Three Eagles Named to All-Academic Track & Field Team
7/18/2007 4:07:00 AM
STATESBORO, Ga. ? The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honored three members of the Georgia Southern Track & Field team for their outstanding athletic and academic performances during the spring 2007 season.
Earning All-Academic Team honors were Nicole Brown (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Demetrise Anthony (Manchester, Ga.) and Jessica Irizarry (Kennesaw, Ga.).
Brown, the first female track & field athlete to represent Georgia Southern at the NCAA Championships (Jun. 6-9), earlier won five events (100m, 200m, Triple Jump, Long Jump, 4x400m) at the SoCon Championships (Apr. 21) before being named SoCon Track ?Athlete of the Year'. She received six All-Conference honors (100m, 200m, Triple Jump, Long Jump, 4x100m, and 4x400m), currently holds the school record in 100m, 200m, Long Jump and Triple Jump, and is a member of the record-holding 4x200m and 4x400m teams.
Brown's outstanding season continued as she won the East Regional Triple Jump competition with a mark of 43'6”, setting a school record in the process. With a regional title (Triple Jump) and an at-large bid (Long Jump), Brown continued competion at the NCAA Championship at the Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif.
Anthony, a freshman sprinter and jumper, teamed up with Brown, Rasheda Arnold. (Fayetteville, Ga.) and Shamyria Ortiz (Newnan, Ga.) at the NCAA East Regional (May 26) setting a school record time of 45.05 in the 400m Relay. During the season, Anthony ran GSU's third fastest time in the 100m Dash (11.94) and owns the fifth-longest mark in the Triple Jump (40'4”).
Irizarry, a freshman thrower, won the 2007 SoCon Javelin competition (Apr. 21) with a 134'4” mark, which ranks second in the GSU record book. She was later named the league's outdoor ?Freshman of the Year' after helping the Eagles earn their first SoCon team championship. She also holds the fifth-longest hammer throw mark (148'3”) in school history. She also competed in the Javelin competition at the NCAA East Regional in Gainesville, Fla.
“This is just another example of the exceptional year we had,” said head coach Natalie Smith. “To still be having awards coming in after the season's end says a lot about this past year. Two of the award-winners being freshman says a lot about the future, too. I hope that this will be an example to those currently on the team and to those who join in the future, that academics is just as important as athletics.”
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, one must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 and obtain an NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying mark for the most recent indoor championships or an outdoor regional qualifying mark in their respective event.
