NEW ORLEANS - Seven Anderson University track and field standouts have earned All-Region honors, as recently announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the 2012-13 Division II outdoor track & field season.
A total of 1,283 student-athletes have earned a total of 1,836 USTFCCCA All-Region honors. The USTFCCCA regions for track & field match those used for NCAA Cross Country Championships. The top five from each region in individual events and each member of a relay ranked in the region's top three earned the All-region distinction for this season.
For the Trojans, senior Josh Butler earned the recognition the
100 meter dash, while fellow seniors Will Byars and Zach Hart
garnered the distinction for the hammer throw and the javelin
throw, respectively. Sophomore Nathan Plank earned the honor for
his performances in both the hammer and discus events.
On the women's side, sophomore Jill Baxter brought home the honor
for both the high jump and the heptathlon, while sophomore Madison
Guest collected the distinction for her performance in the 800
meters. Sophomore Brooklyn Watt also earned the honor for both the
shot put and discus.
On the women's side 613 different student-athletes earned All-Region accolades, headlined by Academy of Art's Vashti Thomas and Johnson C. Smith's Samantha Elliot in six events each. Thomas - who also led the division in All-Region awards during the indoor season - earned West Region honors at 200 meters, in the 100 hurdles, and in the long and triple jumps, in addition to the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
For the men 670, student-athletes were named All-Region, led by a pair of five-time honorees in Belmont Abbey's Dustin Stewart and Southern Connecticut's Twayne Forth. Stewart was named All-Region in the Southeast Region in the decathlon, the pole vault, the javelin, and at 800 and 1500 meters. Forth earned the honors in the East Region at 100, 200 and 400 meters, in addition to as a member of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Nine other men earned four awards apiece.
Southern Connecticut led all men's teams with 36 All-Region awards, followed by Saint Augustine's at 29. Ashland student-athletes earned 26, Grand Canyon claimed 25 and UMass Lowell took home 24.
Defending outdoor champion Grand Valley State earned the largest number of awards among women's teams with 38, followed by Lincoln (Mo.) at 32. Grand Canyon student-athletes earned 25, while UMass Lowell and Academy of Art checked in with 22 honorees apiece
The Northeast-10 was responsible for the largest number of honorees with 115, followed by the MIAA and GLIAC with 86 each. The GLIAC edged out the NE-10 on the women's side with 104 and 97, respectively.
ANDERSON UNIVERSITY HONOREES
Men
Josh Butler Anderson (S.C.) Southeast 100 Meters
Will Byars Anderson (S.C.) Southeast Hammer
Zach Hart Anderson (S.C.) Southeast Javelin
Nathan Plank Anderson (S.C.) Southeast Discus
Nathan Plank Anderson (S.C.) Southeast Hammer
Women
Jill Baxter Anderson (S.C.) Southeast High Jump
Jill Baxter Anderson (S.C.) Southeast Heptathlon
Madison Guest Anderson (S.C.) Southeast 800 Meters
Brooklyn Watt Anderson (S.C.) Southeast Shot Put
Brooklyn Watt Anderson (S.C.) Southeast Discus
