2013 - ACU Track & Field Preview

Abilene Christian University Track and Field Preview

2013 Season – by Don Garrett

ACU remained right at the top of the LSC world in 2012, with the men winning the LSC title (albeit by a scant 5.5 points over TAMU-Kingsville) and the women losing the women losing the title by ½ of a point to Angelo, the smallest margin in the history of the LSC. Both team races made an exciting LSC outdoor championship meet. The ACU teams face very different tasks in 2013 – the women have very few vacancies to fill after last season and appear to have filled those holes with some superstar quality athletes. The ACU men have to replace 54% of their points from last season, including replacing the greatest thrower in LSC history.

WOMEN – looks like another team championship brewing with Angelo State and with a fast-charging West Texas A&M

Athletes Lost – Karla Hope (3^rd in the 400 and 4^th in the long jump) and Alexis Wilder (6^th in the shot put and 3^rd in the hammer throw. Including relay legs, these 2 women represent 24 points or 12.5% of ACU’s total of 195 in 2012.

Key Returnees – lots of seniors finishing their careers for ACU in 2013 – next year will be a crucial recruiting year for the Wildcats as they move to the Southland Conf

·         Cassie Brooks – Sr - 4^th in the LSC heptathlon in 2012, after a 2011 season which saw her win the heptathlon, get 4^th in the high jump and 6^th in the 100 hurdles

·         Alyse Goldsmith – Sr – 3^rd in the 10K and 4^th in the 5K in 2012, after winning both events in 2011

·         Lauren Hartwick – Soph – 1^st LSC hammer throw

·         Emily Hill – Soph – 4^th LSC 800

·         Shalaina Lakey – Jr – 3^rd LSC hammer throw and 7^th discus

·         Amelia Mitchell – Jr – 2^nd LSC javelin in 2011 and 2012

·         Amanda Ouedraogo – Sr – 1^st triple jump and 7^th long jump; 2^nd in the D-II triple jump outdoors, after winning the national triple jump indoors

·         Karolyn Palmer – Soph – 3^rd LSC 100, also 11^th in the 100

·         Tara Riley – Jr – 2^nd discus and 5^th shot put

·         Ayesha Rumble – Sr – 2^nd LSC 800, 5^th 1500; 4^th in the D-II 800 at the national meet

·         Sydney Smith – Sr – 16^th in the LSC 100 in 2012, after finishing 3^rd in the 100 and 300 in 2011

·         Shennae Steele – Sr – 1^st LSC 100 and 200

·         Chloe Susset – Sr – 1^st LSC steeplechase and 1500, and 2^nd in the 5K (28 huge points)

·         Lexus Williams – Soph – 1^st 100 hurdles, 2^nd 400 hurdles; 6^th in the D-II 100 hurdles

Newcomers – only 2 newcomers (ACU has a very small team overall), but both are potential superstars

·         Elea Diarra – Soph from France – ran on the French 4x400 relay in the 2012 Olympics – should have a great impact in the 200/400

·         Reyare Thomas – Jr from Trinidad and Tobago – ran on the Trinidad 4x100 relay in the 2012 Olympics – she was the junior college 100/200 champ in 2012 for Central Arizona

ACU’s Achilles heel will undoubtedly be their lack of depth. They will need to see production from every single person on their roster. This recruiting year will be crucial to ACU, since at least 7 of their women finish their eligibility this year.

MEN – losses were heavy from 2012 – like I mentioned above 54% of their points are gone from last year. ACU had a relatively good recruiting year, bolstered by some walk-on kids who appear to have a future. It appears that they will see a dip in overall production in 2013 that might make it hard to defend their LSC outdoor championship for the 20^th consecutive year in their swan song in the LSC.

Athletes Lost – Dennis Bain (won the LSC 110 hurdles, plus 6^th in the 100 and 200; then 2^nd in the D-II 110 hurdles); Paris Robertson (3^rd 100, 4^th 200); Jake Schofield (8^th steeple, 9^th 1500); Will Pike (9^th in the 10K, after finishing 4^th in both the 5K and 10K in 2011); Michael Rason (4^th 110 hurdles); Levance Williams (2^nd long jump and triple jump and 4^th in the high jump in the first time he ever tried the event); Milo Parsons (6^th in the hammer throw – he is now the throwing coach for Hardin-Simmons); and Nick Jones – the greatest thrower in LSC history (1^st in the shot and discus, 3^rd in the hammer throw and 6^th in the javelin in his only time to ever compete in the event; he then won the D-II discus for the 4^th time and finished 3^rd in the shot, after winning the D-II indoor shot). Whew! Not easy to replace such great athletes.

Key Returnees – not all is lost, still some solid returnees for the ‘Cats. Lots of seniors on this squad as well, so recruiting is important to ACU to be a factor in the Southland Conference in 2014

·         Aaron Bynum – Jr - 4^th in the LSC javelin and 10^th in the discus

·         Jordan Geary – Sr – won the LSC 400 and finished 2^nd in the 200, national qualifier in both events

·         Darian Hogg – Jr – all-conference receiver finished 4^th triple jump and 5^th long jump in the LSC, qualifying in the long jump for nationals

·         Banjo Jaiyesimi – Sr – 3^rd LSC 800, 8^th 1500

·         Kevin Johnson – Sr – 2^nd LSC 110 hurdles (1^st in 2011); national qualifier in the event

·         Baptiste Kerjean – Sr – won the LSC hammer throw and was 3^rd at the D-II meet

·         Parker Petty – Sr – won the LSC decathlon in 2011 and 2012, plus finishing 4^th in the pole vault and 5^th in the javelin throw, before finishing 9^th in the D-II decathlon

·         Matthew Stark – Sr – 8^th in the decathlon and a three-way tie for 8^th in the pole vault (that is why both ACU and TAMU-K have a  1/3 point on their totals), after finishing 3^rd in the decathlon in 2011 – already a national qualifier for the indoor heptathlon this season

Returnees who could help – ACU can make up some of the 94 points lost from 2012 from within – there are several of these kids who could potentially score at conference: Osie Alleyn-Forte (13^th LSC 400 and younger brother of LSU All-American Ade Alleyn-Forte); Gary Duncan (24^th LSC 5K); Erik Forrister (9^th LSC 5K, 13^th 10K – missed scoring last year in the 5K by one-tenth of a second); James Grantham (22^nd LSC 800).

Newcomers – a solid bunch, but probably not enough to make up for all of those lost points from 2012

·         Malcolm Barnes – Fr from Cypress Creek – 5^th Region III-5A triple jump

·         Josh Bloom – Fr from Kingwood Park – won the Dist 18-4A shot put and discus

·         Devan Brown – Fr from Abilene Wylie – at the 3A state meet, he was 3^rd in the 100 and 5^th in the 200

·         Jonathan Farquharson – Fr from Orlando Christian Prep – in the Florida 1A state meet, he won the long jump and was 2^nd in both the 100 and 200

·         Bryton Fernandez – Fr from Abilene Christian HS – 2^nd in the TAPPS 2A high jump, plus 2^nd in the 4x100 and 3^rd in the 4x200

·         Keaton Hart – Fr from Houston Northland Christian – at the TAPPS 4A state meet he won the long jump, was 3^rd in the triple jump and 6^th in both the 100 and 200 – grandson of long-time ACU teacher and administrator, the late Dwain Hart

·         Andrew Hudson – Jr from Bushland and Oklahoma State – former 2A state discus champ, he was 10^th in the Big 12 discus in 2011 after a knee injury scuttled his football career at OSU – may help some with the loss of Nick Jones

·         Xavier King – Fr from Ontario – at the Ontario HS championships, he won the 2000 steeple and was 3^rd in the 1500 and 4^th in the 5K

·         Taylor Ochs – Fr from Midland Christian – 3^rd in the TAPPS 3A 800

·         Jelani Rainey – Fr from Lucas Lovejoy HS – won the Dist 11-3A shot put and discus

·         Jeremy Tatham – Fr from St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Florida – 4^th in the Florida 4A triple jump, he also went to state in the 110 and 400 hurdles – son of former All-American jumper Mazel Thomas Tatham

·         Luke Woods – Fr from Houston Northland Christian – at the TAPPS 4A state meet, he was 3^rd in the 300 hurdles and 4^th in the 110 hurdles – training as a decathlete

One of the better recruiting classes in the LSC this year – with a big emphasis on kids who will help down the way.