Former Saint Augustine's Bershawn 'Batman' Jackson makes 400M hurdles IAAF World Championships

EUGENE, Ore. – Jeshua Anderson hardly could have cut it closer Sunday afternoon. Still wearing his Washington State uniform after concluding his collegiate career two weeks ago, Anderson took the first big step in the transition to his professional career by winning the 400-meter hurdles at the U.S. track championships – in the narrowest fashion.

Leading off Sunday’s national telecast on NBC, Anderson held off four-time national champion Bershawn Jackson (Saint Augustine's College, 2006/Miami Central H.S., Miami, Fla. 2002) and two-time Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor in the final 25 meters to win his first USA title.

“This is something I’ve been working toward for a long time,” Anderson said. “I’ve been preparing to run my best race at the USAs. I gave it my all. I’m so thankful to have won.” The 22-year-old from Woodland Hills, Calif., was timed in a WSU-record 47.93 seconds – the same as Jackson – with the electronic timer showing Anderson just .009 ahead. Taylor was third in 47.94. Johnny Dutch, the hurdler who kept Anderson from sweeping four NCAA titles as a Cougar by beating him in 2010, was fifth.



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JCSU Leford Green named Division II National Men's Track Athlete of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Wednesday that Johnson C. Smith’s Leford Green and Abilene Christian’s Nick Jones was named the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Athletes of the Year. Green went undefeated and won the NCAA title at 400 meters while Jones helped Abilene Christian to a national team title with 18 points in the throws which included a third NCAA discus crown and a new championships record.

NATIONAL MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Leford Green, Johnson C. Smith University

Green, a senior from St. Catherine, Jamaica, finished the season undefeated and won the NCAA title at 400 meters. In this year’s outdoor championships, Green clocked 45.74 in the open event, topping the nearest competitor by a full second. In 2010, Green won the 400 hurdles at the NCAA meet, and finished sixth in the national final of the event this season. Green was also the third leg of Johnson C. Smith’s winning 4×400 relay that clocked 3:07.59 for a second-plus win. Green was also on the 4×100 squad that placed fifth nationally.

At his conference meet, Green earned 2011 CIAA Male Athlete of the Meet honors after winning the 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles, finishing second in the 200 meters, and running a leg on the Golden Bulls’ second-place 4×400-meter relay.

Past Winners:

2011: Leford Green, Johnson C. Smith

2010: Leford Green, Johnson C. Smith

2009: Aaron Braun, Adams State

2008: Scott Bauhs, Chico State

2007: Nicodemus Naimadu, Abilene Christian

2006: Nicodemus Naimadu, Abilene Christian

Courtesy: Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA

Livingstone College: Former West QB Aycoth now throwing javelin

Let’s see if I’ve got this straight. When Bryan Aycoth used to play football in the fall at West Rowan, he was a quarterback who was named Rowan County Offensive Player of the Year.

When Aycoth suits up for Livingstone College in the fall, he’s be a linebacker.

When Aycoth used to play baseball in the spring at West Rowan, he was an all-state catcher, using that strong right arm to throw out runners.

When Aycoth suits up in the spring at Livingstone, he is still using that strong right arm, only now to throw the javelin.

The what? That’s right. The javelin.

Bryan Aycoth Named to 2011 CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Team

HAMPTON, VA – Junior Bryan Aycoth, a two-sport athlete in football and track and field was named to the 2011 CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Second Team, it was announced Friday by the conference office.

This year's team defines the total NCAA DII student-athlete experience with each member excelling on their respective playing fields as well as in the classroom and in their communities.

Aycoth, a native of Salisbury, NC, has a cumulative GPA of 3.87 as a biology major. Aycoth led the Livingstone football team in tackles this season with 67 total tackles including 11.5 tackles for loss.

On the track and field team Bryan excelled in the javelin throw, breaking his own school record five times over the season. At the conference championships Bryan threw his collegiate best of 60.27 meters which won the CIAA title for the second year in a row, set the CIAA record and provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Division II National Championships.

The CIAA Commissioner's All-Academic Team is voted on by the CIAA Sports Information Directors' Association and is in its 14th year. To be eligible for the team a student-athlete must have completed one academic year at a CIAA institution, earned a minimum 3.2 grade point average, and have excelled as a starter or significant reserve in a CIAA sanctioned sport.

Bryan Aycoth Named to USTFCCCA All-Region Atlantic Team

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Bryan Aycoth has been named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II outdoor track & field Atlantic All-Region Team, for his performance in the javelin, it was announced Tuesday.

Aycoth was named to the All-Region team by virtue of finishing in the top-five in the Atlantic region in the javelin throw. Aycoth's top performance came in the 2011 CIAA Championships where he threw 60.27 meters which won him the CIAA title, set the conference record and provisionally qualified him for the NCAA National Championships.

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ASU stars shine at annual Alice Coachman meet

ALBANY, GA — Brittany Carter found herself all alone as she approached the starting line Saturday for the 800-meter run.  “I didn’t believe it,” said the Albany State sophomore, who waited and hoped for another runner to step onto the track. “I was the only one on paper (scheduled to run in the 800), but I thought somebody else was going to run.”

But there she stood — all by herself on ASU’s home track during the 19th annual Alice Coachman Track & Field Invitational. She was just one of several athletes who were on the cusp of qualifying for the Division II National Championships. And Saturday’s meet offered those runners a final chance to post qualifying times.

Carter needed a 2:14 to provisionally qualify in the 800, something that becomes tougher to do as a solo runner.  “Usually I have someone to run with and get my first lap time. Usually I practice for a 1:03 first lap, so I kind of knew how to run that by myself,” said Carter, who ran her first lap in 1:04. “The second lap I had a strategy to pick it up at the 300 mark and at the 150 try to finish strong.”

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Livingstone cross country/track and field student-athlete scores perfect 4.0

Winnie Chepchumba
3-Time All-CIAA Track and Field

For some young adults, going to college out of state would be too difficult. Try out of continent.

Winnie Chepchumba, 24, is from Kenya in East Africa. But for the past four years she didn’t let missing her family stop her from working hard to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

When she marches into Alumni Memorial Stadium this morning with fellow members of the Class of 2011, she’ll do so as salutatorian and with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

“I feel great about being the salutatorian,” Chepchumba said. “I’m very proud of my accomplishments.”

Chepchumba transferred to Livingstone College after one year at Central Connecticut State University. She left Central Connecticut because it was just too cold for her in New England. Even though Salisbury offered a much warmer climate, Chepchumba wasn’t sure Livingstone would be a good fit at first.

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JCSU: The few. The proud. The champs

The seeds of Johnson C. Smith’s track and field championship were sown four years ago.

That’s when first-year Lennox Graham brought in world-class sprinters from his native Jamaica, Leford Green on the men’s side and Shermaine Williams on the women’s. From there, the Golden Bulls added pieces to the foundation, which bore fruit last week with the school’s first CIAA women’s title. Green won his third straight most valuable award with 33 individual points and JCSU’s men scored 119 points to finish second to national power St. Augustine’s with 176.5.

“I had two pretty good recruits,” Graham said. “I thought...

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Saint Augustine's Men Win Track Title Again

Saint Augustine's Coach George Williams

For the 14th straight season, and 28th time in the past 29 years, St. Augustine's won the CIAA men's outdoor track and field championship on Sunday.

At Petersburg, Va., the Falcons men accumulated 176.5 points over the two-day event. Johnson C. Smith finished in second place with 119 points. Winston-Salem State was third with 106. On the women's side, Johnson C. Smith (153 points) won its first CIAA title. Winston-Salem State (129) was second and St. Aug's (105.5) third.

The Falcons dominated the jumping and sprinting events, leading to the victory. Men's field MVP Orlando Duffus won the long jump (7.44 meters) and the triple jump (14.98 meters), and Christopher Copeland took the high jump (2.16 meters).

Falcons Take Home 14th Straight CIAA Men's Outdoor Track Crown

PETERSBURG, Va. - Defending NCAA Division II champion Saint Augustine's College took home its 14th straight CIAA men's outdoor track and field title Saturday on the campus of Virginia State.

The Falcons have won the men's outdoor crown 31 of the last 33 years under legendary head coach George Williams. They won this year's championship behind CIAA Field MVP Orolando Duffus (Sr./St. Catherine, Jamaica.), who won the long jump and triple jump in addition to placing fourth in the high jump.

Duffus, the 2010 CIAA male scholar-athlete of the year, scored 25 points for the Falcons, who finished first with 176.50 points. Johnson C. Smith was second with 119 points and Winston-Salem State was third with 106 points.

The Falcons perform traditionally well in the sprints and jumps, and this year was no different. Ramon Gittens (Sr./St. Thomas, Barbados) won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, and Jason Boyd (Jr./Waycross, Ga.) won the 110-meter hurdles Saturday. The Falcons were first in the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays. On Friday, Christopher Copeland (Jr./Suffolk, Va.) was the high jump winner.

Led by Gittens, the Falcons placed four sprinters in the top seven in the 100. Sean Stuart (Soph./Miramir, Fla.) was third, Marquis White was fifth and Julius West (Soph./Washington, D.C.) was seventh. In the 400, Josh Edmonds (Fr./Jacksonville, Fla.) was second, Kelly Fisher (Jr./Tinton Falls, N.J.) was fifth and James Quarles (Fr./Washington, D.C.) sixth.

Results

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Saint Augustine’s College Recovery and Restoration Fund

A tornado ravaged Saint Augustine’s College’s campus, leaving in its wake a significant amount of damage and changing the face of the historic grounds. But, in true Falcon spirit, we worked to restore a sense of normalcy in a matter of days after the storm.

There is still much work left to do. Your gift to the recovery fund will provide assistance in restoring the campus to its historic beauty.

Make your gift to the Saint Augustine’s College Recovery and Restoration Fund c/o North State Bank, 4270 The Circle at North Hills, Raleigh, NC 27609.

You can also mail your gift to Saint Augustine’s College Office of Institutional Advancement and Development, 1315 Oakwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27610.

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ASU women’s track & field captures SIAC Championship

ALBANY, GA — Albany State men’s and women’s track & field coach Kenneth Taylor said he told his team to remember one thing before they headed to the SIAC Track & Field Spring Championships this weekend in Atlanta.

“I told them this last year, and then I reminded them again this year that (in 2010) we just loaned the title to Fort Valley State,” Taylor said Sunday. “And (in 2011) we were gonna get it back.” Promise kept.

The Lady Rams dominated from start to finish, never lost the overall lead and brought the SIAC crown back to Albany on Sunday afternoon, earning Taylor his seventh conference title on the women’s side in eight years since taking over the program in 2003.

The Lady Rams scored 241.5 points, which was more than double the amount scored by second place Fort Valley, which finished with 112 points. Benedict College finished third with 89 points.


Videographer: stillmantencoach06; STILLMAN 4 x 400 HEADED TO FINALS

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JCSU bids goodbye to track champions

Johnson C. Smith will say goodbye to the athletes who put its track and field program on the national map Saturday.

Seniors Nada Al-Arahshun, Leford Green, Richard Harkness, Lakaevia Tyler, and Shermaine Williams will participate in their final home meet Saturday at the JCSU Invitational at the Irwin Belk Complex. They will be acknowledged before the start of competition at 10 a.m. Green, who has won three men’s national Division II championships during his career, was named national indoor athlete of the year. Williams has three national women’s titles. Both have competed for Jamaica in international competition.

GOLDEN BULLS HOST 3RD ANNUAL JCSU TRACK INVITATIONAL ON APRIL 9TH

Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University men's and women's outdoor track and field teams will host the 2011 JCSU Track Invitational on Saturday, April 9th inside the Irwin Belk Complex. This one-day event is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. Johnson C. Smith will also honor their five senior track and field student-athletes (Nada Al-Arahshun, Leford Green, Richard Harkness, Lakaevia Tyler, and Shermaine Williams) to kickoff the event.

The Golden Bulls are coming off a successful indoor season in which 11 student-athletes earn All-American status at the 2011 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships held in Albuquerque, NM. Several school records and personal bests were set during the indoor season and the squad looks to repeat the efforts in the outdoor campaign

Golden Bulls stand tall amongst Division I competition

Auburn, AL – The Johnson C. Smith University women's and men's track and field teams won three events at the Tiger Track Classic hosted by Auburn University on Saturday at the Hutsell-Rosen Track. Several Golden Bulls student-athletes improved their national rankings with their performances this weekend.

Senior Shermaine Williams (St. Andrew, Jamaica) claimed the crown in the women's 100m hurdles with a season best time of 13.40. Williams leads the NCAA DII ranking for this event. Freshman Naffene Briscoe (St. Catherine, Jamaica) hit a personal best and set a new school record with her time of 55.16 in the 400m. Briscoe crossed the finish line fifth and also leads the DII ranking for 400m. Briscoe took 11th in the 200m, clocking in at 24.77.

Complete Results

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Claflin's Priest named NCAA All-American in Track & Field

The road to NCAA All-American for Laquan Priest was long and hard to say the least. The Georgetown native and three-time NCAA Championship qualifier won All-American status after finishing 5th, at the NCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships, in Albuquerque, NM.

After winning the State Championship in the triple-jump his senior year at Georgetown High School, the only school to recruit Priest was Claflin University. And for that I will be eternally grateful.

“I came to Claflin to prove a point to those schools who did not recruit me,” said Priest.

“I used that as motivation to make a mark on the Track and Field world here at Claflin, the SIAC and the NCAA.”

Making a mark is exactly what he did in just three years Priest has been a National qualifier for indoor and outdoor track for three years. He was named ALL-SOUTH REGION Male Field Athlete of the Year in 2009, and 2010. Priest was also ALL SOUTH REGION outdoor Male Field Athlete of the Year 2010. Laquan was also SIAC triple-jump Champion, SIAC Field Athlete of the Year 2010.

Laquan started his track career his junior year in high school when the track coach observed him in the gym playing basketball, and asked him about track.

“The coach had me run the 200 and 400. But I started jumping in the pit and found out that I enjoyed it and was really pretty good at it,” remembered Priest.

“I began to jump my senior year and was fortunate enough to win a State championship in the event.” And the rest of his story we all know. Priest says “that the road to becoming an All-American took a lot of hard work and practice.” And this would be the advice he would share with any young athlete who dreams of becoming an All-American in any sport.

After graduation and his track career is chronicled in the history of Claflin University, Laquan is aspiring to become an athletic trainer, which he is an intern at Claflin, in the Athletics Training Department. “I do not have any aspirations of furthering my track career after I have graduated, but I do know I will be involved in track and field, for thirty years. I am looking forward to helping my 12 year old brother who has competed in track and field for the past three years.”

Knowing the determination and work ethic that Priest possesses, there is no doubt that he will become an All-American in whatever he sets his mind to do. Look to see Laquan write an article in a sports medicine journal, or becoming one of the nations’ best track and field coaches. He is an All-American, All-American…..

Dr. Lionell W. Sabb, Sports Information Director
Claflin University
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Thomas, Killebrew lead WSSU Lady Rams to first CIAA title in school history

Final Results

Hampton, VA - The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams claimed their first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association indoor track & field championship Sunday after a specatular two-day effort at the meet. The Lady Rams finished the meet with a team total of 99 points, topping second-place Johnson C. Smith's 95 total points. It was the strong performances in the middle distance and relay events that propelled the team to its first indoor track & field championship in school history.

"We knew what we had in our athletes and believed in them and this weekend, they performed," WSSU interim head track & field coach Inez Turner said. "We used a great strategy and everybody stepped up."

The Lady Rams played to their strengths as the team dominated middle distance and field events at the meet. After winning the women's distance medley relay on the first day of the meet, the Lady Rams kept things going on the second day, taking four of the top five spots in the women's 800m run. Freshman Brittney Killebrew, the 2010 CIAA Women's Cross Country champion, took first place in the women's 800m run with a 2:27.44 while sophomore Manuela Rigaud added a strong second-place finish in 2:28.75. Fellow sophomore Tyrah Winfrey took third in the event with a 2:29.06 while senior Ashley Fraser added a fifth place finish at 2:33.19.

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By WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations

Saint Augustine's Falcons Win CIAA Indoor Track Crown

HAMPTON, Va. - Saint Augustine's College took its 13th straight men's title, and Winston-Salem State earned its first women's crown Sunday in the 2011 CIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Boo Williams Sportsplex.

Led by men's field MVP Orlando Duffus and men's track MVP Josh Edmonds, the Falcons scored 155 points to run away with the win. Winston-Salem State was second with 80 points and Bowie State was third with 68 points.

The Lady Rams won the women's championship in their first year back in the CIAA after an attempted move to Division I. Their victory snapped Saint Augustine's College's steak of 14 consecutive league titles. Led by women's field MVP Dedricka Thomas, the Lady Rams scored 99 points to nip Johnson C. Smith, which finished second with 95 points. Virginia State placed third with 70 points.

Both Duffus and Edmonds sparked the Falcon men. Duffus won the triple jump, tied for third in the high jump and placed fifth in the long jump. Edmonds won the 200 dash, ran the second leg on the winning 4x400 relay team which included Dahmyir Owens, Jameel Walcott and Antonio Abney, and placed second in the 400 dash for the Falcons.

Thomas of the Lady Rams finished second in the long jump, high jump and triple jump. Shermaine Williams of Johnson C. Smith was named track MVP after winning the 60 hurdles, the 60 dash and the 200 dash.

By Saint Augustine's College Sports Information Office

Final Results

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ASU cross country set to open 2010 season early next month‎

The Albany State University Rams announced their 2010 cross country schedule this week.

Coached by Kenneth Taylor, the Rams and Lady Rams will kick off the 2010 season on the road against Troy University on Sept. 4. ASU will then return home on Sept. 11 to host the Albany State University Invitational. They go back on the road to compete in the Wildcat invitational at Fort Valley State University on Sept. 15, then return to Albany to compete in the Cavalier Classic, hosted by Darton College on Sept. 18. From there, the Golden Rams will run in the Clark-Atlanta/Morehouse Cross Country Invite on Sept. 25.

The Rams’ road trip from there continues as they run in the Paine College Invitational on Sept. 29, and compete in the Florida A&M University Invite on Oct. 2. The teams will compete against Jacksonville State University on Oct. 9, and run in the Troy University Invite on Oct. 16. The Pre-SIAC Meet in Jonesboro is next on Oct. 27.

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