TEAM PROFILE
Lincoln's track program is one of the best
K.W.. 1
Lincoln Townsend's versatility is a big plus for LU. Townsend earned Ail-American honors in the 200 plus the 4 x 100 and 4 xP400 relays;.0' Lncoln Un,versity
Lincoln University's men's track
team finished second and the women's
team took fifth place at this year's NCAA
Division III Track & Field Champi
onships last month.
Clive Terrelonge left his mark at the
nationals for the Lions. The Orlando, Fla.
senior turned in a 1:47.56 in the 800, set
ting a new Division III record (previous
mark was 1:49.30) and qualifying him
for the Division I nationals.
National titles are fine and dandy for
Terrfonge. But his major goal is to com*
pete in the '92 Olympics. "He has not yet
touched his ability," Cyrus Jones, Lin
coln track coach contends. "He's the best
on the East Coast"
Jones isn't noted for making idle
boasts. He's confident that his middle
distance guy will make the field for the
U.S. Olympic trials next August.
In the race for the team trophy, Lin
coln's men racked up a total of 64 points,
placing them behind national champ
Wisconsin-LaCrosse, who ended up with
73 points. But finishing among the top
teams isn't something new for the Lions.
Last year, they won national champi
onships indoors outdoors. Last spring's
outdoor title was the second one for the
school.
"We usually dominate," says Jones.
Individually, Terrelonge was not a
solo act, but he was the only Lion to win
two individual events. Terrelonge also
raced to victory in the 400, clocking
- 47.22. ? ~ ,
But when it came to the relays, the
Lions had all the answers. Brandon
Jones, Lincoln Townsend, Shawn
Clements and Jerome Johnson streaked
to victory in the 4 x 100 with a time of
41.05. The 4 x 400 produced the same
results as Rodney Moore, Townsend,
Keith Falconer and Terrelonge covered
the distance in 3:10.47.
The women got their points with
first-place finishes in the 100 and 4 x 100
relay. Woodard captured her second col
legiate title of the year when blitzed to
victory in the 100 (12.13). In February,
she emerged as the national indoor
champ at 55 meters. Woodard teamed
with Indria Acker, Jackie Pigford, and
Annette Gray to run 47.88 in the 4 x 100.
"I'm really proud of our track and
field program," says Jones. "Each year
we keep getting better and better. Unfor
tunately^ we didn't win the national
championship this year. But we'll be
back. "J ^ _ ,
In 16 seasons as Lincoln's track
coach, Jones has snared two national
title* and produced several No. 2 finish
es. He feels that the Lions have devel
oped a healthy tradition.
"Everybody knows about our track
program now," he sayg. "In the beginning
of my career, it was a struggle. Fortu
nately, we've had a lot of success in
recent years. This success has produced
some fine athletes. Although we're a
Division III school, we've been able to
recruit some good people. Therefore,
^ we've demonstrated that we can compete
with not only the black colleges, but with
everybody."
When Jones says everybody, he
means just that. In late April, for exam
ple, his Lions opened a lot of eyes at the
Penn Relays, one of college track's grand
spectacles. Lincoln competedjagainst
several Division I programs, including
some of the top track powers such as
Arkansas and Texas.
"The Penn Relays have been a good
barometer for us," Jones says. "If we can
do well at Franklin Field [site of the
relays], then everything else usually falls
into place. The Penn Relays and indoor
track have really kept our runners sharp.
"Right now, we continue to build for
next year. As I said before, we have a
good program. But we don't want to rest
on our laurels."
- Donald Hunt