Teddy
WilliamsDevon
Bond
Keith
Benford
Aaron
Fox
FRISCO
— The postseason honors came flying in for the five-time Southland Conference Indoor Champion UTSA men's track & field team on Wednesday, as the league office announced that the Roadrunners won five of a possible six trophies.
Leading the charge was senior All-American Teddy Williams, who was named Athlete of the Year and Outstanding Track Performer for the second year in a row. The Tyler native successfully defended both his short sprint titles at last weekend's conference meet and became the first athlete in league history to win both the 60- and 200-meter dash in consecutive seasons.
He raced to a 6.66 in winning the 60m by six one-hundredths of a second and came back an hour later to record one of the most dramatic finishes in meet history with his triumph in the deuce.
After Southeastern Louisiana's Shannon Grover posted the fastest opening heat time (21.73), Williams clocked the same mark in the second and final section, but when the times were stretched out, he owned a scant one, one-thousandth-of-a-second victory, giving him the eighth gold medal of his illustrious four-year career.
He is the first male to repeat as Athlete of the Year in eight years (Randy Arias, Texas State, 2001-02) and the award now has been handed out a total of four times to Roadrunners student-athletes (Justin Youngblood, 2004/Steven Brown, 2007).
"What else else can you say about Teddy," head coach Aaron Fox said. "He's now won theseawards two years in row and is being honored for all the hard work hehas put in this winter. There isn't really much more I can say thatalready hasn't been said about him."
Meanwhile, Bond became the first UTSA athlete to earn Newcomer of the Year accolades following his gold medal in the triple jump (52-1 ¾/15.89m) and runner-up finish to teammate Keith Benford in the high jump (6-8 ¾/2.05m). His triple jump crown was a first in UTSA history and he picked up silver in the high jump in what was his first competition in the event this winter.
Benford leaped 6-10 ¾ (2.10m) and claimed the Roadrunners third consecutive title in the event and was tabbed the circuit's Freshman of the Year. The Pflugerville native is second honoree in school annals (P.J. McGowen, 2008).
"For Devon and Keith to be honored as the best freshman and newcomershows how hard they've worked and what great competitors they are," Fox said.
Fox was the team's other honoree, as he collected Coach of the Year accolades for the fifth year in a row, which extended his Southland record run of consecutive plaques. Not only did he lead the Roadrunners to a 20.5-point victory over runner-up Stephen F. Austin, but the eighth-year mentor also coached five conference champions last weekend, which pushed the program's all-time total to 50 and 26 of those have come during his tenure.
"The success we've experienced would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of my assistants," he said. "I'm extremely humbled and thankful that my peers have chosen me for this award the last five years."
UTSA will be back in action on Saturday when it takes a limited squad to its outdoor season opener, the Trinity Open.
Meanwhile, Benford (high jump), Bond (triple jump) and Williams (60m) will return to the track on Friday-Saturday, March 12-13, when they tentatively are slated to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Williams currently is ranked fifth nationally in the 60m and is assured a spot in the field, while Bond (16th) and Benford (17th) will have to await word from the Championships Committee on whether or not they will participate.
2010 Southland Conference Indoor Men's Track & Field Awards
· Athlete of the Year: Teddy Williams, UTSA
· Outstanding Track Performer: Teddy Williams, UTSA
· Outstanding Field Performer: Adonson Shallow, Southeastern Louisiana
· Newcomer of the Year: Devon Bond, UTSA
· Freshman of the Year: Keith Benford, UTSA
· Coach of the Year: Aaron Fox, UTSA