RICHARDSON – ACU's
Desmond Jackson and
Nick Jones, Incarnate Word's Elodie Barre`, and Texas A&M-Kingsville's Samantha Alvarez claimed the 2011 Lone Star Conference Track & Field Athletes of the Year awards. The honors were announced Tuesday following a vote of the league's head coaches.
The Wildcats Jackson and Jones earned the top male track and field honors after pacing ACU to its 19th NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship.
On the women's side, the Cardinals Barre` and Javelinas Alvarez seized the top female track and field awards, respectively.
Jackson won the 200-meters along with a second-place finish as part of the 4x100 relay and third in the 100-meters to contribute 18 points at the NCAA championships for the Wildcats.
Jones helped ACU to a national outdoor team title with an NCAA individual title in the discus and second-place points in the shot put. In the discus, the redshirt junior won nationals for the third time, becoming the first three-time winner of the event since Northwest Missouri's Clint Prange (2002-2003-2005). In addition, Jones had two meet-record discus tosses, claiming 198-10 on his first attempt before throwing the 199-4 on his third to win by nearly 15 feet.
Barre` competed in four events –100-meters, 200-meters, 4x100 relay and long jump – at the NCAA championships. She went 19-3.25 in the long jump to finish seventh, and added a ninth-place showing in the 200-meters (24.31). The freshman was timed at 11.84 in the 100-meters and anchored the relay team (46.84). Barre` is just the second UIW all-American.
At the national meet, Alvarez finished second in the high jump. After being the only jumper to clear the first three heights on her first jump, the sophomore topped 5-7.25 before missing three attempts at 5-8.5 to become the first women's all-American since 2007 for Kingsville.
