(Statement from the Big South Conference Follows)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Big South Conference announced today a change in the final team standings of the 2003 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. After the conclusion of the meet, it was discovered by the Conference that a student-athlete should have been barred from participating in two events due to a violation of the Honest Effort rule. As a result, the points earned in those events have been forfeited. The Conference's action was not prompted by a protest, but by recognition that NCAA Track and Field Rules were not properly applied during the meet.

"It is regrettable that this action had to be taken since it significantly impacts not only the student-athlete in question, but also the entire Liberty University men's track and field team," stated Kyle B. Kallander, Big South Conference Commissioner. "However, it is imperative that the rules are followed and that the Conference applies them accurately and fairly."

The revised final standings are as follows: 1st – Coastal Carolina University, 179 points; 2nd – Liberty University, 178 points; 3rd – High Point University, 132 points; 4th – Radford University, 102 points; 5th – Charleston Southern University, 89 points; 6th – Winthrop University, 72 points; 7th – UNC Asheville, 60 points. Coastal Carolina is the 2003 Men' s Outdoor Track and Field Champion.