Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Eugene, Ore. - As the 2008 Summer Olympic Games approach and Team USA assembles, two of the Atlantic Sun Conference's finest student-athletes embark on a quest to bear the red, white and blue in Beijing. Long jumpers Natasha Harvey and Shaquania Lundy of Jacksonville make the voyage to the Pacific Northwest and historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. for a chance to compete with the elite athletes of the world at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials. Follow Natasha, Shaquania and Jacksonville Head Coach Ron Grigg on AtlanticSun.org as they share their experiences from this historic event.

Head Coach Ron Grigg:
So things didn't go as planned. Nobody in the field jumped particularly well. Only one collegiate athlete made the final 12, so congrats to Ms. Maduka from Cornell. Natasha had two fouls that required further inspection by the judges as they were very small fouls. Her final jump was a little tentative and not enough to make the final. Shaq just simply wasn't on yesterday (Monday).

However, we are extremely proud of their accomplishments. They represented themselves, their team, their school and the conference with great class. Natasha has been selected to the U23 National team and Shaq is the first alternate. So although we took today off to reflect and relax, we will be back at the practice track tomorrow trying to regroup.

Today we had a chance to do some sight seeing. We saw Pre's Rock (photo), and some yard art with a track and field theme. You can also see the packed crowd in the backgroud after one of Shaq's jumps. I'll tell you, Eugene has the most knowledgeable track fans around. Their excitement and encouragement make the atmosphere electric.

I was happy for my close coaching friend, Mike Smith from Kansas State, as an athlete he coaches, Christian Smith (no relation), dove for the line in the 800-meter run (placing third) and making the team. The TV and print news were saying that race will go down in history as on of the best ever contested on this legendary track.

We become spectators for the next few days before returning to the comforts of Jacksonville.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-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, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.