Track and Field MVPs: Pesek and Hawkins
Head Coach Phil Olson Announces 2017 Richardson and Barnett Award Recipients
6/7/2017 9:55:00 AM | Track & Field
The endowed awards honor outstanding performances for one male and one female during the spring semester.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – After the culmination of the 2017 Track and Field season, head coach Phil Olson has announced the winners of the Joe Richardson Track Award and the Carolyn Barnett Track Award for the 2017 Indoor/Outdoor season. The awards are part of the Champions Dinner and Award presentation tradition as endowed award named after former track coaches; however, the track team was still competing at the time of the dinner awards, barring the selection of an athlete.
Coach Olson on Pesek: "Shelby has been rock solid for her teammates as a great leader, and she is someone you can always count on to give her best effort. When you see her jump on the track, you know she will compete at a championship level. We will certainly miss her, but what a great way to go out on top by winning a conference title."
Tedrick Hawkins (Sprints): Hawkins completed another successful season of track after helping lead his relay squad to a third straight NCAA Division I West Preliminary Round appearance. Hawkins capped his junior year with finishing 16th in the men's 4x400 relay and a 39th place finish in the 400m sprint. The product of Tyler, Texas set two new personal records this season in the 200m and the 400m. At the Southland Conference Championship, Hawkins claimed fifth in the 200m with a 21.08 mark, and made it to the podium for a third place finish in the 400m. Hawkins helped his 4x100 relay team claim an individual title at the Texas State Bobcat Classic in May. Hawkins also clenched his own individual title during the indoor season with a 22.46 second 200m run at the Houston Invitational. The junior topped the podium at the SLC Indoor Championship after running the second leg of the 4x400 squad with a time of 3:14.81. Hawkins also medaled with a third place finish in the 200m and second in the 400m.
Coach Olson on Hawkins: "Teddy has grown so much in our program and on campus these last two years. He has worked extremely hard to prove to himself that he can compete at a high level and succeed in life. He was outstanding during both the indoor and outdoor championship meets, and really helped carry this team. We also love how involved he has become in the Nacogdoches community and in his selfless service to others. He is only going to continue to grow as a leader for our program."
-SFA-
To recap the season, the Stephen F. Austin Track and Field teams finished their 2017 competition year with a first and second place finish at the Southland Conference Championship and saw 14 athletes qualify for the NCAA Division I West Preliminary round in Austin, Texas two weeks ago.
Olson and the other track coaches are extremely proud of the Lumberjack team's determination and performance and what they have meant to the program. They look forward to another outstanding season next spring.
For the Carolyn Barnett Track Award, senior Shelby Pesek was chosen for the honor, and for the Joe Richardson, junior Tedrick Hawkins was selected for the honor.
Shelby Pesek (Long Distance): Pesek finished her tremendous SFA career with a runner-up finish in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2017 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships. The Corpus Christi native rest the school record for the second time in that event. Pesek initially broke the 3,000m steeplechase record last year, but then came back for a 10:30.29 run that set the bar even height for the program. Pesek also finished fourth at the SLC Championships in the 5,000m, and also took part in the prestigious Bob Larson Distance Carnival at UCLA, placing third among many elites. For the indoor season, the senior claimed a third place finish in both the 3,000m and the 5,000m.Coach Olson on Pesek: "Shelby has been rock solid for her teammates as a great leader, and she is someone you can always count on to give her best effort. When you see her jump on the track, you know she will compete at a championship level. We will certainly miss her, but what a great way to go out on top by winning a conference title."
Tedrick Hawkins (Sprints): Hawkins completed another successful season of track after helping lead his relay squad to a third straight NCAA Division I West Preliminary Round appearance. Hawkins capped his junior year with finishing 16th in the men's 4x400 relay and a 39th place finish in the 400m sprint. The product of Tyler, Texas set two new personal records this season in the 200m and the 400m. At the Southland Conference Championship, Hawkins claimed fifth in the 200m with a 21.08 mark, and made it to the podium for a third place finish in the 400m. Hawkins helped his 4x100 relay team claim an individual title at the Texas State Bobcat Classic in May. Hawkins also clenched his own individual title during the indoor season with a 22.46 second 200m run at the Houston Invitational. The junior topped the podium at the SLC Indoor Championship after running the second leg of the 4x400 squad with a time of 3:14.81. Hawkins also medaled with a third place finish in the 200m and second in the 400m.
Coach Olson on Hawkins: "Teddy has grown so much in our program and on campus these last two years. He has worked extremely hard to prove to himself that he can compete at a high level and succeed in life. He was outstanding during both the indoor and outdoor championship meets, and really helped carry this team. We also love how involved he has become in the Nacogdoches community and in his selfless service to others. He is only going to continue to grow as a leader for our program."
-SFA-
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