RALEIGH, N.C. (March 4) – Saint Augustine’s University earned five NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Athlete and Coach of the Year honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
Shannon Kalawan (So./Westmoreland, Jamaica) was named women’s track athlete of the year and Jumonne Exeter (Sr./St. Vincent) was selected men’s field athlete of the year. George Williams was chosen men’s head coach of the year and Sandy Chapman was named men’s and women’s assistant coach of the year.
Kalawan ranks first nationally in the 400 dash with a time of 52.71, which is the seventh-fastest time in Division II history. She also ranks eighth nationally in the 200 dash and anchors the nation’s fourth-ranked 4×400 relay team. The CIAA Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, Kalawan won the 200 and 400 dashes and anchored the 4×400 relay team to victory at the conference meet, where the Lady Falcons finished as runners-up.
Exeter ranks fifth nationally in the triple jump with a mark of 50-9½. He was named CIAA Field MVP at the conference meet, where he keyed the Falcons to the men’s crown. The Falcons’ senior won the triple jump and placed second in the long jump for 18 points, the highest of any competitor in the field events.
The legendary Williams directed the Falcons to their 22nd consecutive CIAA men’s title with a dominating 83-point victory over second-place Virginia State. The Falcons won five events to grab the championship. Williams was named CIAA Indoor Coach of the Year after the meet for the Falcons, who rank first in the Atlantic Region and 14th in the country.
Chapman coached nine competitors in 400 and 800 events who qualified for the NCAA championship meet, which will be held March 8-9 in Pittsburg, Kan. The women qualifiers are Davia Smith (Jr./Manchester, Jamaica), Amanda Crawford (Jr./Brooklyn, NY) and the top-ranked Kalawan in the 400 dash. The foursome of Smith, Crawford, Kalawan and Danielle Scantlebury (Fr./St. George, Barbados) qualified for the 4×400 relay.
The men qualifiers are Nathan Fergusson (Fr./St. Thomas, Barbados), Jalen Jones (Fr./Raeford, NC) and Brandon Parris (Sr./Sion Hill, St. Vincent) in the 400 dash, and Shaquille Dill (Sr./Pembroke, Bermuda) in the 800 run. The quartet of Fergusson, Jones, Parris and Darren Alfred (Fr./Bethel, Trinidad & Tobago) qualified for the 4×400 relay. The Falcons are the nation’s top-ranked 4×400 unit.
– Office of Sports Information
