The Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships will see the 11 schools battle Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 22-23 in Birmingham, Ala. at the CrossPlex Facility.
Georgia State will send 21 team members to compete in 14 track and field events. At stake is the team and individual championships, points in the year-long Sun Belt's Bubas Cup competition for best all-around sports program and a point in the State-Southern Rivalry Series.
Championship points will be awarded for the top eight finishers in each event, with the normal sliding point scale of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1.
This will be GSU's fourth Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships as the previous conferences did not have indoor championships. The Panthers started seventh in 2013 and moved up to fifth in both 2014 and 2015. The events from indoor and outdoor track and field are different. GSU has finished second in the last two Sun Belt Outdoor Championships. Texas State and Arkansas State were 1-2 in the women's indoor championship last year.
"The team is eager to start the indoor championships,” coach Chris England said. “After three months of competing and traveling to far away destinations such as Arkansas and West Virginia, the proximity of Birmingham will give Georgia State what seems like a "home field" advantage. Senior and defending Conference 60-meter champion Ravin Gilbert is again ready to put her best foot forward in the 60m, 200m, and 4x400m Relay. LaPorscha Wells, who last year finished in 2nd place in both the Shot Put and Weight Throw events, looks to seek revenge and two individual titles this time. A host of talented returners and eager newcomers will help Gilbert and Wells earn team points in their individual events."
Among Georgia State's top contenders for championships and points are the junior Wells, who has the best shot put and the second-best weight throw among the schools during the indoor season. Senior sprinter Gilbert has the second-fastest times in the league this winter in both the 60m and the 200m races. Senior distance runner Stephanie Berger had the third-fastest 3,000m and 5,000m times this year. Junior Alysiah Whittaker has top 10 throws in both the shot put and weight throw, with junior Tracy Dorcemont the fourth-best weight throw. GSU's 4x400m relay had the fourth-fastest clocking of the winter. Sammi Donovan had the sixth-fastest 5,000m time, while Syndey Davis and Jasmyne Robinson had top eight times in the 400m run.
In 2015's Championship, Gilbert won the 60m, while Wells was second in both the shot put and weight, along with Hannah Stefanoff third in the 5,000 to all earn All-Sun Belt status. GSU had 13 top-five finishes in the championship meet.
A Live Stream will be available both days at http://sunbeltsports.org/watch. Live Results will be continuously update on sunbeltsports.org.
