Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
NEWBERRY COUNTY – The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) released the All-Region awards list for the Division II Outdoor and five members of the Newberry track and field team earned honors.
Kegan Crowell (Beaufort), Sarah Abumere (Waynesboro, Ga.), Andrea Pascual Rivera (Tarragona, Spain), Tyla Stolberg (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) and Irma Watson-Perez (Sanford, Fla.) all made the Southeast region list.
“There are no surprises on this list at all. Each one of them worked hard all season long and trusted the process,” said Mashario Morton, head men’s and women’s track and field coach. “Kalyn Cook had an amazing season also and I believe had he not got hurt, he would have been All-Region as well. I love this for our athletes and our program. It clearly shows the direction our program is going.”
Crowell, the South Atlantic Conference Outdoor discus throw champion, had a season that included three first-place finishes – two in discus events, one in a hammer throw event – as he set a new college record in the discus throw with his 48.45-meter throw at the Georgia Southern Classic, a winning effort. Crowell also earned the SAC Varsity Gems Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week award in April.
Abumere set a pair of personal records – and Newberry records – at the SAC Outdoor Championships earlier this month in the 100- and 200-meter events. Earning bronze in both events, she had a 12.00-second performance in the 100m event, and a 24.37-second run in the 200m event in Anderson.
“Great growth for our program, and extremely proud of these athletes and the coaches that got them there,” Jimmy Stephens, director of track and field/cross country, said.
Pascual Rivera, a two-time winner of the SAC Varsity Gems Field Athlete of the Week award this season, had a pair of first-place results this outdoor season, both in the hammer throw. Those came at the Trojan Opener in March and at the Georgia Southern Classic last month. Her 51.75-meter throw in the hammer event at the SAC Outdoor Championships earned a silver medal.
Stolberg earned four top-three finishes in five events this season, all in the javelin. She won the event at the Georgia Southern Classic last month and followed that up with a silver medal performance at the SAC Outdoor Championships a week later. Her throw of 38.05 meters at that meet is a Newberry record.
Watson-Perez set two PRs at the SAC Outdoor Championships, in the discus and hammer throw competitions. Her 43.60-meter throw in the discus event brought home another silver medal for the Scarlet and Gray while her hammer throw mark of 46.59 meters earned a fourth-place result. A week prior, Watson-Perez earned a victory in the discus throw at the Georgia Southern Classic.
“When I first got to Newberry, there were no conference champions or All-Region athletes. I am happy with our progress, but not satisfied. We know we’ve got more in the tank and are far from finished. Our focus has shifted to the next season and we look forward to another great year,” said Morton.