2009
Media Guide
(.pdf)

TROY, Ala. – April 25, 2009 – Seniors Jon Taylor and Kara Stokes are closing in on the end of a four-year career on Clayton State’s women’s track and field team. The pair contributed to two team records on Saturday at the Coach ‘O’ Invitational at Troy.

For the second straight meet, the pair helped lower the team record in the triple jump and the 4x400-meter relay.

Taylor improved on her triple jump record and got closer to a NCAA Division II provisional mark in her specialty event with a leap of 37-7¾ feet to finish third. She and Stokes, along with junior Keisha Etienne and freshman Masiah Hutchinson, chopped 2.5 seconds off the 4x400-meter school record. The quartet ran a time of 3:51.81 to finish just over a second behind Florida A&M’s winning team and less than a second off the NCAA Division II provisional time of 3:51.00.

"We had sort of a shaky middle of the meet, but our 4x400 relay team pulled it together for a great finish," said Laker head coach Mike Mead. "What is exciting about this relay team is knowing that we have some places where we can shave off more time. This bunch has a great shot at getting to the national meet because they are beginning to believe in themselves.

"They have two more shots at trying to get under 3:49."

The Laker women finished the meet with three second-place finishes. Besides the 4x400-meter finish, Stokes took second in the 400-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 1:04.17. The other second-place finish came from sophomore Chelsea Ellis who turned in a time of 4:52.88 in the 1500-meter run.

The season begins to come to a rapid close for the Lakers. The team is back in action next Saturday, May 2, at the Division II South Region Championship meet at Morehouse. The final competition of the season, scheduled for May 9 at the Georgia Invitational, will be for those team members who have met or are very close to making the NCAA Division II provisional list for consideration to advance to the NCAA outdoor championships in late May.