Thursday, April 15, 2010

MACON, Ga. –. Campbell’s Harold Sims raced his way to another 400-meter hurdles title this week and Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week honors, while ETSU’s Nic Chernikow dominated the decathlon to earn the Atlantic Sun Field Athlete of the Week accolade. 

Sims, a senior, took the men's 400-meter hurdles title at the UNC Invitational for the second straight year, one of six top-three Campbell finishes Saturday. The mark vaulted Sims to the top of the Atlantic Sun performance list this season by better than two seconds, clocking in at 51.70. The biological science major, took Saturday's race in convincing fashion, topping the competition by nearly two seconds, as North Carolina's Radlin Reynaldo finished with a time of 53.20 in second-place. Sims also competed in the men's 110-meter hurdles, finishing seventh with a time of 14.75. That time ranks fifth overall in the A-Sun. Sims took home a pair of A-Sun Player of the Weeks awards last season. Saturday's win marked the third of the season for Sims. The Oxford, N.C. native earned 400-meter and 60-meter hurdles all-conference honors during the indoor season.

Chernikow enjoyed a solid weekend at the 44th annual Sea Relays in Knoxville, Tenn., as he posted a conference- and season-best mark in the decathlon with 6,055 points. Chenikow, a Seymour, Tenn. Native, entered the final day in tenth but moved up to seventh, and second among collegiate finishers, in a loaded field. Chernikow’s 6,055 points moved him past teammate Jordan Briggs into first among A-Sun competitors by more than 500 points. Chernikow, a senior business major, collected 3,277 points on day one and totaled 2,833 points in the track events.

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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
Eric Chapman, USC Upstate (Sr. - Throws - Cowpens, S.C. - Fitness and Recreation) – Chapman recorded a trio of top-three finishes on Saturday at the Furman Invitational. Chapman was victorious in the hammer throw after recording a toss of 44.63m. He finished second in the discus (39.25m) and took third in the shot put (11.47m).

Nabil Hamid, Kennesaw State (Fr. - Distance - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Undeclared) – Hamid broke Kennesaw State's 23-year-old record in the 10,000-meter run at the Sea Ray Relays, running the event in 30:41.73 to finish in eighth place. The effort was even more impressive given the fact that it was the first 10,000-meter race that he has competed in his track and field career.

Michael Meissner, USC Upstate (Jr. - Sprints - Cottage Grove, Minn. - Political Science) – Meissner had a strong showing at Saturday’s Furman Invitational. The junior won the 400-meter dash by nearly a full second as he recorded a time of 50.26. Meissner followed that up with a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash. He just missed out on his second victory of the day as he recorded a time of 22.63, finishing right on the heels of Elias Conits (22.62).

Duronal Monal, ETSU (Sr. - Sprinter - Belle Glade, Fla. - Business) – Monal highlighted the ETSU track and field team Friday evening at the 44th annual Sea Relays. Monal sprinted his way to a top-five finish in the 100m and won his heat in the 200m. Monal turned in a time of 10.57 in 100m to finish fourth, and raced his way to an eighth-place showing by recording a mark of 21.18 in the 200m.

James Post, UNF (Fr. - Mid Distance - Melbourne, Fla. - Construction Management) – Post broke UNF's school record in the 800-meter with a time of 1:51.86, finishing fifth at the Seminole Invite. Post's time qualifies him for the U.S. Junior Championships (under 20) in June. He also leads the conference with his time in the 800m.