By: FVSU Office of Sports Information
If the expectation of Fort Valley State University's (FVSU) Head Track & Field Coach Ellakeisha O'Kelley was to simply field a competitive team this year, the first-year coach got quite a surprise at the 2010 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Track & Field Championships when the Lady Wildcats claimed the coveted SIAC Conference Crown.
In a dominate showing in the track events, the Lady Wildcats won the title with a team total of 173 points. In accumulating the point total, the Lady Wildcats finished in first place in eight track events. Portia Wilson, Latonya Payne, and Antionette Oglesby paced the Lady Wildcats with two first places finishes each in individual events.
The SIAC Female Track Athlete of the Year, Portia Wilson, won the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.76. Her teammates Tiffany Moore and Antoinette Oglesby finished fourth and fifth with times of 12.20 and 12.36, respectively.
Wilson, a freshman, also finished first in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.30. Moore finished fifth in the event with a time of 25.31.
Latonya Payne posted two first place finishes as well. Her time of 2:20.40 in the 800 meter run put her ahead of field. In the 1500 meter run, Payne's time of 5:14.35 sent her to the top step of medal stand.
As expected, Antionette Oglesby soared past the competition in the long jump and triple jump. The defending NCAA Champion placed first in the triple jump with a leap of 12.04 meters. In the long jump, her winning distance was 5.83 meters. Teammate Shankevia Burkes finished just behind (second place) Oglesby in the long jump with a 5.56 meter effort. Burkes finished third in the triple jump with a lunge of 11.68.
The final two first place finishes for the Lady Wildcats came in the 4x100 meter relay and 4x400 meter relay. In the 4x100 event, the relay team of Burkes, Kirsten Holland, Nakela Jackson, and Moore combined for a time of 46.26. In the 4x400, the team of T'Shara Hicks, Holland, Jackson, and Moore posted the winning time of 3:49.31.
Other impressive performances by the Lady Wildcats during the championships included a second place finish by Jackson in the 100 meter hurdles (14.17) and a fifth place finish by Hicks (15.35). Payne and Moore finished second and fourth in the 400 meter dash with times of 56.38 and 58.93, respectively.
In the 400 meter hurdles, Hicks raced to a second place finish with a time of 1:02.43 while Raven Wilson claimed third with a 1:04.43 time and Jackson took fourth with a time of 1:07.09.
The SIAC Championship is the first for Head Coach Ellakeisha O'Kelley. For her effort in her first year at FVSU, O'Kelley was named SIAC Coach of the Year, SIAC Regular Season Coach of the Year, and SIAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year.
-Wildcats Athletics-
