Live Results Link: http://www.liberty.edu/flames/msoccer/index.htm

ROCK HILL, SC— The Winthrop men's and women's track and field teams will open their 2015 indoor season this weekend against 15 other schools at the Liberty Open indoor track & field meet at the Tolsma Indoor Track Center.

According to Winthrop head coach Ben Paxton, the Eagles will open up on Friday night in events that feature two of the top athletes on the women's team in the pole vault and weight throw.

Those two include Sara Lee, a freshman pole vaulter from Wando High School in Mt. Pleasant, SC, who was the runner-up in the 2014 South Carolina High School Championship, and sophomore throws record-holder Marthaline Cooper from Providence, RI. 

"Sara Lee's vaulting heights may be good enough to qualify for the NCAA first round in the spring and be a contender for the Big South championship," said Paxton.  "Marthaline Cooper enters this weekend ranked 13^th in the nation in the weight throw and hopefully will get one of the top 16 spots this year that will qualify her for nationals," he said.  

Paxton also said the women's sprint corps, led by senior Shalace Rose from Camden, SC, and junior Alesha Love, Columbia, SC, ran very well last year.  "They will be joined by a corp of freshmen who are expected to come in and push the upperclassmen. That should be fun to watch as the season unfolds," he said.

On the men's side, the Eagles indoor throws leaders will be Jakeb Elliott, a fifth-year senior from Williamstown, WV, and senior Matt Thompson, Fort Mill, SC. Both will compete in the hammer throw at Liberty.  Thompson was the outdoor Big South discuss runner-up last spring.

Paxton is excited to see Kevin Mills, a freshman from Suwanee, GA, who ran No. 1 last fall in cross country, open his track campaign, and he is also looking forward to see how a host of young sprinters will do along with holdovers Jordan Jackson, a sophomore from Ackworth, GA, and senior Andrew Chauvus, Aiken, SC. 

"Jackson and Chauvus will headline the old guard of sprinters and hopefully our newcomers will perform well as well.  This is by far the largest team we've ever had," said Paxton.

The schools who will be competing at Liberty include: Bridgewater, Christopher Newport, Concord, Eastern Mennonite, Elon, Hampton, James Madison, Liberty, Lynchburg, Morgan State, Roanoke, Shenandoah, VCU, Virginia Wesleyan, Washington & Lee, Winthrop.