Clayton State Cross Country/Track Car Wash Fundraiser Set for October 16

Clayton State University’s cross country and track & field teams will be conducting their seventh car wash fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 16 at Rocky’s Café & Pizza, located at 2262 Lake Harbin Rd., in Morrow. The car wash will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Team members are selling booklets for $10 each that contain coupons for five car washes on Oct. 16 and special meal deals at Rocky’s that are good until Oct. 31. Booklets are also available from head coach Mike Mead. Call (678) 466-4679 or e-mail mikemead@clayton.edu. Drive-up car washes will also be available at Rocky’s on Oct. 16.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
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Emory University Men's Track and Field Earn UAA Indoor Honors

Following its championship performance at the 2009 University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Track and Field Championship, three groups from the Emory University men’s team have been honored by the UAA. Junior Tyler Faits was named the Most Outstanding Performer for running events, freshman Ian Francis was named the Rookie of the Year, and the Emory coaching staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Faits finished first in the 400-meter dash at the UAA Championship last Saturday, winning the event in a time of 49.25 seconds. He followed that with a first-place finish as part of the Eagles 4x400-meter relay, which led the Eagles to a victory at the championship. Faits also finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.38 seconds. Faits’ honor marks the 12th time, and the third-consecutive year, that an Eagle has been named the UAA’s Most Outstanding Indoor Performer. The honor comes after Faits was named the Rookie of the Year in 2007.

Francis competed in a number of field events for the Eagles at the championships, finishing second in the long jump with a distance of 6.66 meters, and second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.16 meters. He joins Faits (2007) and Rob Bullard (2003) as Eagles who have been named the UAA’s Rookie of the Year.

Emory’s coaching staff, consisting of head coach John Curtin, and assistant coaches Carl Leivers, Kevin Semanick, Jim Vahrenkamp, and Pedro Vasquez earned the honor of being the UAA’s Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year. The Eagles’ coaches led the team to their first UAA championship since the 2004 season, and their seventh overall.

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Track & Field Sends Six to NCAA East Regional Championshi

Six members of the Georgia Southern track & field team will begin competition at the NCAA East Regional Championships on Friday, May 30. Florida State University is hosting the meet at the Mike Long Track in Tallahassee, Fla.

“I am really excited for these young ladies,” said GSU track & field coach Natalie Smith. “These six individuals had a great 2007-08 season. I really hope that they will go into the championship with the confidence to do well.”

GSU seniors Demetrise Anthony (Manchester, Ga./Manchester) and Carla Ballard (Morrow, Ga./Morrow) are returning for the second straight year, but will both be competing in different events this season. Anthony will compete in the triple jump after qualifying at the Shamrock Invitational with a leap of 40’07.75”, while Ballard will participate in the 400m hurdles. Ballard, the Southern Conference 400m hurdles champion, had a season best time of 1:01.05 at the SoCon Championships.

Smith brought in two first-year coaches this season and has seen tremendous results. Former GSU phenom Nicole Brown, last year’s East Regional triple jump champion, returns to the meet as a member of the coaching staff. Brown guided Anthony, Shaunta Hamilton (Macon, Ga./Westside) and Lynndsey Hyter (Dallas, Texas/Kaiserslautern American High) to regional qualifying berths. While Brown has enjoyed a lot of success, so has first-year throwing coach Jeremy Hinton. Hinton molded senior Jennifer Charles (Green Cove Springs, Fla./Clay) into the Southern Conference shot put champion.

“I am not only proud of the student-athletes, but I am extremely proud of my coaching staff,” said Smith. “Both of my assistants this year were first-year coaches and each of them has athletes going to the championships this weekend. Coach Brown did an outstanding job with the jumpers. The athletes really relate to Coach Brown and the impact has been tremendous as a result. Coach Hinton worked directly with Charles and after only two seasons as a member of the track & field team will be making her first East Regional appearance. I know that she is stronger and a much better athlete all around. Much of that came from her determination and drive along with the push from Coach Hinton.”

Charles earned the Southern Conference crown when she threw a career best 44’07.50”. Her mark is the fourth best in Georgia Southern history.

Hyter qualified for the East Regional’s when she registered the second best triple jump in school history at the Shamrock Invitational leaping a distance of 40’09.50”. The All-Conference performer in the triple jump earned a spot in the long jump event posting a mark of 20’00.25” at the Irwin Belk Invitational. That distance ranks third in the GSU record books. Hamilton, the SoCon long jump champion, qualified for the event at the CCU Invitational when she recorded a distance of 19’1.50”. She was invited to compete in the triple jump when she landed the third best jump in program history (40’08.75”) at the Irwin Belk Invitational.

Sophomore Melanie Trumbo (Lilburn, Ga./Brookwood), Georgia Southern’s team MVP, earned a slot in the high jump at this weekend’s East Regional Championships. Trumbo won the high jump at the Southern Conference Championships when she cleared 5’6”. The distance was a career best and ranks second in the Georgia Southern record books.

“It's going to be a really great weekend at Florida State,” said Smith. “With this being an Olympic year we are most likely going to see some amazing things in the world of track & field. Our goal as a program is to increase the number of Regional qualifiers. I would like to have 50 percent of our team competing at Regional’s next year and believe with hard work, dedication and the four returners from this group that we have a good chance to make it happen.”