Feb. 22, 2002

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Charlotte 49ers men began the defense of last year's league title on Friday, competing at the Conference USA Indoor Championships in Bloomington, Ind. The men stood on top on after the first day of events with 44.5 points, while the women are in sixth place with 13 points. Marquette leads the women's competition with 33.5 points.

Will Montgomery had the strongest showing for the men on Friday, placing second in both the high jump and long jump. In the high jump, he cleared a height of 6'8.75". In the long jump, Montgomery covered a distance of 25'2", his third NCAA provisional qualifying mark of the season. Matt Rausch also record a runner-up finish on day one. He was second in the weight throw with a 61'2" toss. Charlotte posted its other second-place finish in the distance medley relay. Josh Baker, Brad Bailey, Riaan Lourens and Ian Dickinson teamed up to post a 10:06.29 time.

In the women's events, Monica Turner posted the best finish overall for the Niners. She won the long jump with a school-record distance of 19'4.25". She also qualified for the finals of the 60-meter hurdles. Her time of 8.92 ranked eighth in the prelims. Michelle Dixon will also be competing in the finals on Saturday. She ran a 7.59 in the 60-meter dash to qualify fourth.

The final day of the C-USA Track and Field Championships will begin on Saturday with field events at 10:00 a.m. (CST), and running events slated for a 12:30 p.m. start.

Men's Team Standings
1. Charlotte 44.5
2. TCU 30
DePaul 30
4. Houston 24.5
5. Marquette 22
6. Memphis 19
7. Tulane 14
8. East Carolina 11

Women's Team Standings
1. Marquette 35.5
2. South Florida 34.5
3. Houston 30
4. East Carolina 23
5. Louisville 22.5
6. Charlotte 13
7. Tulane 9.5
8. DePaul 9
9. Cincinnati 7
10. Memphis 5
11. Southern Miss 4
12. TCU 2