Wednesday, February 03, 2010

MACON, Ga. - ETSU distance runner Kenneth Rotich claimed A-Sun Track Athlete of the Week accolades with another win in the 3,000 while Jerome McKinzie earned the A-Sun Field Athlete of the Week honors with an NCAA provisional mark.

McKinzie’s jump of 2.20 meters earned him a win in the high jump event at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational, held at the University of Florida, and gave him an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. It is the second time in the Marietta, Ga. native’s career that McKinzie has earned a provisional mark, the first coming with a 2.14 meter jump at Clemson last year. This is the second high jump event that McKinzie won in three meets this season. The mark also ranks tied for the third best collegiate jump in the nation this season behind Washington State’s Trent Arrivey and Indiana’s Dereck Drouin, who each hold leaps of 2.24 meters.

Rotich ran his way to the title in the 3000m on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Open inside the Tolsma Track Center. With cold temperatures and snow flying outside the track center, Rotich heated things up on the track as the Kenyan sensation dominated the 21-man field with a top time of 8:27.79. The engineering technology major, who was racing in the 3000m for the first time all season, beat his nearest competitor by over 10 seconds.  

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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
Diego Lawrence, Campbell (Fr. - Sprints and Jumps - Waxhaw, N.C. - Pharmacy) – Lawrence won the men's long jump, notching one of two Campbell wins on the final day of competition for the Camel at the Liberty Open inside the Tolsma Indoor Track Center. The Waxhaw, N.C. native notched a 7.20 meter mark in the long jump to earn the crown. Lawrence, a freshman, two-sport athlete at Campbell, also took third in the 200 meter dash with a 22.73. Rashad Campball finished just ahead of Lawrence in the event with a personal best time of 22.52.

Nic Chernikow, ETSU (Sr. - Multis - Seymour, Tenn. - Finance) - Chernikow moved from fifth to finish second with 4,692 points in the heptathlon on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Open. Kyle Steiner won the event with 5,154 points, however Chernikow finished as the top collegiate at the meet. The Seymour, Tenn. native won the 60m Friday night and raced his way to the title in the 60m hurdles to bag 832 points in the event. Chernikow also recorded 576 points in the pole vault on Saturday after finishing in third (12-07.50).

Ethan Kasson, Kennesaw State (Fr. - Sprinters - Lilburn, Ga. - Undeclared) – Kasson finished third in the 400m at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational at the University of Florida. The Lilburn, Ga. native’s time of 49.73 seconds stands as the fastest 400m time in the A-Sun so far this season and set a new indoor school record for Kennesaw State. Kasson also finished in seventh in the 200m with a time of 22.70 seconds.

Ryan Chastain, Lipscomb (Sr. - Distance - Mitchell, Ind. - Mechanical Engineering) – At the University of Washington Invite on Friday, Chastain knocked more than 25 seconds off the Lipscomb University Indoor 5000m record, posting an all-time 5000m best of 14:53.10. Ryan finished 5th in a race that he entered ranked 23rd. This marked the first time that any Lipscomb runner has broken 15 minutes for 5000m in indoor or outdoor track.

Brandon Curry, USC Upstate (Fr. - Sprints - Anderson, S.C. - Computer Science) - At last weekend's Clemson Games in Clemson, S.C., Curry set a school-record in one event while posting a personal-best in another. In the 60-meter hurdles, the first-year Spartan posted a school record time of 8.63 en route to a tie for 10th place. Curry also competed in the 60-meter dash where he posted a personal-best time of 7.44, which ranks third for the fastest time for a Spartan this season.