Arkansas State Earns Four Honors as Conference Announces Track & Field Awards
NEW ORLEANS – After winning the women’s Sun Belt championship last week, Arkansas State won four of the eight Outdoor Track & Field Awards handed out by the Sun Belt Conference on Tuesday. The awards were voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
Arkansas State’s head coach Jim Patchell was named the Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year as he guided the Red Wolves to a 138-129 victory over Texas State and Georgia State at the 2015 Sun Belt Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala. It was the first women’s outdoor title for Arkansas State since 2001. Patchell was named Sun Belt Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year this season after guiding the Red Wolves to a win at the Sun Belt Indoor Championship in February.
Kristina Knott earned the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year award after she was the fifth highest scorer at the 2015 Sun Belt Championship with 18.75 points. Knott recorded a time of 11.65 seconds in the 100m dash which placed her second. She also took second in the 200m dash with a time of 23.72. Knott then ran the second leg for the third-place 4x100m Red Wolves relay team. The freshman helped the 4x400m relay team earn a fourth place finish with a time of 3:48.24 as she ran the opening leg.
The Georgia State duo of Ravin Gilbert and LaPorscha Wells rounded out the women’s award winners. Gilbert was the meet’s top scorer as she recorded 24 points from four different events. She was the individual champion in both the 100m and 200m races as she claimed the Sun Belt Most Outstanding Track Athlete award. The junior recorded a time of 11.48 to win the 100m and a mark of 23.50 to edge out Knott in the 200m race. Gilbert ran the third leg of the 4x100m relay team which took home first place with a time of 44.92. She then ran the anchor leg for the 4x400m relay team which took third with a time of 3:47.22.
Wells earned the Sun Belt Most Outstanding Field Athlete Award after recording two event wins. Wells won a heated shot put competition with a throw of 16.00m (52-6) to barely edge out Julie Lange’s mark of 15.96m (52-4.5). Wells continued with a throw of 57.79m (189-7) in the hammer throw to claim another first place mark.
Arkansas State also did well on the men’s side as the Red Wolves finished in second place at the meet. Sophomore Roelf Pienaar was the championship’s high scorer and was named the Sun Belt Men’s Most Outstanding Field Performer. Pienaar set a Sun Belt championship record in the long jump after entering the competition with the best mark in the nation. Pienaar recorded a leap of 7.99m (26-2.75) on his second jump to break his own record from last year. He also placed first in the triple jump with a mark of 15.61m (51-2.75), 10 inches further than the next closest competitor. Pienaar also ran the anchor leg of the men’s 4x100m relay team which took second place with a time of 39.98.
Jaylen Bacon was another member of the 4x100m relay team as he ran the second leg for the Red Wolves. Bacon also recorded two second place finishes which helped him earn the Sun Belt Men’s Most Outstanding Freshman award. Bacon took second place in the 100m dash with a time of 10.10 and second in the 200m with a mark of 20.71. He recorded the top preliminary time in both the 100m and 200m races before besting those marks in the finals.
Stanley Broaden of Appalachian State earned the Men’s Most Outstanding Track Performer. Broaden finished with 21 points at the three-day Sun Belt Championship as he excelled in the hurdles. Broaden won the 110m Hurdles with a 14.10 time bettering his preliminary mark. He then did the same thing in the 400m Hurdles with a winning time of 51.66 to claim 10 more points for the Mountaineers. Broaden rounded out his efforts as he ran the third leg of the 4x400m relay team which took fifth place.
UT Arlington Head Coach John Sauerhage was named Sun Belt Men’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Mavericks to their second consecutive Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championship. UT Arlington won the men’s meet with 166 points, besting Arkansas State by 18 points. Sauerhage earned the award for the second time in his career after earning it last season.
Women’s Most Outstanding Track Performer
Ravin Gilbert, Junior, Georgia State
Women’s Most Outstanding Field Performer
LaPorscha Wells, Sophomore, Georgia State
Women’s Most Outstanding Freshman
Kristin Knott, Freshman, Arkansas State
Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year
Jim Patchell, Arkansas State
Men’s Most Outstanding Track Performer
Stanley Broaden, Senior, Appalachian State
Men’s Most Outstanding Field Performer
Roelf Pienaar, Sophomore, Arkansas State
Men’s Most Outstanding Freshman
Jaylen Bacon, Freshman, Arkansas State
Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year
John Sauerhage, UT Arlington
Sun Belt All-Conference
Women’s 100m
Ravin Gilbert, Georgia State
Kristina Knott, Arkansas State
Alexus Hebert, Texas State
Women’s 200m
Ravin Gilbert, Georgia State
Kristina Knott, Arkansas State
Marika Brown, Texas State
Women’s 400m
Taylor Davis, UT Arlington
Marika Brown, Texas State
Keturah Smith, Arkansas State
Women’s 800m
Ashley Wright, UT Arlington
Tamerah Gorham, UT Arlington
Kelci Lyons, UL Lafayette
Women’s 1500m
Stella Christoforou, Georgia State
Rexi Parcells, Arkansas State
Hannah Nilsson, UT Arlington
Women’s 5000m
Tristin Van Ord, Appalachian State
Gabriela Alfonzo, UT Arlington
Rexi Parcells, Arkansas State
Women’s 10,000m
Tristin Van Ord, Appalachian State
Gabriela Alfonzo, UT Arlington
Dana Cox, Appalachian State
Women’s 100m Hurdles
Antonisha Stewart, Texas State
Emenderlyn Iwuj, Arkansas State
Alberta Lucas, South Alabama
Women’s 400m Hurdles
Sydni Willis, Texas State
Carole Idolphine, Georgia State
Shaniece Prevot, UT Arlington
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
Niamh Kearney, Georgia State
Julia Ostendorf, Troy
Tilda Helgesson, Arkansas State
Women’s 4x100m Relay
Breonca Reid, Katherine Randolph, Wande Brewer, Ravin Gilbert - Georgia State
Alexus Hebert, Allie Saunders, Macahla Wesley, Marika Brown - Texas State
Kristina Knott, Emenderlyn Iwuji, De'Airis Weakley, Shalynn Cyprien – Arkansas State
Women’s 4x400m Relay
Wande Brewer, Ashlan Rosier, Carole Idolphine, Ravin Gilbert - Georgia State
Esther Oyetunde, Macahla Wesley, Marika Brown, Sydni Willis - Texas State
Tamerah Gorham, Taylor Davis, Dasia Rolfe, Ashly Wright - UT Arlington
Women’s High Jump
Darragh May, Arkansas State
Madalyn Trisler, UL Lafayette
Ivery Guyton, Arkansas State
Women’s Pole Vault
Anicka Newell, Texas State
Alexandra Pevtsova, Arkansas State
Kayla Carlile, South Alabama
Women’s Long Jump
Adriunna Brown, UL Monroe
Tia Mitchell, UL Lafayette
Alexus Cobbs, Troy
Women’s Triple Jump
Allie Saunders, Texas State
Chineme Obikudu, UT Arlington
Kaitlyn Beans, South Alabama
Women’s Shot Put
LaPorscha Wells, Georgia State
Julie Lange, Texas State
Talore Kelly, Texas State
Women’s Discus
Julie Lange, Texas State
Corina Cox, Troy
Calea Carr, Arkansas State
Women’s Hammer
LaPorscha Wells, Georgia State
Talore Kelly, Texas State
Brianna Tate, Appalachian State
Women’s Javelin
Mi'Ca Lowe, UL Monroe
Barbara Rivera, South Alabama
Ashton Pennington, South Alabama
Women’s Heptathlon
Jasmin Fusilier, UL Lafayette
Savannah Hutchinson, Arkansas State
Aleeah Stigarll, Troy
Men’s 100m
Jaylen Bacon, Arkansas State
Clayton Vaughn, UT Arlington
Quentin Butler, UT Arlington
Men’s 200m
Hanoj Carter, UL Lafayette
Clayton Vaughn, UT Arlington
Quentin Butler, UT Arlington
Men’s 400m
Andrew Tate, UL Monroe
Joseph Meyer, Arkansas State
Anthony Johnson, Texas State
Men’s 800m
DeQuad Binder, Texas State
Alec Saucedo, Texas State
Ryan Hastings, Appalachian State
Men’s 1500m
Christoph Graf, South Alabama
Emil Blomberg, UT Arlington
Jack Bruce, UALR
Men’s 5000m
Craig Lautenslager, UT Arlington
Joseph Pena, Texas State
Eric Ojeda, UT Arlington
Men’s 10000m
Craig Lautenslager, UT Arlington
Christoph Graf, South Alabama
Wil Norris, Arkansas State
Men’s 100m Hurdles
Stanley Broaden, Appalachian State
Matt Dillon, South Alabama
Victor Fincher, UT Arlington
Men’s 400m Hurdles
Stanley Broaden, Appalachian State
James Hilliard, Texas State
Jamel Sams, UL Monroe
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
Emil Blomberg, UT Arlington
Patrick Rohr, South Alabama
Joseph Pena, Texas State
Men’s 4x100m Relay
Quentin Butler, Tarik Crear, Cameron Newson, Clayton Vaughn - UT Arlington
Joseph Meyer, Jaylen Bacon, Roelf Pienaar, Elijah Ross - Arkansas State
Demarcus Porter, Austin Carter, Jayvon Dempsey, Cody Schulz - Texas State
Men’s 4x400m Relay
Andrew Tate, Nigel Cribbs, Mark Demus, Jamel Sams - UL Monroe
James Hilliard, DeQuad Binder, Austin Carter, Demarcus Porter - Texas State
Joseph Meyer, Jaylen Bacon, Travius Chambers, Henry Offiah - Arkansas State
Men’s High Jump
Roland Sales, UT Arlington
William Leblanc, UL Lafayette
Alex Tripplett, Texas State
Men’s Pole Vault
Ethan Sandusky, Arkansas State
Seth Arnold, Texas State
Nick Farrell, South Alabama
Men’s Long Jump
Roelf Pienaar, Arkansas State
Jemal Parharm, UL Monroe
Devin Davis, UL Lafayette
Men’s Triple Jump
Roelf Pienaar, Arkansas State
Corey Wesley, UL Monroe
Tobi Fawehinmi , UT Arlington
Men’s Shot Put
Richard Chavez, Arkansas State
Jordan Huckaby , Texas State
Roman Rodriguez, Texas State
Men’s Discus
Jan-Louw Kotze, South Alabama
Jevaughn Shaw, UL Monroe
Richard Chavez, Arkansas State
Men’s Hammer
Renaldo Frechou, South Alabama
Justin Victor, UL Lafayette
Jan-Louw Kotze, South Alabama
Men’s Javelin
Joey Womack, UL Monroe
Robert King, South Alabama
Cody Nickel, UL Lafayette
Men’s Decathlon
Isaac Grieder, UL Monroe
William Oliver, Arkansas State
Christian Schiemann, UT Arlington