ODAC Well Represented at NCAA Track

RC's Graves, GC's Smith, and W&L's Tallman Compete at NCAA's For Indoor Track

FOREST, Va. --- The Old Dominion Athletic Conference sent three student-athletes (two men and one woman) to compete in the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Track Championships on the campus of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa on March 9-11.

Roanoke’s Carmen Graves was the lone female ODAC qualifier, advancing in the 800 meter run. She earned her spot by recording the seventh-fastest time in NCAA Div. III history at the Virginia Tech Challenge (Feb. 18) with a time of 2:09.87. At the NCAA championships, the two-sport star advanced to the 800-meter finals as she set a facility-record with a preliminary-best time of 2:11.77.  She went on to place third in the eight-woman final heat with a time of 2:13.93. This year marks the third time in the last four years a track athlete from Roanoke College has placed among the top-three in any indoor event at the national meet.  For her finish, Graves was named an All-American. In addition, Graves was named USTFCCCA South/Southeast Region Female Track Athlete of the Year at the pre-meet ceremonies.

Guilford’s Johnathan Smith recorded the ODAC’s second all-America honors in 2012 with a second place finish in the 60-meter dash. Smith, a native of Conyers, Ga., completed the race in 6.80 seconds, just behind Colby College junior Dominique Kone, who broke Smith’s facility record set the day prior. Smith edged Kone by two-hundredths of a second Friday in a qualifying heat. His school-record 6.76 broke the Charles Benson Bear Recreation and Athletic Center field house mark of 6.81 seconds set earlier in the 2012 season. Smith is Guilford's first indoor track and field All-American. He was a two-time All-American at the 2011 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash and a sixth-place in the 100-meter sprint.

Washington and Lee’s Zander Tallman was the third ODAC student-athlete to qualify for the indoor championships. He recorded a time of 49.82 seconds in the qualifying heat of the 400-meter dash, but his time was not among the top eight competitors and did not advance him to the championship final. Tallman, a native of Grand Blanc, Mich., was W&L's first male competitor at the indoor championships in 22 years.

For a look at full results, click HERE.  To learn more about ODAC indoor track, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.