Track and Field Earns SLC Awards
2/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 21, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin junior Ashley Monteau and track and field head coach Phil Olson both received Southland Conference honors for their performances at the SLC Indoor Championships, league officials announced Tuesday. Monteau was named the Outstanding Female Track Performer, and Olson was named Women's Coach of the Year, capping off another strong showing at the indoor championships.
Monteau, a distance specialist from Anahuac, Texas, earned two All-SLC honors while breaking a pair of school records at the indoor championships to take the outstanding track performer title. She was the conference champion in the 5,000 meters with a new school record time of 16:47.74. Monteau followed that performance up by finishing second in the 3,000 meters. Her time of 9:51.10 broke the school record she set earlier this month at the Houston Indoor Invitational.
The Ladyjacks' second consecutive SLC indoor team title led to Olson's second straight SLC Indoor Women's Coach of the Year Award. Olson has now been named the conference coach of the year four times during his six years in charge of the SFA program.
The Ladyjacks got several top-notch individual efforts en route to their team championship. SFA recorded two individual championships, seven all-conference performances and broke five school records.
Sophomore Audrey Azu joined Monteau atop the pedestal with her gold-medal performance in the high jump. Sophomore Alecia Green finished second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.62. She broke the school record in the preliminaries with a 7.58. Senior Crystal Chang finished second in the pentathlon and broke the school record she set earlier this season with a point total of 3,907. Junior Leah Matthews earned all-conference accolades in two events. She finished third in both the 60-meter hurdles and the pentathlon. Her time of 8.49 in the 60 hurdles is a new school record, breaking the mark she set at last year's SLC Indoors.
The Lumberjacks finished third as a team and enjoyed their fair share of individual success, as well. The SFA men swept the conference titles in the throwing events, recorded nine All-SLC showings and set two new school records.
Junior Kenneth McKinley won the shot put with a school-record throw of 57-09.75. Sophomore Darwin Johnson took gold in the weight throw with a new school record mark of 60-03.25. Senior Marc Farris and junior Cody Clark finished second and third, respectively, in the 5,000-meter run. Farris picked up his second all-conference honor of the meet with his third-place finish in the 3,000 meters. Junior Ryder Peacock posted a second-place finish in the high jump in his first SLC Indoor competition. The Lumberjack distance medley relay team of Erik Powell, Cole Hollingsworth, Chance Edwards and Robert Smith finished second. Junior Reggie Lazenby recorded a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, and sophomore Geoffrey Carey took third place in the pole vault.
The SFA track and field teams' next scheduled competition is the LSU Last Chance Meet. The meet is scheduled for March 3 in Baton Rouge, La.
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