By: FVSU Office of Sports Information
Yes! It has been quite a year for Fort Valley State University (FVSU) first year head track & field coach, Ellakeisha O'Kelley. In her first campaign, she led the Lady Wildcats Track & Field Team to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship. For that effort, she was named SIAC Eastern Division Coach of the Years and the SIAC Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year.
As a result of the times and distances of an outstanding group of female and male athletes, O'Kelley had eleven FVSU athletes to advance through the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regional who are now competing in the NCAA Championships being held at Johnson C. Smith University (May 27-29th).
However, before championship competition began earlier today, O'Kelley received yet another honor on Wednesday night (May 26th) for her fantastic effort with the FVSU Track & Field Program this season. At the NCAA Championship opening night banquet, O'Kelley was named NCAA Region Coach of the Year.
Like the SIAC honors she received, the NCAA recognition was the first for O'Kelley as a head coach. And true to her genuine character, O'Kelley refuses to take all the credit. “These honors that I have received would surely not be possible were it not for the dedication to excellence that the student-athletes displayed all season. Likewise, without the assistance of my volunteer assistant track & field coaches, Markese Andrews, Tony O'Kelley, and student assistant Antonio Wells, this recognition for me and FVSU would never have occurred. Without question, my depth of gratitude for these student-athletes and my assistant coaches is beyond measure.”
And just when it appears that all honors for O'Kelley this season have been exhausted, word comes from the recently held SIAC Spring Meetings (May 17-21), O'Kelley has President of the SIAC Track & Field Coaches Association. In that capacity, she will facilitate the concerns of track and field coaches to the conference office, athletic directors and presidents of the member schools.
Indeed, it has been quite a year for O'Kelley!
-Wildcats Athletics-
