Kitur and Alexander Pace Keydet Men at Military Championships

Men's Track and Field VMIKeydets.com

Kitur and Alexander Pace Keydet Men at Military Championships

LEXINGTON, Va. – Felix Kitur's win in the 800-meters and a pair of second-place finishes by James Alexander led the VMI men's track and field team to a fourth-place finish at the 2010 Military Championships, which concluded Saturday in Lexington.

Kitur crossed the line in a time of 1:51.81 to notch the victory, and earn 10 of VMI's 93 team points in the process. The junior took the lead early in his race and held it throughout, before outrunning Tyler Stanley of Air Force and Matthew Evers of Navy down the final stretch to prevail. Alexander finished just behind Army's Alfred McDaniel in the 100 and 200-meters, clocking in at 11.03 over the shorter distance while posting a 21.98 time in the 200-meters.

The 26 points that Kitur and Alexander combined to earn helped VMI finish fourth, well ahead of fifth-place The Citadel (54.5 pts.). Army won the meet with 209 points, edging out Air Force, which finished second with 198 markers. Navy's 154 points placed them third, while Coast Guard (18.5) and the Merchant Marine Academy (6) were sixth and seventh respectively.

“I was proud to be the coach of this team this weekend,” said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. “Both teams did a great job of competing for the two full days, and their fourth-place finishes are something to be proud of because all the teams involved in this meet are strong and very well-coached.”

Chad Lawson and Cody Davis, leaders of the VMI throwing contingent, both had good days Saturday. After opening his meet with a seventh-place in the shot put Friday, Davis was seventh in the hammer throw on the meet's final day, as he posted a 48.16 M toss (158'0”). That heave put him just behind Lawson, after that Keydet hurled the implement 48.73 M (159'10”). Lawson was also 9th in the javelin, on the strength of a personal-best 47.05 M toss (154'4”).

The steeplechase was also kind to VMI, as Matt Satterwhite placed fifth in a 9:28.34 time, an effort that would have been good for third at last year's Big South Championships. Ian McGinn also was in the top-eight, finishing eighth and breaking the tape in 9:40.56.

Dennis James posted a runner-up finish in the high jump, tying for second place with a clearance of two meters (6'6 ¾”). Freshman Antonio Wood was seventh after leaping over the bar at 1.90 M (6'2 ¾”).

Dean Gonsalves earned points in two events, including his seventh-place finish in the 1,500 (3:59.83), trailing race winner All-American Justin Tyner. Gonsalves was also solid in the 800, finishing 10th in 1:54.66. Finally, Ademola Titcombe followed up his third-place finish in Friday's triple jump with a fifth-place mark in Saturday's long jump. The sophomore's mark was 6.64 M (21'9 ½”).

“I want to take this opportunity to recognize the work of my staff,” said Coach Webb. “Without the work done by Paul Spangler, Garrett Brickner and Zack Scott, as well as our volunteers, Mike Decker and former coach Mike Bozeman, this meet would not have been possible. I also want to thank the many individuals that contributed to the weekend, both logistically and simply through their participation. Finally, I would like to say thank you to General Peay and Lt. Col Gadson for attending our dinner Friday night, as their speeches were welcome and appreciated by all.”

VMI track and field will return to action Friday, as the Keydets travel to Lynchburg to take part in the Liberty Collegiate Invitational. The first day of the two-day event is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m.
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Players Mentioned

James Alexander

James Alexander

Sprints
Junior
Cody Davis

Cody Davis

Throws
Junior
Dean Gonsalves

Dean Gonsalves

Mid-Distance
Junior
Dennis James

Dennis James

High Jump
Junior
Felix Kitur

Felix Kitur

Mid-Distance
Junior
Chad Lawson

Chad Lawson

Throws
Junior
Ian McGinn

Ian McGinn

Mid-Distance
Freshman
Matt Satterwhite

Matt Satterwhite

Distance
Senior
Ademola Titcombe

Ademola Titcombe

Jumps/Sprints
Sophomore
Antonio Wood

Antonio Wood

Multis/High Jump
Freshman

Players Mentioned

James Alexander

James Alexander

Junior
Sprints
Cody Davis

Cody Davis

Junior
Throws
Dean Gonsalves

Dean Gonsalves

Junior
Mid-Distance
Dennis James

Dennis James

Junior
High Jump
Felix Kitur

Felix Kitur

Junior
Mid-Distance
Chad Lawson

Chad Lawson

Junior
Throws
Ian McGinn

Ian McGinn

Freshman
Mid-Distance
Matt Satterwhite

Matt Satterwhite

Senior
Distance
Ademola Titcombe

Ademola Titcombe

Sophomore
Jumps/Sprints
Antonio Wood

Antonio Wood

Freshman
Multis/High Jump