Wednesday, March 31, 2010

MACON, Ga. –. ETSU’s Jasmine Ingram broke a facility record to earn Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week honors while Jacksonville’s Charlene Charles continued her impressive freshman campaign to earn Field Athlete of the Week.

Ingram set a new facility record in the 400-meter dash Saturday afternoon at the Catamount Classic in Cullowhee, N.C. Ironically, one Buccaneer record fell but a new one was set in the women’s 400-meter dash, as Ingram clocked in at 54.50 – breaking the track facility record which was formerly held by ETSU standout Nicola Cornish (54.59 at 2005 the SoCon Championships). Ingram’s time marked the top finisher out of 17-athletes on Saturday, and her time also places her 24th in the country.

Charles posted the top heptathlon score in the nation after finishing with 5,325 points to finish second at the FSU Relays. The Alfortville, France native won the high jump (5’7”), 200-meter (24.56), 100-meter hurdles (13.90) and long jump (19’4.25”), while finishing second in the 800-meters (2:19.34). The freshman’s high jump mark also sets a new school record. Charles finished the weekend by running a victorious leg of the 4x400-meter relay that tallied a school record time of 3:40.24. Charles now leads the conference in the 100-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, 200-meter, heptathlon, 4x100 and 4x400.

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
Camille Masanotti, USC Upstate (Fr. - Jumps - Ladson, S.C. - Psychology) – Masanotti posted a fifth-place finish in the women’s pole vault at the Beynon Sports Catamount Classic. The freshman psychology major’s jump of 10-00.00/3.05-meters marks the second best in program history. Masanotti also competed in the 100-meter hurdles where she finished 15th.

Elizabeth Mize, Campbell (Sr. - Jumps - Cary, N.C. - Trust Management) – Mize took the women's high jump, the best of 11 top-five Campbell finishes on the second day of competition Saturday at the Asics/Winthrop Invitational at the Irwin Belk Tack Complex. Mize claimed the crown with a 1.65-meter mark. The win marked the senior’s first of the season after losing a tie-breaker in the Atlantic Sun Indoor Championships earlier this month. Mize also took the high jump portion of the pentathlon at the Liberty Open during the indoor season.

Joane Pierre, Jacksonville (Fr. - Distance - Immokalee, Fla. - Management) – Pierre recorded two school record performances at the FSU Relays. Pierre finished fourth in the Elite section of the 1,500-meter in a school record and conference leading time of 4:30.49 on March 26th. The next day she won the Elite 800-meter section in a time of 2:12.15 - also leads the conference.

Jemeli Sang, USC Upstate (So. - Distance - Eldoret, Kenya - Nursing) – Sang raced into the USC Upstate record books as she shattered the school-record in the 10,000-meter run. The Eldoret, Kenya native, with a time of 35:39.35, posted a fourth-place finish at the Raleigh Relays. Sang’s record-setting time marks the fastest this season in the Atlantic Sun by more than 45 seconds and also places her 27th-nationally.

Khalia Turner, Belmont (Sr. - Sprints - Nashville, Tenn. - Accounting) – At the Vanderbilt Black and Gold Invitational, Turner won the 400-meter with a time of 56.90, besting the second-place finisher by more than three seconds. The senior accounting major’s mark ranks second-best among all Atlantic Sun sprinters. Turner also finished fifth in the 200-meter at the meet.