NEW ORLEANS – The ACU men's track and field team has dominated the competition this year on the track, so it should be no surprise they are dominating the post-season awards as well.
The Wildcats took three of four awards handed out Friday by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association, which recognized the top performers in each of the country's eight regions.
Senior sprinter
Desmond Jackson was named the NCAA Division II South Central Region Male Track Athlete of the Year, while senior thrower
Nick Jones was named the region's Male Field Athlete of the Year. Head coach Roosevelt Lofton was named the region's Men's Coach of the Year.
Jackson, a senior from Midland, is the 2011 Lone Star Conference Champion in both the 100 meters and 200 meters with season-best performances of 10.10 and 20.58 seconds, respectively. Both times are the fastest recorded by any NCAA Division II student-athlete this season.
Jones, a junior from Amarillo, will enter the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed in the discus with a season-best of 198-7 (60.53m) and as the No. 3 seed in the shot put where he posted a mark of 60-8.50 (18.50m) this year. Jones was the LSC champ in both events.
Lofton's Wildcats have been ranked No. 1 in the nation for the last five weeks. The Lone Star Conference champions will have nine athletes and one relay competing at the outdoor championship meet, with three athletes that are ranked No. 1 on the national list, along with the top-ranked 4x100 relay team.
