Wednesday, April 07, 2010

MACON, Ga. –. Jacksonville’s J’Zotta Rolle earned Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week honors after posting two of the conference top marks while Kennesaw State’s Suzzette Van-Lare took the field award with two winnings leaps.

Rolle set a personal best at the Pepsi Florida Relays in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.18 (15th), which ranks 31st nationally, 21st in the East and first in the conference. She also ran the second leg on school-record setting 4x400-meter relay, which ran a 3:39.32 (12th). The time ranks 19th nationally, 12th in the East and first in the conference.

Van-Lare, a sophomore jumper for the Owls, won two events at the Gem of the Hills Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla., taking home the honors in the long jump with a leap of 5.71 meters and the triple jump with a jump of 11.89 meters. The Marietta, Ga. native’s performances, which also included a fifth place effort in the high jump, netted the health and exercise science major 23 points for the Owls, who took home first place at the meet in their first team-scored meet of the outdoor season.

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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
Zachlynn Blackburn, ETSU (Sr. - Throws - Tazewell, Va. - Physical Education) – Blackburn shattered the school record in the hammer this past weekend at the Liberty Invitational from the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex. Blackburn finished third in the hammer, but the Tazewell, Va. native set a new program record in the event after recording a toss of 164-05 (50.11m) – shattering her previous best of 159-05 which was set at the 2008 A-Sun Championships.

Carolyne Chelulei, USC Upstate (So. - Distance - Eldoret, Kenya - Nursing) – In the women’s 1,500 meter run, Chelulei just missed a top-10 finish as she finished 11th with a time of 4:41.12, just behind Charlotte’s Keara Thomas (4:41.11). However, Chelulei did edge out Campbell’s Rachel Deline as she stood as the first Atlantic Sun runner to cross the finish line. The sophomore owns the third fastest mark in the conference in 2010.

Brittany Duerk, Lipscomb (So. - Field Events - Auburn, Ala. - Biology) – Making the transition from basketball to track and field, Duerk’s javelin throw of 123 feet at the Austin Peay Invitational in Clarksville, Tenn. set a new school record. In 2006, Jessie Strange previously set the record of 119.3. Duerk ranks third in the A-Sun in the javelin throw.

Jasmine Ingram, ETSU (Jr. - Sprints - Frederick, Md. - Criminal Justice) – Ingram turned in the second fastest time in the 400-meter among A-Sun competitors over the weekend at the prestigious Florida Relays. On Friday afternoon, the Frederick, Md. native ran her second-fastest time in the event – finishing in 55.49.

Abigail Osborne, USC Upstate (Fr. - Jumps - Abbeville, S.C. - Nursing) – In the women’s high jump, Osborne set a new school-record height of 5-01.00 (1.55m). The Abbeville, S.C. native finished 13th at the Duke Invitational after breaking the record of 5-00.00 (1.50m) set by former Spartan Kelly Westfield at the 2008 Furman Invitational. Osborne’s jump places her in a tie for ninth best in the Atlantic Sun this season.