By: by Emily Diekelmann
KENNESAW, Ga. – After winning their second straight Atlantic Sun Outdoor Conference Championship, 13 athletes from the Kennesaw State men’s track and field team were named All-Conference. In order to win the award, an athlete must finish in the top three of their respective event.
"We had many athletes earn All-Conference recognition which is a testament to their ability level and the work that they’ve put in this year," head track and field coach Andy Eggerth said. "These athletes have had to struggle through the adversity of not having a coach for 4-5 months, not having a place to train for an additional 2 months, and the earliest conference championship in the nation, resulting in even less time to prepare. None-the-less, I’m very proud of our athletes as they have overcome this adversity, largely without complaining, and simply took care of business earning their due recognition."
Six of the 13 athletes were able to win multiple All-Conference nods for their outstanding performances over the two day meet. Senior Josh McNair in his final season as an Owl nabbed an award for first, second and third in the discus, shot put and hammer, respectively. Joining McNair was first year Owl Anjoun Armaly, who got first in the triple jump and second in the long jump and also anchored the 4x100 relay team to a first place finish.
Distance duo of Jaakko Nieminen and Nabil Hamid both received two awards for their feats. Nieminen finished first in the 5,000 meters and second in 10,000. Hamid beat teammate Nieminen in the 10,000 meters and in his first ever steeplechase race, finished second in the 3,000 steeple.
Kendall Parks had a stellar outing using his 110 meter hurdles first place time to help him qualify for NCAA Preliminaries at the end of the month. He also earned another award with Armaly for the 4x100 race with teammates Antonio Logan and Jemir Martinez.
Finishing out his Kennesaw State track career, Gianni Catalano went out on top with a first place victory in the 800 meters. He beat the second place finisher by over a second in the race.
Still not finished with their season, the Owls continue to work towards a qualifying spot at the NCAA Prelims that are hosted in Bloomington, Ind. at the end of May. This weekend several members of the squad travel to Tallahassee, Fla. for the Florida State Twilight Meet.
All- Conference Award Winners
Anjoun Armaly- triple jump and long jump
Gianni Catalano- 800 meters
Brian Graham – decathlon
Nabil Hamid- 3,000 steeplechase and 10,000
Joshua James- 400 meter hurdles
Antonio Logan- 4x 100 relay
Jemir Martinez- 4x100 relay
Jerome McKinzie- high jump
Josh McNair- discus, shot put and hammer throw
Kendall Parks- 110 meter hurdles and 4x100 relay
Adam Reed- pole vault
Cameron Zeman- high jump
