Wednesday, January 23, 2008

MACON, Ga. – Gardner-Webb’s Elliott Haynie did not rest on his laurels after the previous week in which he won the pole vault competition at the Virginia Tech Invitational. Instead, at the Clemson Invitational, he again won the pole vault, again set a school record and posted an NCAA provisional mark and again won the Atlantic Sun Athlete of the Week award, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

Haynie, a junior from Fairburn, Ga., dominated the field of 17 that included vaulters from Clemson, Georgia, Florida State and Wake Forest, winning the event by clearing 5.35m (17’6 ½”) and besting the vault of the second-place finisher by a nearly of a foot. Haynie’s mark, while an NCAA provisional, has made it to the NCAA Indoor Championships in each of the last 10 seasons. The mark ranked as a tie for the third best in the NCAA this season.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Ryan Chastain, LIP (So. – Distance – Mitchell, Ind. – Engineering) – Ryan finished second in the mile at the ETSU Niswonger Invitational Jan. 19; His performance leads the A-Sun for the men's indoor mile.

Brandon Grass, BEL (Sr. – Pole Vault – Thompsons Station, Tenn. – Entrepreneurship) – Won the Pole Vault competition at the Middle Tennessee State Invitational on Jan. 19 with a clearing height of 4.26m. This is the second consecutive week that he has won the pole vault competition he has participated in.

Mike James, ETSU (Fr. – Hurdles – Palm Bay, Fla. – Pre-Law) – Flew his way into the finals of the 60-meter hurdles; Secured a spot in Saturday final by winning his heat and placing fourth (out of 37 runners) in the prelims with a time of 8.45; Finished fourth overall in the finals, finishing with a mark of 8.43.

Jerome McKinzie, KSU (So. – High Jump – Marietta, Ga. – Communications) – McKinzie took second place at the Niswonger Invitational after an exciting Jump-off event against West Carolina's Matt Evans; Posted a height of 6’8 ¾”.