Wednesday, April 07, 2010

MACON, Ga. –. ETSU’s Duronal Monal raced his way to Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week honors with 10th-best 100-meter dash time in the nation this season, while Kennesaw State’s Josh McNair earned the field award with a conference-best toss in the hammer throw.   

Monal, a senior sprinter for the Bucs, led the charge for ETSU at the Florida Relays on Friday night, as he won his heat in the 100-meter and tied for fourth overall with an impressive time of 10.30 in the 100-meter dash inside James G. Presley Stadium. The time ranks tied for 10th nationally and the mark stands as the best by an A-Sun sprinter this season. Monal, who is coming off his best indoor season at ETSU, made his outdoor debut in flying fashion on Friday. The Belle Glade, Fla. native enjoyed the trip back to his home state, as his mark should puts him tied for seventh in the NCAA East Region and first among Atlantic Sun competitors.

McNair, a senior thrower for the Owls, competed in the Florida Relays at the University of Florida this past weekend. The senior competed in the shot put and hammer throw, putting together two solid performances. The native of Hinesville, Ga. placed 10th in the shot put with a top toss of 16.50 meters, breaking his school record of 15.96 meters that he set at the Relays back in 2008. His 54.06 meter throw in the hammer put him 16th and in front of throwers from schools such as Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, and Clemson.

Fans can follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and on Facebook. Visit twitter.com/AtlanticSun to begin receiving updates on conference news, weekly awards, and from A-Sun championships. Atlantic Sun followers with a Facebook account can become a "fan" of the conference by visiting facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference.

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
Adam Austin, Lipscomb (Fr. - Jumps - Terre Haute, Ind. - Business/Marketing) – Austin set a new personal record in the high jump at the Austin Peay Invitational in Clarksville, Tenn. The Terra Haute, Ind. native is tied for the A-Sun lead in this category.

Justin Crawford, USC Upstate (Jr. - Jumps - Elgin, S.C. - Nursing) – Crawford broke his own school record in the pole vault. At the Duke Invitational, the Elgin, S.C., native finished in the top-10 as he stood as one of five competitors to clear a height of 15-03.00 (4.65m). That mark surpassed his old mark of 15-01.00 (4.60m) which came at last season’s Atlantic Sun Outdoor Championships. The mark also ranks as the best in the A-Sun this season by nearly six inches.

David Dennison, USC Upstate (Fr. - Distance - Carlisle, Pa. - Business Administration) – Dennison was part of two new school records last week. At the Duke Invitational, in the 1,500-meter run, the first year Spartan set a new record of 3:57.55 as he finished 13th. Dennison became the first person in program history to finish the event in less than four minutes. His time of 3:57.55 places him third in the Atlantic Sun. He was also part of the 4x400 relay team that set a new record. The Carlisle, Pa., native ran the second leg for the relay team that recorded a time of 3:27.05, breaking the old school mark of 3:31.30. The relay team owns the fourth best time in the conference this season.

Joe Frye, Belmont (Jr. - Throws - Roscommon, Mich. - Music Business) – Frye continued to excel in throwing events over the weekend. The Roscommon, Mich. native notched a top-three finish in all but one event at the Austin Peay Governors Invitational on Saturday. Frye set school records in the shot put (14.57m) and the hammer throw (56.48m), taking third and second place, respectively, in each event. The junior’s mark in the hammer ranks as the best by any Atlantic Sun thrower so far this season by nearly six feet. Frye also finished second in the discus with a mark of 45.21m before taking fifth in the javelin with a distance of 42.28m.

Cornell Sneed, ETSU (So. - Throws - Miami, Fla. - Criminal Justice) – Sneed captured his first-ever collegiate crown by taking home gold in the discus on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Invitational. Sneed, who posted a season-best toss of 152-11 (46.62m) in the event, beat out a field of 19 competitors by over four feet. Chad Lawson from VMI finished second with a distance of 148-04. The sophomore criminal justice major’s toss ranks second in the conference this season.