Issue date: 2/26/07 Section: Sports

Sophomore high jumper Nicole Walcott clears the bar during the high jump competition at the Eastern sponsored OVC championship at the Lantz Field House on Friday afternoon. (Jay Grabiec/The Daily Eastern News)

The first Ohio Valley Conference Championship Eastern women's track and field ever won was completely a team victory.

"Basically they just fought and clawed for everything they could get across the board and never gave up," said Tom Akers, Eastern's current men's head coach.

The women won the conference by placing at least one athlete in each event and scored 132 points, edging out second-place Tennessee State (117 points).

Women's head coach Mary Wallace said having almost everyone on the team scoring showed the depth and effort of the team as a whole.

Sophomore Chandra Golden's 60-meter hurdle victory was the only first-place finish for the Panthers.

Golden said it felt good knowing on a bigger level and with each person contributing they could collectively pull off a victory.

"As long as you have 25 girls that will go out there and perform and they get one through eight in any way possible that's all you need," said senior Jillian Blondell.

Akers said having many athletes place in each event allowed the entire team to feel like their points mattered.

"I contributed nine points to this win and that just makes me feel proud knowing I did something to help the whole team," said freshman thrower Kandace Arnold.

Arnold placed third in the shot put with a throw of 41 feet, 7.75 inches.

In the pole vault sophomore Tricia Gaumer and senior Nicolene Galas tied for third place by clearing the bar at 11 feet, 5.75 inches.

"I wouldn't have wanted it any other way," Gaumer said. "To stand up on that podium with my teammates and share the glory together was really exciting."

Galas, a senior, said the win meant more because she had been waiting for so long for this to happen.

Sophomore Jenna Uhe placed first in the triple jump until Jacksonville State senior Andrea Arnaud out-jumped her in the final jump.

Uhe got second place with a jump of 39 feet, 6.05 inches.

Senior Nicole Marczewski helped add points in that event with a jump of 38 feet, 6.25 inches to finish in fifth place.

Sophomore Nicole Walcott placed second in the high jump with a jump of 5 feet, 4.25 inches.

Walcott also placed fourth and earned a personal best in the weight throw, throwing 52 feet, 11.5 inches and fourth in the shot put (41 feet, 6.5 inches).

"We have done better in previous meets and it was tough knowing that we could probably pull out bigger throws and we just did satisfactory throws," Walcott said.

Sophomore Shawana Smith placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.22 seconds and fourth in the 60-meter dash (7.76 seconds).

Smith said she did well in the preliminaries and felt confident going into the finals.

"I should have got third in the 60 (meter) but she nipped me at the tape and that happens," Smith said.

Smith said she placed second in the 200-meter dash like she was seeded to but she was trying hard to get first.

Tennessee State's Dominique Ward won with a time of 24.64.

"(Ward) had to work to come and get me," Smith said. "I know that because she ran a lot faster in the finals then she did in the prelims."

Smith was also on the 4x400 relay team of freshmen Meghan Carney and Caitlin Finnegan and sophomore Tarra Grant.

Distance coach Geoff Masanet said although the distance crew didn't have any top three finishers, they did have solid performances for the most part.

Flounders got fifth place in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:24.74 and in the mile, which she finished in 5:11.85.

Blondell placed fifth in the 5,000-meter run in a time of 18:14.45.

Freshman Erin O'Grady placed sixth in the 800-meter in 2:20.66 and seventh in the mile with a time of 5:15.02.

-For individual results click here.