The final day of the Indoor Southern Conference Track and Field Championships was highlighted by the performance of ETSU’s long distance runners.
Brad Yewer’s parents came all the way from Newbury, England to see their son run in his last season of eligibility. Yewer did not disappoint as he took track and fields’ most prominent prize, the mile.
In a time of four minutes, 12.86 seconds, Yewer easily beat Chattanooga’s Colin Sullivan (4:14.75). Waiting to make a definitive break from the pack, Yewer passed Sullivan with 200 meters left to win his second straight SoCon indoor mile title, a day after placing second in the 3000.
“I just had to see what would happen in that last 200 meters. The problem is after running a race already, you have to determine how you feel when you get into the race. Sullivan is a good 800-meter runner, so when he took the lead, I didn’t have to. I knew he would tire himself out and I wanted be close to him with 200 meters to go,” Yewer said.
“When I came along aside of him to pass. I took a look at him and his eyes were closed and just went.”
Western Carolina won the men’s title for the first time since 1999 with a score of 221.5, ahead of Appalachian State’s 200.5. ETSU’s men placed third with a score of 91.5.
Leading the women’s team competition was Appalachian State who took the title for the fourth consecutive year. ETSU’s women were fifth.
Later in the afternoon, Yewer came back to compete in the 5,000 meter race. But in order to win, he was going to have to overcome UT-Chattanooga’s Steven Kocsis, who beat Yewer in the 3000 Saturday.
A well-rested Kocsis took the 5000 title with a fourteen minute, 41.89 second run. Kocsis took the lead shortly before the mile mark. No one came close to him again as he ran alone lapping runners and going through two miles in 9 minutes, 25 seconds.
Yewer finished twelve seconds back in 14 minutes and 53 seconds.
“Ouch,” Yewer said on Steven Kocsis’s blistering 14:41 run. “He (Kocsis) knew I had the mile in me and a lot of the guys were in the same boat. He surged and did it the right way. He destroyed the field really.”
It was a historical day in the women’s 800 meters. ETSU placed all three 800 athletes first, second and third for the first time in school history.Kim Simmons led the ladies with an 800 time of two minutes, 14.55 seconds followed by teammates Jennifer Habbestad (2:18.23) and Tiffany Collier (2:20.01).
Simmons and teammates paced themselves for an even start then took off at 400 meters sweeping all three spots on the podium.
“Actually, we had been talking about it because all of us have been training really hard, and we’ve all been together,” Simmons said about the 1,2,3 finish. “I went when I was most comfortable, and I knew nobody was going to be able to catch me.”
“It all came together and it’s mind over matter in the end. We put it together and went at the right moment,” Habbestad said.
“I’ve been hurt. I pulled a hamstring and have been out for a week,” Tiffany Collier said about her third place finish. “That left Kim (Simmons) and Jenny (Habbestad) to stand by themselves. I was tired at the end but Jenny pulled me through just like in practice. It’s a blessing to be able to win.”
Chantelle Vernon continued her success in the 60-meter sprints as she took first place, tying the SoCon record of 7.54 she set Saturday in the time trials.
“I ran the same time I ran yesterday, which I can’t complain,” Vernon said on her finals performance. “I got a better start than I did yesterday. It’s kind of hard to try to run a fast race with no one pushing you.”
In the men’s 800 meter finals, David Haefner (1:56.16) and James Grufferty(1:56.48) notched the second and third place spots. Chattanooga’s Robert Hatcher passed Haefner in the last five meters for the win.

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