Three athletes from Sun Belt Conference begin play at 2016 Olympic Games
NEW ORLEANS – Three student-athletes from Sun Belt Conference member institutions will officially began their quests for Olympic gold tonight at the opening ceremonies from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Two former Texas State student-athletes and one former Coastal Carolina student-athlete will represent their countries during the games. Anicka Newell, a former Sun Belt pole vault champion and NCAA preliminary qualifier, and Logan Cunningham of Texas State will compete in their first Olympic games in the pole vault event. Former Coastal Carolina stand out Amber Campbell will compete in her third consecutive Olympic games in the hammer throw.
The Sun Belt Conference has a deep history in the Summer Olympic Games with 40 former student-athletes hailing from nine current Sun Belt Conference member institutions. Arkansas State narrowly edges UT Arlington (9) and Texas State (8) for the lead in all-time participants in the Summer Olympic Games.
Georgia State University is the only Sun Belt Conference member institution to host a competition as part of a Summer Olympic Games. The university’s home arena for men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball, the GSU Sports Arena, hosted the badminton competition during the 1996 games in Atlanta.
Six gold medals have been claimed athlete from Sun Belt schools, led by two each from UL Monroe and UT Arlington. The first athlete from a Sun Belt member institution to ever participate in a Summer Olympic Games was Dudley Wilkins of UL Lafayette in 1936.
Here is the full list of Sun Belt Conference athletes to compete in the Summer Olympic Games.
Appalachian State:
Melissa Morrison-Howard
100-Meter Hurdles (Bronze-2000, Bronze-2004)
USA
Two-time Olympic bronze medalist (00 & 04) …. 1997 U.S. Outdoor champion; 4-time U.S. Indoor champion (98, 99, 00, 02) …Morrison-Howard became the only two-time American medalist in 100-meter hurdles at the Olympic Games after winning her second bronze in Athens.
Arkansas State:
Earl Bell
Pole Vault (Bronze-1984)
USA
Tied Thierry Vigneron of France for the bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games… Qualified for two additional U.S. Olympic Teams, placing sixth in 1976 and fourth in 1988… Gold medalist at the 1975 Pan American Games… Silver medal winner at the 1987 World Indoor Championships… Bronze medalist at the 1986 Goodwill Games… Won three NCAA outdoor titles (1975, 1976, 1977) and two NCAA indoor titles (1975, 1976)… Set the world outdoor record (18’ 7 ¼”) on May 29, 1976.
Chad Harting
Pole Vault (2000)
United States
Competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia… Placed third at Olympic Trials (5.63/18-5.5)… Ranked fifth in the nation… Two-time Sun Belt Outdoor Champion… Finished sixth at 1999 U.S. Outdoors, and finished the season ranked seventh in the country… Placed eighth at 1999 U.S. Indoor Championships… Captured silver medal at 1997 World University Games.
Jeff Hartwig
Pole Vault (1996)
United States
2008 Olympic Trials runner-up … Indoor American record holder … 1999 World Indoor silver medalist … 1998 Goodwill Games champion … Four-time USA Outdoor champ (‘98, ’99, ’02, ‘03) … 2-time USA Indoor champ (’99, ’07) … Masters (40+) world record holder … Graduate of Arkansas State in 1990
Thomas Hill
110-Meter High Hurdles (Bronze-1972)
USA
Bronze medalist in the 1972 Munich Olympics… Twice named Arkansas Amateur Athlete of the Year… Inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Finished in second place at the NCAA Championships in 1972.
Ruhan Isim
Pole Vault (2000)
Turkey
Competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia… Set the Turkish record for the Pole Vault while at Arkansas State (5, 70m).
Patterson Johnson
Triple Jump (1988)
Bahamas
Competed at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics…. Finished 20th in the Qualifying Round with a distance of 16.03… Holds a personal best of 16.94.
Al Joyner
Triple Jump (Gold-1984)
United States
Won a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California... 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in the 110m high hurdles… Six-time NCAA Indoor and Outdoor All-American… Member of the first U.S. World Championship team that competed in Helsinki, Finland (1983) placing eighth in the triple jump… Joined the UCLA track and field staff on Aug. 18, 2000… Coached Bruin senior Deana Simmons to a third-place triple jump finish at the NCAA Indoor in 2001… Inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame in 1997.
Kellie Suttle
Pole Vault (2000 & 2004)
United States
Two-time Olympian (2000 in Sydney and 2004 in Athens)... 2006 USA Indoor Champion… 1998 U.S. Outdoor champion… 2001 World Indoor silver medalist… 1999 Pan American Games silver medalist… In 2005, finished seventh at USA indoors, fourth at USA outdoors and ranked sixth in U.S. by T&FN best of 4.41m/14-5.5.
Franck Waota
200-Meters (1996)
Cote D’Ivoire
Participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics… Finished seventh in 4 x 100m relay at the 1993 World Championships, with teammates Ouattara Lagazane, Jean-Oliver Zirignon and Ibrahim Meite.
Mesut Yavas
Long Jump (2000)
Turkey
Competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia… Has set over 30 European records in seven different events… Once ranked seventh in the European Youth Olympics.
Coastal Carolina:
Amber Campbell
Hammer Throw (2008, 2012, 2016)
United States
Qualified for Rio 2016 Olympic Games … Finished 12th at London 2012 Olympic Games … Finished 21st in qualification round at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games … Years of participation in World Championships: Outdoor – 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 … Top finish: 11th – 2009 (hammer throw) … 2015 Pan American Games, silver (hammer throw) … 2012 Olympic Trials champion … 2011 Pan American Games, bronze (hammer throw) … 2010 Indoor Visa champion … Five-time NCAA All-American... Serves as a volunteer assistant coach for throwers at Coastal Carolina University after finishing her career as one of the most distinguished athletes in school history.
Emily McColl
Women’s Soccer (2008)
New Zealand
Made her Football Ferns debut as a substitute in an 8-0 win over Solomon Islands on 11 April 2007 at the Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament held in Papua New Guinea … Represented New Zealand at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup finals in China … Started all three group matches as they lost to Brazil 0-5, Denmark (0-2) and China (0-2) … Included on the New Zealand squad for the 2008 Summer Olympic games and made a substitute appearance in the 2-2 draw with Japan in opening game.
Georgia State:
Hosted 1996 Olympic Badminton at the GSU Sports Arena
Little Rock:
Dawn Williams-Sewer
800-Meters (1996)
Dominica
Competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta… Won a National Championship in the 800 meters with a time of 2:02.55 at the 1997 NCAA Indoor Track Championships... The time set a UALR record, which still stands today… Named UALR Female Athlete of the Year for 1996-97… Named Outstanding Meet Performer at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track Championships… Finished first and second in the 1997 NCAA indoor and outdoor 800m runs respectively, earning All-America honors… All-Sun Belt Conference honors… Won a bronze medal in the 800m at the 1997 Central American Championships in Athletics in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
UL Lafayette:
Hollis Conway
High Jump (Silver-1988, Bronze-1992)
United States
Two-time Olympic medalist... Track and field All-American... Top-ranked high jumper in the U.S. seven straight years (1988-94)… Top-ranked high jumper in the world in 1990 and 1991… One of only three Americans to win two Olympic medals in the high jump… Won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea… Won a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain… Six-time NCAA All-American… Three-time NCAA champion.
Twilet Malcolm
400-Meter Relay (1992)
Jamaica
A two-time All-American for the Ragin' Cajuns in 1993, Malcolm still holds six school records for UL Lafayette, including the 100-meter (11.17) and 200-meter dash (22.93) ... after redshirting in 1992 and representing her native Jamaica in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Malcolm's true contributions came in the spring of 1993 as she claimed Indoor and Outdoor All-American honors ... ran one of the five fastest times nationally in the 100-meters in 1993 and was named the Outstanding Performer at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships ... she broke six individual records, was part of five more relay records and earned a position as a groundbreaker in then-USL's women's athletic history.
Ndabazinhle Mdhlongwa
Triple Jump (1992 & 1996)
Zimbabwe
1995 Triple Jump National Champion... Competed in both the 1995 World Championships and 1996 Olympics for his native Zimbabwe… 1995 Triple Jump World Champion... Three-time All-American (1993-96)… Eight-time Sun Belt Triple Jump Champion… 1993 Sun Belt Indoor Champion (Long Jump/High Jump)… 1994-96 Sun Belt Indoor Champion… Four-year letterwinner… Holds the school record in the triple jump at 55-9 ¼… Owns the Cajun Track stadium mark of 56-10 ¾ in March 1999 Louisiana Classics competition.
Dudley Wilkins
Triple Jump (1936)
United States
He won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national triple jump championship in 1934 with a jump of 48 ft 21/100 in (14.69 m) ... at the 1936 Olympic Trials, Wilkins placed second with 49 ft 1 1/2 in (14.97 m), qualifying for the American team together with Rolland Romero and Billy Brown; all three were from Louisiana, which had been America's leading triple jump state since the late 1920s ... at the Olympics in Berlin, Wilkins placed eighth, reaching 14.83 m (48 ft 7 3/4 in).
UL Monroe:
Breaux Greer
Javelin (2000, 2008)
United States
Eight-time American Champion and American record holder for the javelin (91.29)... Bronze medal winner at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan… Silver medal winner at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia… Gold medal winner at the 2004 World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo, Monaco… Participated in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, finishing 12th… Finished fourth at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada... Three-time All-American… Became one of only three American athletes to achieve an “A” Standard throw (91.29 meters)… Finished first at the 2007 U.S. Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.
John Pennell
Pole Vault (1964, 1968)
United States
Three-time world record holder… Posted eight world records between 1963 and 1969... Jumped his first world record, (16 ft 3 in) on March 23, 1963... Shattered the 17 foot barrier five months later with a 17 ¾ vault in Miami… Won the 1963 Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete… Finished 11th at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo after suffering a back injury six weeks prior… Finished fifth at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City … Set his final world record in 1969 at 17-10 ¼, more than a foot and a half above his original mark… Inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.
Glynn Saulters
Men’s Basketball (Gold-1968)
United States
Competed with the United States national basketball team in 1968 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal... Played one season in the American Basketball Association as a member of the New Orleans Buccaneers… Member of the ULM Hall of Fame.
Ben Sheets
Baseball (Gold-2000)
United States
Played on the U.S. team in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney… Played three seasons at ULM, where he once struck out 20 batters in a game... Named Southland Conference Player of the Year in 1999… Drafted in the first round (10th overall) in 1999 by the Brewers… Made the rotation in 2001 and finished 11-10 with 264 strikeouts as a rookie… Represented the Brewers on the National League All-Star team… NL All-Star selection in 2001, 2004 and 2007… Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2000.
South Alabama:
Muizat Ajoke Odumosu
Track (2008, 2012)
Nigeria
Eight-time American Champion and American record holder for the javelin (91.29)... Bronze medal winner at the 2007 World Championships
UT Arlington:
Lanny Bassham
Rifle (Silver-1972, Gold-1976)
United States
The first Maverick to compete in two Olympic Games, Bassham won gold in the 1976 games competing in rifle. He finished with a score of 1162 in the 50-meter three-position competition. Bassham won silver in 1972 in the same event.
Elston Cawley
200-Meters (1996)
Jamaica
Cawley finished seventh in the second-round of qualifying in the 200-meters with a time of 20.75. He advanced out of his first round heat with a third-place finish and a time of 20.73. Cawley was a six-time All-American at UTA.
Jared Connaughton
200-Meters and 4x100-Meter Relay (2008, 2012)
Canada
Connaughton represented Canada for the second consecutive Summer Olympics in 2012. Connaughton finished 14th in the 200-meter and his team finished sixth in the 4x100m relay. He is just the second Maverick to compete in multiple Olympics.
Peter Dajia
Shot Put (1992)
Canada
Dajia represented Canada at the ’92 Olympics in Barcelona competing in the shot put. He finished 14th in his qualifying group with a throw of 16.81-meters. Dajia also competed in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada.
Larry Dowler
100-Meter Breaststroke (1976)
United States
Dowler, a UTA graduate in 1979, finished ninth in the 1976 Games in Montreal. Dowler was inducted to UTA’s Hall of Honor in 1998.
McClinton Neal
400-Meter Hurdles (1992)
United States
A NCAA champion in the 400-meter hurdles and five-time NCAA All-American, Neal finished ninth at the Olympics in the same event after reaching the semi-finals. Neal retired from track and field in 2000 and now is a comedian performing in Los Angeles, California.
David Peltier
400-Meter and 4x400-Meter Relay (1984)
Barbados
Peltier’s 4x400 team finished sixth in the 1984 Olympics with a time of 3:01.60, a Barbadian record. Peltier finished 29th in the in men’s 400-meter, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Douglas Russell
100-Meter Butterfly and 4x100 Meter Medley Relay (Gold (2)-1968)
United States
Douglas finished first in the 100m butterfly and the 4x100 medley relay. A NCAA champion in 1968, Russell finished first in the 100-yard butterfly and also in the 400 yard medley relay. Russell is a member of UTA’s Hall of Honor and two-time All-American.
Joseph Sainah
4x400-Meter Relay (1988)
Kenya
Sainah competed in the 4x400 meter relay at the 1988 Olympic Games. Sainah’s cousin, Peter Rono of Kenya, won gold at the same Olympics in the 1500-meters.
Texas State:
Charles Austin
High Jump (1992, Gold-1996, 2000)
United States
Austin won the gold medal in the men's high jump at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was inducted into the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2012. Currently, Charles and Javier Sotomayor are the only two high jumpers that have won gold medals in the Olympics, Outdoor World Championships and Indoor World Championships. Austin climbed the ranks in the NCAA, shattering school records and his senior year, won the NCAA Outdoor Championship in 1990 and was the number one college high jumper in the country. In 1991, Austin graduated with a degree in business administration from Texas State.
Logan Cunningham
Pole Vault (2016)
United States
Cunningham competed for the Bobcats at the NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he was fourth in 2011, but failed to record a mark at the 2012 event. He was also a finalist at the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. On his international debut at the 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics he won the bronze medal. Cunningham reached new heights in the 2014 season, clearing 5.70 m (18 ft 81/4 in) in March. This made him the third highest ranked American vaulter that year, behind Mark Hollis and Sam Kendricks.
Brigitte Foster-Hylton
100-Meter Hurdles (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)
Jamaica
In her previous three Olympic appearances, Foster-Hylton made the finals for the hurdles two times.,,,, In 2008, she finished in sixth place, and in 2000, she took eighth……A 1998 graduate of Texas State, Foster-Hylton was a two-time conference champion and still holds the Bobcat record for 100-meter hurdles (13.13).
Mike Hazle
Javelin (2008)
United States
Hazle finished second at the USA Olympic Trials with a throw of 248-7 (75.76m) …. He burst into the national limelight when he won a Silver Medal at the 2007 Pan American Games and posted a second-place finish at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships … He was the third Bobcat to compete in the Pan American Games, joining Scott Hennig and Roger Borbon, and is also one of two Texas State male track and field athletes to qualify for the IAAF World Championships … While at Texas State, Hazle won the javelin throw at the 2002 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships and owns the third-longest throw in Bobcat track and field history with a mark of 236-5 (72.05 meters) ... Hazle owns three of the Top 10 javelin throws in Texas State's record books. He earned a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science and business, along with a Master's degree in sports management at Texas State.
Yekaterina Kostetskaya
800-Meters (2008, 2012)
Russia
Kostetskaya was a Russian track athlete. She came fifth in the 800-meter final at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.
Lyudmila Litvinova
4 x 400-Meter Relay (Silver-2008)
Russia
A 2007 graduate of Texas State … Ran the second leg of the 4x400 meter relay for Russia as they finished the race second earning a silver medal ... Was ranked 16th in the world in the 400 meters.
Anicka Newell
Pole Vault (2016)
Canada
2014 NCAA West Preliminary Qualifier … Pole Vault Champion at 2014 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships … Silver Medalist in Pole Vault at 2914 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships … Silver Medalist in Pole Vault at 2013 WAC Outdoor Championships … Silver Medalist in Pole Vault at 2013 WAC Indoor Championships
Inez Turner
800-Meters and 4 x 400-Meters Relay (1996)
Jamaica
In 1991, she was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy for the most outstanding athlete of the 1991 CARIFTA Games … Won the 800-meter gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games … Together with Lorraine Fenton, Deon Hemmings and Sandie Richards she claimed a bronze medal in the women's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics … Was the 1994 NCAA Outdoor 800-meter champion … In the summer of 1994, she represented Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games in Canada, capturing gold in the 800-meter and becoming the first woman from the English-speaking Caribbean region to run the 800-meter in under 2 minutes … In her senior year (1995), she captured the 800-meter NCAA title and was an 800-meter finalist at both the 1995 IAAF World Indoor and Outdoor Championships.