Tuesday, June 17, 2008

MACON, Ga. - Following strong performances at the 2008 NCAA Track & Field Championships, the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Belmont's Lynette Rives and Jacksonville's Natasha Harvey NCAA Division I All-Americans.

Rives advanced to the semifinals of the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday. Despite setting a school record after running a 23.56 in the semifinal round, Rives came up just short of qualifying for the finals. The junior becomes only the second female outdoor athlete to receive an All-American honor from the USTFCCCA. Rives currently awaits word on whether she will be invivted to compete at the US Olympic Trials.

Harvey capped off a stelar 2008 Outdoor campaign with a silver medal performance in the long jump at nationals. Harvey leapt 21-10 (6.65m) to break the school record of 21-09 (6.63m) she set only a day earlier. The winner of the long jump, Brittney Reese of Ole Miss, tied the world's longest mark of 2008 with a jump of 22-09 (6.93m), which she previously set, to defeat the junior, Harvey. She will compete for a spot on the 2008 US Olympic Team at the Olympic Trials on June 30.

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.