KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. - A total of eight Indiana State track & field athletes have been honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) by being named to the All-Academic team for the 2011 track & field season.
Kelsey Hanley, Nicole Hope, and Richelle Kimble were named to the team from the Sycamore women's squad while Michael Disher, Jonathan Jackson, Ernest Rollins, Andrew Stull, and Jeremiah Vaughan were honored from the men's team.
Hanley was named for the third straight year with a 3.423 grade point average (GPA) while majoring in Safety Management. She competed in the post season for the third straight year advanced to her first NCAA Championships after placing 10th in the women's discus at the 2011 East Preliminary with a distance of 168'-0" (51.20 meters). She also tied 18th in the hammer throw with a distance of 183'-8" (55.99 meters).
She placed 23rd in the discus competition in her first trip to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Hanley fouled on her first attempt but her second throw went 140'-8" (42.89 meters). Her final throw of the competition went 148'-11" (45.40 meters) but wasn't far enough to advance her into the second round of throws.
The Sycamore competed in the hammer and discus in the 2010 East Preliminary Round where she finished 22nd in both events. She also competed in the Mideast Regional in 2009, the last year that the NCAA conducted the regional system, placing 15th in the hammer and 27th in the discus.
Hanley set the Indiana State record in the women's hammer throw at 205'-4" (62.58 meters) during the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also has ISU's second best throw in the discus at 170'-8" (52.64 meters) which she threw at the 2011 EIU Big Blue Classic.
Hanley is also a First Team All-American in Indoor Track & Field after placing seventh in the women's weight throw at the 2011 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. It was her third trip to the national championship in the event and her highest finish. Hanley was 13th at the 2010 Indoor Championships and 15th in 2009. She has the second best weight throw in ISU history at 68'-9.25" (29.96 meters) which she threw at the 2010 MVC Indoor Championships.
Hope earned her first recognition with a 3.664 GPA while majoring in Nursing. She competed in her first post-season as a Sycamore this year as she cleared the opening height of 12'-1.5" (3.70 meters) in the women's pole vault on her third attempt to finish in a tie for 24th.
Hope is no stranger to national competition as she qualified for the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships while a student-athlete at Ohio Northern University.
She has been the top vaulter for the Sycamores since transferring to Indiana State and won the 2011 MVC Outdoor Championship. She has the second best outdoor vault in ISU history of 13'-1.5" (4.00 meters) which she has cleared twice this season with the last coming at the Billy Hayes Invitational.
Kimble earned her second recognition with a 3.689 GPA while majoring in Communications. She competed in her second post-season at the 2011 East Preliminary but failed to clear the opening height in the women's pole vault. She competed in the event at the 2010 East Preliminary Round but failed to clear the opening height.
Kimble tied for second at both the MVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships during her second season as a Sycamore. She has ISU's fourth best outdoor vault after she cleared a personal best 12'-8" (3.86 meters) during the 2011 EIU Big Blue Classic.
Disher was named USTFCCCA All-Academic for the third straight year with a 3.4208 (GPA) while majoring in Accounting. He competed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase for the third straight year at the 2011 East Preliminary Round and finished 36th with a time of 9:10.0. Disher placed 31st in the 2010 East Preliminary and was 22nd at the Mideast Regional in 2009.
Disher has ISU's third best time in the steeplechase of 8:55.37 which he ran at the 2010 ISU Quadrangular. He has finished in the top three of the event at the MVC Outdoor Championships in each of the last three years including winning the title in 2010, finishing second in 2011, and placing third in 2009.
He has been a dominant distance runner for ISU and was named USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic in 2010. He finished in the top 10 at the MVC Cross Country Championships the last three seasons including a second place finish during the 2010 Championships. Disher has ISU's second best 10K time of 30:46.67 and fifth best 8K time of 24:31. He also has the fourth best Indoor 5000 meter time of 14:37.39, the eighth best Indoor 3000 meter time of 8:22.56, and the fourth best outdoor 5000 meter time of 14:27.70.
Rollins earned his first All-Academic recognition with a 3.425 GPA while majoring in Communication. He competed in his first East Preliminary competition last year and placed 30th in the men's triple jump with a leap of 48'-10.5" (14.89 meters).
He established his personal best distance in the triple jump (the sixth best in school history) of 49'-11" (15.21 meters) while placing second at the 2011 MVC Outdoor Championships. He finished second in the event at the 2010 MVC Championships and fourth in 2009. Rollins won the 2011 MVC Indoor Championship in the event with a personal best distance of 48'-10.75" (15.04 meters) which is the 10th best in school history. He was second at the MVC Indoor Championships in 2010 and third in 2009.
Stull received his first All-Academic recognition with a 3.2454 GPA while majoring in Construction Management. He competed in his first East Preliminary competition and placed 39th in a very competitive men's 200 meter preliminaries with a time of 21.79.
Stull finished third in the 200 meters at the MVC Outdoor Championships with a personal best time of 21.19 which is the 10th best in school history. He was second in the event at the 2010 MVC Outdoor Championships.
Vaughan also earned his first All-Academic recognition with a 3.5548 GPA while majoring in Physical Education/Exercise Science. He competed in the men's 1500 meter preliminaries at the 2011 East Preliminary and finished 42nd overall with a time of 3:56.03.
It was Vaughan's first trip to the post season after earning All-Conference recognition three times in the 1500 meters. He finished second in the 2009 and 2010 MVC Outdoor Championships and ran to a third place finish this year. He ran the second fastest 1500 meters in school history of 3:46.03 at the 2011 Indiana Invitational.
Jackson earned his first All-Academic recognition with a 3.4654 GPA while majoring in Biology with a specialization in Medical Laboratory Science. He competed in the post season for the first time in his Sycamore career as he finished 41st in the men's 400 meter hurdle preliminaries with a time of 53.93 at the 2011 East Preliminary.
Jackson ran a personal best 52.68 to finish second in the 400 meter hurdles at the 2011 MVC Outdoor Championships which is the seventh fastest time in school history.
