Wednesday, January 27, 2010

MACON, Ga. - USC Upstate’s Gilbert Kemboi earned A-Sun track athlete of the week honors after a win in his first collegiate race while Kennesaw State’s Josh McNair earned the field honor with strong finishes in the shot put and weight throw. 

Competing in his first collegiate track and field meet, Gilbert Kemboi won the 5000-meter run on Saturday at the Niswonger Invitational. Kemboi, in record-setting fashion, won the race by four seconds. His time of 14:35.19 shattered the USC Upstate record of 16:07.98 set last season by James Jackson. The native of Eldoret, Kenya also set an Atlantic Sun indoor track and field record in the 5000-meter run. Kemboi surpasses Kenneth Rotich who owned the record since the 2008 season with a time of 14:44.15.

McNair had the highest finish among all Owls, Friday at the Niswonger Invitational, placing second in the weight throw with a toss of 59-4.75, just short of the school record that he holds in the event, currently at 60-5.5. The Hinesville, Ga. native finished second in the shot put with a 54-2 toss on Saturday afternoon.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast 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
Joe Frye, Belmont (Jr. - Throw - Roscommon, Mich. - Music Business) – Frye nabbed a pair of first-place finishes at the Blue Raider Invitational en route to helping the Bruins grab six top-three finishes. The Roscommon, Mich., native took first in the shot put with a mark of 14.96m, more than nine feet further than the second place finisher. Frye also finished in first in the weight throw with a distance of 17.70m, more than 13 feet further than the second-place finisher.

Mike James, ETSU (Jr. - Hurdles - Palm Bay, Fla. - Criminal Justice) - James enjoyed running inside the comfortable confines of the David E. Walker track on Saturday afternoon at the 32nd annual Niswonger Invitational. James, who qualified for the finals on Friday with a time of 8.21 (73 total competitors), clocked in a time of eight seconds flat to capture his third title in the hurdles this season.

Jaakko Nieminen, Kennesaw State (So. - Distance - Jyvaskyla, Finland - Business) – Nieminen stood as the lone Owl to win an event at the Niswonger Invitational at ETSU this weekend, also his first competition of the indoor track season. The win stands as his first triumph of his collegiate indoor track career.

Justin Crawford, USC Upstate (Jr. - Pole Vault - Elgin, S.C. - Nursing) – For the third time in his career, Crawford posted a personal-best and school record height of 14-07.25 in the pole vault. Crawford’s clearing of 4.45 meters placed him in a tie for 11th at this past weekend’s Niswonger Invitational. Crawford posted heights of 14-07.25 twice last season, with one of those coming at the A-Sun Championships.