James Rainer warmed-up in Saturday’s 60-meter dash finals in a Buc Wild T-shirt. Minutes later he took that wild energy and won the 60 in a time of 6.83 seconds.
“I just hoped when I got hurt I would be back by conference,” Rainer said. “I knew I had it won after the false start because I got out quicker.”
Rainer fought his way back from injury and more than a two-month layoff to win.
Like many other Buc athletes he wanted to leave a last mark on SoCon sports since ETSU will begin Atlantic Sun competition next season.
Chantelle Vernon set a new ETSU 60-meter dash record with a time of 7.52 seconds. Although Vernon had a record-setting performance she finished third.
It was Georgia Southern’s Nicole Brown (7.43) who broke Appalachian State’s Jennifer Claud’s record set on Friday. Claud broke Vernon’s record in the preliminaries on Friday.
Nichola Cornish won the 400-meter dash.
“All the long practices and hard work was worth it,” said Cornish. “I feel like I went out with a bang for our final SoCon meet.”
Shane Estes was awarded the SoCon Indoor Male Freshman of the Year in the high jump.
Anna Marie Ricciardi a multi-sport athlete in basketball and track decided not to travel to Georgia Southern with basketball team to participate in the high jump.
Ricciardi made the right decision, claiming the high jump title.
“I felt like I had a better chance of doing something here than at Georgia Southern,” Ricciardi said.
Day One
ETSU Hall of Fame cross country and track and field head coach Dave Walker has the luck of the Irish.
The legendary distance icon brought Ireland’s finest harriers to the mountains of East Tennessee for more than 30 years and won numerous conference cross country and track and field championships. Those athletes also made their mark on the world scene.
Ireland native Neil Cusack won the Boston Marathon in 1974 while training under Walker’s tutelage and the NCAA cross country championship two years prior.
That famed “Irish Brigade” team, featuring Cusack, placed second in the 1972 NCAA cross country championships – ETSU’s highest finish at a national championship in any sport.
Walker has continued to receive multiple awards and has coached numerous champion athletes.
On Friday the Southern Conference honored the legendary coach by naming the men’s cross country Coach of the Year award after Walker during day one of the SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championship.
“This award is special because it was presented to me by my peers,” he said. “Once a couple of good athletes decided to come here, others followed. Once that happens … and they work hard, it’s easy to have winners.
“Chattanooga is an example of a team that has hard workers. If you have two or three good guys like they do, success is not really a secret.”

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