Coaches Select DII Outdoor National Athletes of the Year

May 29, 2013

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the National Athlete of the Year award winners for 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field season as chosen by the nation’s coaches. Jermaine Jones of Saint Augustine’s, Danielle Williams of Johnson C. Smith, J Patrick Smith of Chico State and Sam Lockhart of Grand Valley State earned the distinctions of National Athletes of the Year for the 2013 outdoor season.

NATIONAL MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Courtesy: saintaugfalcons.com Jermaine Jones, Saint Augustine’s

Jones, a sophomore from Wilmington, N.C., won an NCAA Division II individual title at 200 meters and ran a leg of the winning and all-time DII record-setting 4×100 relay team, along with a third-place run at 100 meters, in helping the Falcons to the team title. Jones pulled away down the stretch of the 200 to claim the win in 20.57 (+0.2m/s), and ran the anchor leg on a pair of DII 4×100 relay records. The Falcons ran 39.01 during Friday’s prelims to break the DII record, and ran a 38.91 in Saturday’s finals to break it again. He finished third at 100 meters in the finals at 10.34 (-0.4m/s).

During the regular season Jones claimed both the 100 and 200 meter titles at the CIAA Championships, and also ran a leg of the winning 4×100 relay. He was named the CIAA meet’s Most Valuable Performer for his performance.




NATIONAL WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Courtesy: goldenbullsports.com Danielle Williams, Johnson C. Smith

Williams, a junior from St. Andrew, Jamaica, turned in a pair of all-time performances in winning both the 100 and 200 meters at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, in addition to a runner-up showing in the 100 hurdles. She blazed to the win at 200 meters in an all-time Division II record 22.62 (-0.7m/s) after having run a 22.63w (+5.4m/s) during the prelims. Her win at 100 meters came in 11.24 (-0.7m/s), giving her the win by more than a quarter of a second and the No. 4 wind-legal mark in division history. Her runner-up performance in the 100 hurdles in 12.89 (+1.8m/s) makes her the third-fastest performer in DII history.

She did not lose a final at either 100 or 200 meters throughout the duration of the outdoor season, including CIAA titles at 100 and 200 meters and the 4×100 relay to go along with a second-place 100 hurdles finish.




NATIONAL MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Courtesy: chicowildcats.com J Patrick Smith, Chico State

A junior from Santa Barbara, Calif., Smith claimed the NCAA Division II title in the decathlon by 225 points with a score of 7612 after winning two components and finished top-three in five others. He won the 100 meters component in 10.68w (+3.0m/s) and the long jump by nearly a foot at 24-7¼w (7.50m, +2.9m/s). In the process of winning the event he took down the top seed in runner-up Justin Balczak of LSSU and the 2011 champion in Central Missouri’s Brent Vogel — the indoor National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year.

He reached the auto-qualifying mark in the decathlon in his first attempt this season, scoring 7035 at the Chico Multi-Event Classic in late February/early March. Contributed 28½ points between six individual events and a 4×100 relay win at the CCAA Championships en route to a team CCAA title.




NATIONAL WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Courtesy: gvsulakers.com Sam Lockhart, Grand Valley State

Lockhart, a senior from Lansing, Mich., established herself among the best throwers in both Division II history and the 2013 collegiate landscape with a season that culminated in NCAA Division II titles in the discus and the shot put, and a third-place finish in the hammer throw. Her first title came in the discus, which she won with a championships-record mark of 190-7 (58.08m) by nearly 20 feet. She also won the shot put with a mark of 54-11½ (16.75m) to win by more than four feet. She started her weekend with a third-place finish in the hammer throw at 194-7 (59.30m).

Lockhart, who went undefeated in 12 shot put and discus events, earned USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors three times this outdoor season after breaking the all-time discus record two times and moving to No. 2 all-time in the shot put and No. 8 in the hammer throw. She first set the discus record at 192-9 (58.75m), before two weeks later breaking it at 193-2 (58.87m) at the GLIAC Championships. That same week she moved to No. 2 all-time in the shot put with a GLIAC-winning mark of 55-1½ (16.80m) and No. 7 in the hammer at 201-8 (61.48m).




PAST WINNERS
NATIONAL MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NATIONAL WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2013: Jermaine Jones, Saint Augustine’s
2012: Tyler Pennel, Western State
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


2013: Danielle Williams, Johnson C. Smith
2012: Betsy Graney, Grand Valley State
2011: Shannon Gagne, New Haven
2010: Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific
2009: Ashley Puga, Northwest Nazarene
2008: Kirby Blackley, Findlay
2007: Mandy Zemba, Grand Valley State
2006: Mandy Zemba, Grand Valley State



NATIONAL MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NATIONAL WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2013: J Patrick Smith, Chico State
2012: Nick Jones, Abilene Christian
2011: Nick Jones, Abilene Christian
2010: Dane Tobey, Neb.-Kearney
2009: Joe Kindred, Saint Augustine’s
2008: Joe Kindred, Saint Augustine’s
2007: Kibwe Johnson, Ashland
2006: Chris Randolph, Seattle Pacific 2013: Sam Lockhart, Grand Valley State
2012: Lindsay Lettow, Central Missouri
2011: Lindsay Lettow, Central Missouri
2010: Aisha Adams, Angelo State
2009: Aisha Adams, Angelo State
2008: Whitney Johnson, UC San Diego
2007: Kwonya Ferguson, Saint Augustine’s
2006: Cecilia Barnes, Cal State Bakersfield




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Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
Communications Assistant
kyle@ustfccca.org
(504) 599-8905





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Kyle Terwillegar

U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association

Communications Assistant

1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750

New Orleans, LA 70163

(O) 504-599-8905 (F) 504-599-8909

Email: kyle@ustfccca.org

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