Wednesday, April 28, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Campbell sophomore runner Rachel Deline earned Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week honors after an outstanding performance Saturday at the USC Upstate Invitational, while USC Upstate’s Camille Masanotti earned the field award after breaking her own school-record in the women's pole vault.

Deline collected her first career win, taking the women’s 800-meter run at the USC Upstate Invitational Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C. The Belleville, Ontario native notched her third-best time of the season in the event with a 2:21.31, clearing teammate Tara Franklin by over six seconds (2:27.99), who placed second. Deline’s win marked the first in the women’s 800m for Campbell during the outdoor season.

Masanotti edged out Campbell’s Courtney Raynor, as well besting a trio of competitors from Charlotte in the pole vault, cleared a height of 11-03.75/3.45m, surpassing her old school-mark of 10-06.00/3.05m that came at the 49er Classic (March 19-20). The freshman’s mark of 11-03.75/3.45m ranks as the fourth-best in the Atlantic Sun this season. Masanotti competed in three other events at Saturday’s meet, in the high jump, the long jump and the 100-meter hurdles for the first time in the outdoor season. The Ladson, S.C. native finished ninth in both the high jump and the long jump, as she recorded a mark of 4-09.00/1.45m in the high jump and a mark of 15-00.05/4.58m in the long jump. Masanotti’s leap ties for 13th in the A-Sun in the high jump. The psychology major finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.75.

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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
Nadia Natt, Campbell (Fr. - Sprints/Jumps - Undeclared) – Natt notched her second win of the outdoor season in the women’s triple jump, leading Campbell at the USC Upstate Invitational Saturday. The freshman recorded a mark of 11.56 meters in the triple jump, her second-best tally of the season after setting a school record last weekend at the Charlotte Invitational with a leap of 12.21 meters. Natt also finished fourth in the women’s long jump with a measurement of 5.28 meters.

Lauren Walker, USC Upstate (So. - Distance – Columbia, S.C. - Nursing) – Walker finished third-overall and as the first Atlantic Sun runner to cross the finish line in the women’s 1,500-meter run Saturday. At the USC Upstate Invitational, the Columbia, S.C. native set a new personal-best time of 4:57.75 ahead of eight other competitors from the A-Sun.