indoor Track & Field Championship on Feb. 18.

Hodges Stadium will also be the site of the A-Sun Outdoor Track & Field Championships in April. JU has won the last six conference outdoor titles, including the last three at Hodges Stadium.

Senior Laura Phillips, juniors Akeela Bravo and Sara Schunter and freshman Sally Marie Futch start the completion for JU with the hammer throw at 9 a.m.

Freshmen Petra Munkacsy, Shadaey Campbell, Courtney Walker and Shanique Walker will run 4x100-meter relay at 3:10 p.m.

Junior Charlene Charles will be in the 800-meter for the Dolphins at 5:35 p.m. Sophomore Svenja Meyer runs in the 3,000-meter steeplechase 6:10 p.m., while Pierre, junior Alicia Gard-Kaminkow and junior Morgan Keel close the day in the 5,000-meter at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Phillips, Bravo, Schunter and Futch will open again at 8 a.m. with the discus. They will wrap the weekend in the shot put with Charles, Munkacsy and junior Alana Walker.

Campbell and Courtney Walker will run in the 200-meter Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Senior Stacey Young, junior Alana Walker and freshmen Shanique Walker and Alexis Taylor will compete in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:15 p.m.

The Dolphins will have junior Bienna Freeman and senior Amaila Vogler run in the 1,500-meter to wrap the meet for JU at 3:10 p.m.

At the A-Sun Indoor Championships, freshman Courtney Walker paced the Dolphins en route to be named A-Sun Most Outstanding Freshman Performer.

Walker earned first place in the 60-meter (7.54) and later ran a leg of the 4x400-meter with sophomore LaTonya Payne and freshman Shanique Walker and Campbell that was second in 3:46.92. Walker was also second in the 200-meter (24.41) and the long jump (18’9”).

Young led the Dolphins in the 60-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 8:54 (2nd). Pierre won the mile for the Dolphins in 4:56.43, while Freeman was first in the 800-meter (2:14.36).

Freeman, Payne, Pierre and Vogler Pierre won the Distance Medley Relay with an A-Sun best time of 11:47.90 in helping the cause.

A strong finish helped the JU track & field team lock up its seventh straight Atlantic Sun Indoor Championship on Saturday in Johnson City, Tenn.

Despite replacing nine scorers from last season and six newcomers, the Dolphins recorded 164 points to take the title for the seventh consecutive year. Kennesaw State was second with 143 points, while North Florida came in third (136). East Tennessee State (107), USC Upstate (51), Lipscomb (40) and Belmont (20) rounded out the rest of the field.

JU newcomer Courtney Walker earned Most Outstanding Freshman Performer honors, while head coach Ron Grigg was named Coach of the Year for the seventh time.

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"This was a hard fought and well-earned victory,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “We knew we would need all event groups to contribute and they got the job done."

Walker earned first place in the 60-meter (7.54) and later ran a leg of the 4x400-meter with sophomore LaTonya Payne and freshman Shanique Walker and Shadaey Campbell that was second in 3:46.92. Walker was also second in the 200-meter (24.41) and the long jump (18’9”) yesterday.

Senior Stacey Young led the Dolphins in the 60-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 8:54 (2nd).

Shanique Walker (8.68), freshman Petra Munkacsy (8.69) and junior Charles (8.72) was third through fifth, respectively, behind Young in the hurdles. Walker also earned a second place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 39’8”.

Junior Joane Pierre won the mile for the Dolphins in 4:56.43, while junior Bienna Freeman was first in the 800-meter (2:14.36). Pierre was third in the same event with a time of 2:16.53.

Charles also got points for the Dolphins in the 60-meter (7.74, 6th) and 200-meter (25.29, 8th). Young earned points in the triple jump with a leap of 38’10.25”.

Other top five performances included Payne’s time of 57.11 in the 400-meter for fourth. Junior Akeela Bravo was fifth in the weight throw with a toss of 50’10.75”. Senior Amaila Volger ran a time of 2:17.17 to place fifth in the 800-meter. Junior Morgan Keel was fifth in the mile in 5:04.32.

Sophomore Svenja Meyer earned points for JU in the mile with a time of 5:08.62 (7th). Campbell also secured points for the Dolphins in the 400-meter (58.74) and 60-meter (7.82).

The Dolphins will turn their focus to the outdoor campaign starting March 2 with the UNF Open at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

Juniors Bienna Freeman and Charlene Charles each set new program bests to highlight a strong day for the JU track & field team at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup.

Freeman set the new standard for the 800-meter with a time of 2:09.35 (1st). Charles broke her current pentathlon record after winning the event with 3,971 points. She took first in the 60-meter hurdles (8.88), high jump (5’7.25”), long jump (19’2.5”) and 800-meter (2:19.74) for a point’s total that will have her in the top 10 nationally.

“We had a very strong day across the board,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said.

Junior Joane Pierre nearly broke her program mile record, running a 4:59.74 for seventh. She also finished third in the 800-meter in 2:11.42, while senior Amalia Vogler was sixth (2:13.15).

Junior Morgan Keel had a time of 5:02.91 (14th) in the mile and sophomore Svenja Meyer ran a 5:03.48 (16th) in the same event.

“The middle-distance group was exceptional,” Grigg said. “Bienna had a great day in the 800-meter. Joanne, Svenja Meyer and Morgan Keel all ran good times the mile.”

Pierre ended her busy day with freshman Courtney Walker, freshman Shadaey Campbell and sophomore LaTonya Payne in the 4x400-meter relay as they ran a season-best time of 3:47.70 (5th).

Courtney Walker also placed fifth in the 200-meter in 24.87 and sixth in the 60-meter in 7.62, while freshman Shanique Walker finished her day with a leap of 39’25” in the triple jump.

Senior Stacey Young placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.72). Freshman Petra Munkacsy was right behind Young in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.73.

Other top performers included junior Sara Schunter who posted a personal-best in the weight throw with a toss of 48’4.75” (15th). Senior Baliee Hedstrom along with Keel, Meyer and Vogler ran a 12:20.18 for third in the Distance Medley Relay.

The Dolphins will train for the next two weeks before heading to Johnson City, Tenn. in search of their seven straight conference title at the Atlantic Sun Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 17.

Junior Joane Pierre had one of best performances of the day for the JU track & field team at the UF Invitational on Sunday in Gainesville, Fla.

Pierre won the mile for the Dolphins with a time of 5:03.48. Junior Bienna Freeman took second during the mile in 5:05.06 and junior Charlene Charles placed second in the 800-meter with a time of 2:15.74 in preparing for the pentathlon in the next two meets.

“The hurdlers and middle-distance groups had a good day,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. " We look to continue to improve again in two weeks.”

Pierre, Charles and Freeman ended their day with sophomore LaToya Payne, finishing fourth in the 4x400-meter relay (3:53.90). Payne was also seventh in the 800-meter with a time of 2:19.41.

In the field events, junior Akeela Bravo recorded a toss of 42'11.5" (4th) in the shot put, while freshman Shanique Walker took second in the triple jump with a leap of 40'0".

“The field events will be critical to our success this season, and Akeela and Shanique were bright spots today," Grigg said.

Freshman Petra Munckacsy was fifth in the 55-meter hurdles (8:03) and senior Stacey Young was two spots behind her in 8:07.

In the 3,000-meter, sophomore Svenja Meyer (10:18.63), junior Morgan Keel (10:32.79) and senior Bailee Hedstrom (10:37.05) took the eighth through 10th spots, respectively.

The Dolphins will spend the next two weeks training before competing at the Sykes-Sabock Cup on Feb. 4 in State College, Pa.

The JU track & field team rounded out a busy Saturday at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. to open the 2012 indoor season.

Freshmen Shanique Walker, Courtney Walker and Shadaey Campbell along with sophomore LaTonya Payne put together the biggest JU highlight by winning the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:50.96.

"The overall team performance today was adequate," JU head coach Ron Grigg said. "We see our strengths, and we see where will still need work. Stacey (Young) was excellent today. The group that ran the mile today showed a lot of promise. Courtney Walker gave us a glimpse of the promising things to come for her. I think the meet served as a good rust buster for some of our veterans, and a good learning experience for our many freshmen. The relay victory was nice because all four legs are new to our program."

In the mile, sophomore Svenja Meyer was fourth in 5:09.08. Senior Amalia Vogler took sixth in the event with a time of 5:11.70 and junior Morgan Keel was seventh (5:12.45).

Courtney Walker finished her busy first collegiate meet by placing fourth in the 55-meter dash (7.09).

Other top performers included junior Sara Schunter who took fourth in the weight throw (45’11.75”) and sixth in the shot put (37’3.75”). Freshman Petra Munkacsy was fifth in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.26 after competing in the long jump earlier in the day. Freshman Sally Marie-Futch placed fifth in the weight throw with a toss of 44’2.5” for JU.

The Dolphins return to Gainesville, Fla. on Jan. 22 to compete in the UF Invitational.

Junior Joane Pierre earned first team all-conference honors as the JU women’s cross country team placed fifth at the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships on Saturday.

Pierre placed fourth with a time of 17:51.00 to earn all-conference honors for the third straight season. Sophomore Svenja Meyer was the next highest finisher for JU at 13th overall in 18:70.10 to earn second team all-conference honors.

“The women gave their best effort today, but it didn’t yield the result we wanted,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “Joane was our leader by earning first team all-conference honors. Svenja had the best race of her collegiate career and I hope it’s a sign of better things to come. Amalia (Vogler) stepped up and got the points that we needed of her, while Morgan (Keel) and Baliee (Hedstrom) ran courageously at less than 100 percent health.”

Lipscomb won the title with 53 points, while defending champion North Florida (69) took second place. Belmont, USC Upstate and JU made up the rest of the top five.

Senior Bailee Hedstrom ran a 19:11.80 (31st) , while juniors Morgan Keel (19:23.20) and Amalia Vogler (19:26.30) finished 38th and 39th, respectively. Freshman Sarah Bailey ran a time of 19:37.90 to finish 46th in her first conference championship.

The Dolphins will end the year on Nov. 12 at the NCAA South Region on Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The JU women’s and men’s cross country teams are back in action on Friday with the UCF Attack Challenge in Orlando, Fla.

This is the final meet for both teams before they run at the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships in Nashville, Tenn. on Oct. 29.

“We look forward to the challenge of stepping up in distance,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “The women will run 6k and the men will run their first 8k of the season. It will be a telling sign as we approach our final preparations for the A-Sun meet in two more weeks.”

Last time out, both teams would put up solid efforts in the FLRunners.com Invitational on Sept 30 in Titusville, Fla.

Junior Joane Pierre finished first on the women’s side with a time of 17:35.20 as JU took second in the meet.

Sophomore Svenja Meyer ran the 11th fastest time in program history (18:18.60) to finish in sixth place. Senior Baliee Hedstrom was eighth with running the 17th fastest mark all-time at 18:30.20.

Junior Morgan Keel (18:52.90) and freshman Sarah Bailey (19:00.00) placed 11th and 12th, respectively.

Junior Amalia Vogler ran a time of 19:25.70 to finish 15th place, while junior Bienna Freeman took 19th in 19:40.10. Senior Alicia Gard-Kaminkow rounded out the JU runners with a 20:12.80 (25th).

On the men’s side, sophomore Esteban Mendez led the Dolphins by finishing 39th. Senior Jesse Brantman was the next highest finisher at 41st place, while freshman Martin Crouse followed him within seconds to take 42nd.

UCF will use Friday’s meet as a “UKNIGHT” event to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer research. All of entry fees for the teams will be donated to research, while each runner will wear pink shoelaces.

Junior Joane Pierre won the individual portion of the FLRunners.com Invitational to help the JU women’s cross country team finish second overall on Friday.

Pierre was two seconds shy of her school record by running a 17:35.20 to win the meet for the second straight season. Sophomore Svenja Meyer ran the 11th fastest time in program history (18:18.60) to finish in sixth place. Senior Baliee Hedstrom was eighth with running the 17th fastest mark all-time at 18:30.20.

“Today was a huge improvement over last weekend,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. The women were far more aggressive, perhaps even too aggressive today, especially given the 85 degree temperature at race time. But they knew the goal was to compete and they did just that. The conference is so much stronger than it ever has been, so we will need to keep improving and be at our best a month from now at the A-Sun Championships.”

Junior Morgan Keel (18:52.90) and freshman Sarah Bailey (19:00.0) placed 11th and 12th, respectively.

Junior Amalia Vogler ran a time of 19:25.70 to finish 15th place, while junior Bienna Freeman took 19th in 19:40.10. Senior Alicia Gard-Kaminkow rounded out the JU runners with a 20:12.80 (25th).

The Dolphins will race again in two weeks at the UCF Knight Attack Challenge in Orlando on Oct. 14.

The JU women’s cross country team put in a good effort on Saturday morning to finish fourth at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

The Dolphins, who finished fourth for the third time in the last four seasons, recorded 139 points to finish ahead of Miami (7th), FGCU (9th), UCF (10th) and Stetson (16th).

“Bailee (Hedstrom) ran well today,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “The rest of us have a lot of work to do if we want a satisfactory result.”

Junior Joane Pierre was the Dolphins top individual finisher after placing 12th with a time of 18:07.86.

Sophomore Svenja Meyer ran a time of 18:40.19 (22nd), while senior Bailee Hedstrom was three spots behind her running an 18:48.67.

Junior Morgan Keel (19:22.87, 40th ), freshman Sarah Bailey (19:43.24, 51st ), junior Amalia Vogler (20:35.21, 84th ) and junior Alicia Gard Kaminkow (20:49.51, 92nd) rounded out the rest of the group.

The women’s team will join the men’s squad on Friday to compete at the FLRunners.com Invitational in Titusville, Fla.

The JU women’s cross country team had eight of the top nine finishers en route to winning the JU short course duals on Friday.

The Dolphins finished with a 3-0 mark to take the meet for the third time in the last four years. Savannah State (2-1), Stetson (1-2) and Bethune-Cookman (0-3) made up the rest of the group.

Freshman Sarah Bailey ran a time of 13:07.01 to finish first overall in her first JU meet, while sophomore Svenja Meyer (13:07.04) and junior Joane Pierre (13:07.22) finished second and third, respectively.

“It was a good opener for the women,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “Amalia (Vogler) and Bienna (Freeman) did a good job controlling the pace through the first mile. All of our top five were able to run negative splits while remaining in control. So our mission was accomplished. We will continue to train as we prepare for the important races in late October and early November. A special thanks to the Physical Plant for having the course in its best condition ever.”

After B-CU’s Kadian Dunkley took fourth place, the Dolphins took the next five places with junior Morgan Keel (13:14.23), senior Bailee Hedstrom (13:17.90), junior Amalia Vogler (13:28.04), junior Bienna Freeman (13:44.54) and junior Alicia Gard-Kaminkow (13:49.11).

The women will run again on Sept. 24. at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

The JU men’s and women’s cross country teams will get its season underway on Friday with the JU Short Course Duals at the Dolphin Green on campus.

The women will look to win the event for the fourth straight year starting at 6 p.m., while the men will commence the meet out at 6:25 p.m.

“We are happy to get the season started and be able to put on the competition uniform,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “We always enjoy our lone opportunity to run at home.”

The Dolphins return seven runners from the 2010 squad that placed third at the A-Sun Championships.

Leading the crop of returners is junior Joane Pierre who earned first team all-conference honors after running a time of 17:51.91 (3rd) at the A-Sun Championships. She also won the UF Mountain Dew Invitational with a school record 5K time on 17:33.50.

Also in the returner’s mix are Bienna Freeman, Alicia Gard-Kaminkow, Baliee Hedstrom, Morgan Keel, Svenja Meyer and Amalia Vogler. Sarah Bailey (Vernon, British Columbia) is the lone newcomer of the group.

The JU track & field team’s work in the classroom continues to be strong as the Dolphins secured their 10th consecutive U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic team honor on Thursday morning.

The Dolphins, who have earned a combined 12 A-Sun titles in the last six seasons, earned the academic honor again after posting a 3.26 cumulative grade point average.

“As proud as I am of our continued success on the track, I am even prouder of our more important achievements in the classroom,” JU head coach Ron Grigg said. “We have proven we can have both individuals and our team consistently achieve excellence in both venues. We want to thank Chris Johnson, Jennifer Price and Natasha Harvey for their continued hard work with academic advising and monitoring.”

On August 4th, former Dolphin Unqiue Singleton along with sophomores Charlene Charles and Bienna Freeman each received individual academic honors from the USTFCCCA to represent JU.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, one must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 and obtain an NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying mark for the most recent indoor championships or an outdoor regional qualifying mark in their respective event.

An experienced senior core would have a great final outdoor conference meet to lead the JU track & field team to its sixth straight A-Sun Championship on Saturday at UNF’s Hodges Stadium.

After coming into the day in third place, the Dolphins picked up 10 victories, including four from the seniors, to finish with 243 points ahead of UNF (158) and Kennesaw State (151). JU also tied the conference record for consecutive titles with former in-state rival UCF, who won sixth from 2000-05...

“There were so many great performances and stories, but the seniors carried the day for sure,” said Grigg. I’m so proud to watch them conclude their A-Sun career in a fashion that will make all JU supporters proud...

Other conference scorers included sophomore Morgan Keel finishing second in the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:48.10. Sophomore Sara Schunter was fourth in the discus (134’7”), while junior Amalia Vogler was fourth in the 800-meter with a time of 2:14.01. Freshman Svenja Meyer ran a time of 11:11.20 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to finish third.

The Dolphins will go back to training for the next two weeks before competing at the Penn Relays on April 28th in Philadelphia, Pa.

The JU track & field team had several good efforts to finish the Pepsi Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla.

Senior Danielle Davenport (54.7), senior Unique Singleton (53.1), sophomore Bienna Freeman (55.3) and sophomore Joane Pierre (56.2) posted a time of 3:39.26 in the 4x400-meter relay to finish ninth.

“We showed some good improvement in some areas and some nice consistency in others,” said JU head coach Ron Grigg. “The middle distance group continues to impress. The throwers are showing they are consistently strong and the sprint group ran very well this weekend...”

Senior Ronnisha Hall had another good week in the hammer after tossing a 176’8” for seventh. Sophomore Akeela Bravo was seventh in the discus with a throww of 148'1', while Hall also placed 10th (45’1”).

Other top performers included freshman Svenja Meyer who ran a time of 11:12.61 (11th). Sophomore Stacey Young ran a time of 14.06 in the 100-meter hurdles and junior Amalia Vogler posted a 2:13.56 (16th) in the 800-meter.

Vogler and Meyer teamed with sophomore Morgan Keel and senior J’Zotta Rolle to run a 12:20.68 for eighth in the distance medley relay.

The Dolphins will train for the next two weeks before competing for a sixth straight conference title at the A-Sun Championships in Jacksonville, Fla. on March 15.

Sophomore Joane Pierre and senior Ronnisha Hall set new program standards to lead the JU track & field team at the UNF Spring Break Open on Friday at Hodges Stadium.

Pierre finished third with a time of 17:14.90 to break the previous record in the 5,000-meter of 17:38.04 that was held by Alison Wilfong for the last 17 years.

Hall broke the school record in the discus after winning the event with a new personal-best throw of 148’7”.

In the shot put, Hall placed third with a toss of 45’1.75”. Sophomore Akeela Bravo (40’0.5”) and sophomore Sara Schunter (38’8.25”) was sixth and seventh, respectively.

In other track events, senior Unique Singleton finished second in the 800-meter with a time of 2:14.22, while freshman Svenja Meyer was second (11:23.87) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Junior Bailee Hedstrom was ninth in the 5,000-meter with a time of 18:20.35 and sophomore Morgan Keel ran a personal-best 18:27.37 (13th). Junior Alicia Gard-Kaminkow shaved two minutes off her personal best in the 10,000-meter with a time of 40:12.39 (7th) to round out the day for the JU runners.

The Dolphins compete again tomorrow for the final day of the open at Hodges Stadium.

The JU track & field team is looking for its best performance of the season starting Friday when they compete at the Atlantic Sun Indoor Track & Field Championships in Johnson City, Tenn.

The Dolphins hope to secure its sixth straight A-Sun indoor title after winning the meet last season with a conference-record 211 points.

“It has been an interesting year to date,” said JU head coach Ron Grigg. “We’ve had a little more uncertainty than we are accustomed to, but I am really pleased with our current level of readiness.

“The conference continues to get stronger and deeper so we fully expect this to be a very tight team battle. As always, whichever program has the best day, relative to their potential, will be bringing home the trophy...”

The distance events began at 12:30 p.m. with Pierre, Hedstrom, junior Anastasia Fokina and sophomore Morgan Keel running in the mile. Pierre broke the JU record in the mile with a time of 4:54.16 at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational this season.

Keel, Pierre and Freeman are in the 800-meter at 1:55 p.m. Pierre is set to join Meyer, Hedstrom and sophomore Alicia Gard-Kaminkow in the 5,000-meter at 3 p.m...

More program records and personal bests were broken by the JU track & field team after a good showing at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup on Saturday in State College, Pa.

"I think we accomplished a lot today,” said JU head coach Ron Grigg. “We were a little short handed, leaving some important team members home out of an abundance of caution. Those that were here were focused on technical and tactical ways to improve from last week's performances and almost everyone did that. Now, we'll return to campus and put the finishing touches on our training as we head into the championship season."

In the mile, senior Anastasia Fokina (5:12.39, 14th) and junior Baliee Hedstrom (5:13.38, 15th) finished back to back of each other. They would reverse the order in the 3,000-meter as Hedstrom took ninth with a time of 10:31.22 and Fokina was 11th with a 10:33.45. Sophomore Morgan Keel rounded out the group in the 3,000-meter with a personal best time of 10:41.22 (15th).

"Joane and Bienna...

Sophomore Joane Pierre ran the third fastest 6k school history to lead the JU women’s cross country team at the ISU Pre-Nationals on Saturday afternoon in Terra Haute, Ind.

Pierre recorded a time of 22:00.6 (121st) to pace the Dolphins for the third straight meet and past Ali Ritter’s time of 22:10 on the 6k list from the NCAA South Regional last season.

“Today was an eye-opening experience in getting to see what a good team really is,” said JU head coach Ron Grigg. “No one is happy with their result, but there were good lessons to take away from this competition. We will be better in two weeks because of what we experienced in this meet.”

Senior Susanne Klungtveit was the next highest finisher with a time of 22:24.0 (166th), while freshman Svenja Meyer recorded the 10th fastest 6K in program history after running a 23:02.3 (222nd).

Senior Anastasia Fokina ran a time of 23:03.8 (225th) and junior Baliee Hedstrom came in 12th on the all-time 6k list with a 23:23.7 (246th). Sophomore Morgan Keel registered a time of 24:07.7 to round out the day.

As a team, the Dolphins finished 38th in the white division running against several nationally-ranked from the top-30 poll.

The Dolphins will now spend the next two weeks preparing to defend their conference title at the A-Sun Championships on Oct. 30 in Spartanburg, S.C.

The JU women’s cross country team had runners finish in the top five individual spots to win the FLRunners.com Invitational for the second consecutive season on Friday night in Titusville, Fla.

Sophomore Joane Pierre won her second straight meet in 2010 by running a time of 18:38.71 and senior Susanne Klungtveit was second with a time of 18:41.96. Senior Anastasia Fokina took third place after running an 18:44.44, while junior Baliee Hedstrom (18:48.95) and freshman Svenja Meyer (18:54.25) rounded out the top five for the Dolphins.

“Today's goal was to run as easy as possible while maintaining the top five places,” said JU head coach Ron Grigg. “The team easily controlled the race through two-miles in about 12:10 or 12:15, then increased the tempo. All of the separation occurred in the last 600 meters. It was good to see Bailee leading the group at the mile and Anastasia at the two-mile. It was a casual effort for our top runners, but still showed good improvement for many others on the team.”

Sophomore Morgan Keel placed 11th with a time of 19:22.52. Junior Amalia Vogler ran a time of 19:36.53 (14th) and junior Alicia Gard-Kaminkow took 20th after running a 20:27.26.

Senior Kelli Midden (20:41.03, 25th) and sophomore Bienna Freeman (20:52.61, 27th) closed out the day for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins will be back in action for two separate meets starting on Oct. 15. A portion of the team will be in DeLand, Fla. for the Sodexho Stetson Invitational, while the other half will travel to the ISU Pre-Nationals (6K) in Terra Haute, Ind. on Oct. 16.

The JU men’s & women’s cross country teams will start down the beaten trail towards the A-Sun Championships on Friday as the Dolphins compete in the JU Short Course Duals at the old JU golf course.

The women will try to win the meet for the third straight year starting at 6 p.m., while the men look to build on their strong 2009 season when they round out the event at 6:25 p.m.

“We are excited to get the season started,” said JU head coach Ron Grigg. “This home competition is the first check point on our way to the A-Sun Championships in late October. For those athletes competing, it will be an opportunity to assess our current level of fitness.””

The women enter the meet as the top ranked team in the A-Sun coaches poll and eighth on the USTFCCCA South Region list. JU returns six runners from last year’s squad that won the program’s first conference championship and posted a school-best ninth place finish at the NCAA South Regional.

Newcomers Maycee Dioneda, Bienna Freeman, Alicia Gard-Kaminkow and Bailee Hedstrom will join veterans Morgan Keel, Kelli Midden and Amalia Vogler for the race on Friday. Anastasia Fokina, Susanne Klungtveit, Svenja Meyer and Joane Pierre will wait to open their racing seasons in two weeks.

Despite being in two different cities, the JU track & field team had a solid day at the Tom Jones Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. and the UNF Osprey Challenge in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Joane Pierre won the in 800-meter with a school record time of 2:08.17 at the Tom Jones Invitational to pace three different Dolphins with personal bests. Junior Laura Phillips was good in the throwing events at the UNF Osprey Challenge and three other JU teammates won events at that meet.

“With the results of the Tom Jones Invitational and UNF Osprey Challenge, I am really happy with the direction the program in moving” said JU head coach Ron Grigg. “We have been training really well and the results are showing just that.”

Sophomore Susanne Klungtveit finished with a personal best time of 11:17.49 (3rd) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Tom Jones Invitational, while sophomore Anastasia Fokina set a new high in the 1,500-meter with a 4:31.02 for third place.

Junior Unique Singleton rounded out the personal bests by setting new highs in the 200 (24.19, 7th) and the 400-meters (54.27, 5th).

In the 400-meter hurdles, junior J’Zotta Rolle ran a time of 1:00.69 for fourth place, while also taking sixth in the 100-meter hurdle preliminaries by running a time of 14.56.

Other Dolphins competing at the Tom Jones Invitational were sophomore Amalia Vogler, who took seventh in the 800-meter (2:14.09). Junior Louise Kiernan placed 14th in the 200-meter (24.67) and 100-meter preliminaries (12.12). Junior Danielle Davenport ran a 12.44 in the 100-meter preliminaries to round out the day.

At the UNF Osprey Challenge, Phillips won the hammer with a toss of 162’08” before placing third in the discus throw (132’07”). Junior Hillary Crook recorded a throw of 43’4.25” to place second the shot put and took sixth in the discus with a 116’1”.

Sophomore Stacey Young won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.74 after finishing as the top collegian (second overall) in the 100-meter hurdles with a 14.33.

In the distance events, senior Elsabeth Goshu placed first in the 1,500-meter (4:47.43), while senior Alyssa Deal won the 3,000-meter (10:20.71).

Senior Ali Ritter (2:21.85), freshman Morgan Keel (2:25.00) and senior Tiffanie Saxton (2:25.98) took the fourth through sixth spots in the 800-meter. Ritter also finished second in the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:47.46. Sophomore Alana Walker along with Young, Keel and Saxton ran a time of 4:07.00 for third in the 4x100-meter relay.

Other top performers included senior Tiffany Bromfield, who finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.05) and the shot put (41’3.25”). Freshman Sara Schunter was fourth in the hammer with a toss of 131’11”, while Walker was third in the 400-meter hurdles (1:05.71).

The Dolphins will take the next week off for finals before competing again at the JU-UNF Dual on April 29.