SAU Falcons Ranked No. 1 In NCAA Division II Men's Indoor Track and Field Poll

Legendary Head Coach George Williams
Has  His Men's Team Ranked No. 1
 in the Nation.

RALEIGH, North Carolina  --  Saint Augustine's University took over the top spot in the NCAA Division II Men's Indoor Track & Field Rankings, which was released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013.

The Falcons head the men's poll for the first time since the third week of the 2011 season. They have 203.23 points in the computer-based rankings to lead Ashland (188.07 points) and Grand Canyon (170.03). Adams State, ranked No. 1 last week, fell to fourth with 128.70 points.

This was the first week the preseason times, marks and scores were removed from the ranking formula. It helped the Falcons move up two spots from No. 3 last week despite being idle this past weekend. The Falcons put on scintillating performances in the sprints at the Winston-Salem State Open Jan. 20 and the Penn State National Invitational Jan. 25-26 to put themselves in position to grab the top ranking.

“We accomplished our goal of earning the No. 1 ranking,” said iconic Head Coach George Williams, whose St. Aug men's and women's teams have combined to win 31 NCAA indoor and outdoor titles. “Now our goal is to win the national championship.”

The Falcons continued their hold on the Atlantic Region rankings. Their 466.22 points lead the regional poll followed by Shippensburg (345.78) and Slippery Rock (247.47). In the women's regional poll, the Lady Falcons are fourth with 197.57 points. Shippensburg is ranked first with 278.09 points followed by Kutztown (229.22) and Slippery Rock (218.58).

Individually, Dane Hyatt (Jr./Goodwill, Jamaica) remained the top sprinter in both the men's 200 (21.25) and 400 (47.17) meter dashes for the second consecutive week. A 2012 Olympian, Hyatt is also part of the St. Aug men's 4x400 relay team which held onto its top ranking (3:09.46) for a second straight time. The squad also consists of Joshua Edmonds (Jr./Jacksonville, Fla.), James Quarles (Jr./Washington, D.C.) and Burkhead Ellis, Jr. (Fr./Raleigh, N.C.).

Anaquan Peterson (Fr./Suffolk, Va.) and DeJon Wilkinson (Jr./Summerville, S.C.) are ranked among the top three triple jumpers in the nation. Peterson is second (50-7½) and Wilkinson is third (50-6¾).

Moussa Dembele (Jr./Dakar, Senegal), a 2012 Olympian, is ranked second in the 60 Hurdles (7.89) to lead three Falcons in the top 10 in the event. Gerkenz Senesca (Sr./Newark, N.J.) is tied for fifth (7.92) and Ty'reak Murray (Jr./Portsmouth, Va.) is tied for eighth (8.01). Jermaine Jones (Fr./Wilmington, N.C.) is ranked fifth in the 200 (21.43) and tied for seventh in the 60 (6.79).

Eddie Shelton (Jr./Deltona, Fla.) is tied for ninth in the high jump (6-10¼) and the men's distance relay team of Torion Bailey (Fr./Compton, Calif.), Elhadji Mbow (Jr./Dakar, Senegal), Jameel Walcott (Jr./Trinidad & Tobago) and Marcelis Lynch (Jr./Stone Mountain, Ga.) is ranked eighth (10:06.38). Among the women, the 4x400 relay team of Zikeena Parker (Fr./Rocky Mount, N.C.), Brittany Brown (So./Akron, Ohio), Sherri-Ann Ashman (So./Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Kelly Shaw (Sr./Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) is ranked third (3:45.03) in Division II, while Shaw is ninth in the 400 (55.62).

The Falcons and Lady Falcons will compete this weekend in the CIAA Championships at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, Va. The date of the event is Feb. 9-10. The men's team has captured 27 indoor conference crowns overall including the last 15 titles. The women have won 16 league championships.


COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION