May 6, 2006

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. ---- Samford University's April Howell was a two-event champion on Saturday at the 2006 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The senior led the Bulldog women to a fourth place finish, overall, while the men finished sixth.

Samford's women scored a total of 91 points, just two points behind third-place Eastern Illinois. Southeast Missouri State's women won the meet with 149.5, while Jacksonville State finished second with 115.5. Following Samford was Eastern Kentucky (85), Tennessee State (82), Austin Peay (64), Murray State (40), Tennessee Tech (12) and Morehead State (8).

Howell won the women's 100-meter hurdles and qualified for the 2006 NCAA Regional Championships, with a school-record time of 13.81. The 2006 OVC Women's Field Athlete of the Year also won the triple jump, with a mark of 39'03.00". Howell earned All-OVC honors in both events, and scored 20 points for the Bulldogs.

Michelle Brewer was also a two-event conference champion. After claiming first place in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase on Friday night, Brewer captured the crown in the women's 5000-meter run, with a time of 17:31. The senior earned All-OVC honors for both events, and scored a total of 20 points for the Bulldogs. Additionally Connie Heiskell ran an 18:37 in the 5000 meters, to finish seventh, scoring two points for Samford.

Laura Malnati also received all-conference honors. The junior high-jumper reached 5'07.00'' on Friday to finish second in the event and scored eight points for the Bulldogs. Cameron Cardwell also claimed all-conference honors for Samford, finishing second in the women's pole vault, with a mark of 11'05.75''. With her second-place finish, Cardwell scored eight points for Samford.

Robyn DeBenedet finished third in the women's 1500-meter run, to score six points for the Bulldogs, and earn All-OVC honors. DeBenedet ran a 4:40.61 in the event.

In addition to Howell, the Samford women had two others score in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Lakeita Rox finished fourth in the event, earning five points, while Ciara Floyd finished seventh, earning two points. Tiffany King scored in two events for the Bulldogs, finishing sixth in the 100 meters, with a time of 12.37. King also finished seventh in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 25.36, scoring a total of five points.

The Samford women also put together a strong showing in the 400-meter events. Kady Decker finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:04.28, scoring five points for the Bulldogs. The women's 4x400-meter relay team also finished fourth, with a time of 3:56, scoring another five points. Additionally, Mary Nunnally finished seventh in the 400-meter dash to score two points.

The women's 4x100-meter relay team rounded out the scoring for the Bulldogs, finishing sixth with a time of 48.57 and scoring three points.

The Samford men finished sixth overall, with a total of 54 points. Southeast Missouri State's men won the event, with 209 points followed by Eastern Illinois' 205. Tennessee State was third with 129 followed by Morehead State (72), Eastern Kentucky (60), Samford and Murray State (4).

Trent Schmidt led the way for the Bulldog men, winning the pole vault with a leap of 16'01.00'' Schmidt scored 10 points for Samford and was named All-OVC after winning the event. Mark Holmes finished sixth overall in the event with a mark of 15'01.00'' to score three points, and James Steinberger added another point, after finishing eighth in the event.

Michael Smith earned all-conference honors in two events. The sophomore finished third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.22 and third in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.09, scoring a total of 12 points. Steinberger also scored in the 110-hurdles, finishing eighth with a time of 16.30, to add a point for the Bulldogs.

Three Bulldogs scored in the men's 5000-meter run, totaling six points. 2006 OVC Men's Freshman of the Year, Cameron Bean, finished sixth with a time of 15:10. Drew Anderwald finished seventh with a 15:12.07, while Ricky McLain finished just behind Anderwald, in eighth with a 15:12.61. Anderwald also scored three points in the 10,000 meters on Friday night, finishing sixth with a time of 32:52.03.

Michael Hanson added five points for Samford, finishing fourth in the 3000-meter steeplechase on Friday night, with a time of 9:53.30. McLain also scored three points in the event, finishing sixth with a time of 9:46.03. Additionally, Chris West finished eighth in the 1500-meter run, with a time of 4:01, to add a point to the Bulldog total.

The men's 4x100-meter relay finished fifth overall, scoring four points, while the men's 4x400-meter relay team finished sixth to score three points.

The Bulldogs return to action on May 12th, when they head to the Georgia Tech Invitational, in Atlanta, Ga.