May 15, 2014
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - WKU Track and Field coach Erik Jenkins has been named the Sun Belt Conference Women's Coach of the Year after guiding the Lady Toppers to their seventh SBC Outdoor title in the past nine seasons, the league announced Thursday. Senior thrower Jessica Ramsey, who won three individual events for the Lady Toppers, was tabbed the SBC Women's Most Outstanding Field Performer while Hilltopper sprinter Elvyonn Bailey was named the SBC Men's Most Outstanding Track Performer.
Jenkins' Coach of the Year honor is his 16th since taking the cross country and track and field coaching reins in 2008. Forty-two Sun Belt Conference Championships have been won across men's and women's cross country and track and field since 2008 and Jenkins has led his programs to 25 of those titles. After leading the Lady Toppers to their seventh outdoor crown, Jenkins exits the Sun Belt Conference with 14 women's titles and 11 men's titles.
Jenkins has led the WKU Track and Field program into uncharted waters this season as both the Lady Toppers and Hilltoppers have reached their highest national rankings in school history. The Lady Toppers have been ranked Top 25 in the USTFCCCA poll in two of the past three weeks, reaching as high as No. 22 in the rankings. The Hilltoppers finished runner up at the SBC Championships last week but have four marks that are currently 11th or better in the NCAA, which resulted in WKU's highest ranking in history at No. 26.
Ramsey received Most Outstanding Field Performer recognition for the third-straight championship meet following three individual crowns at last week's Sun Belt Conference Championships. She broke the Sun Belt Conference Championship record in the shot put by nearly three feet with a heave of 55'9 (16.99m) and also secured wins in the hammer throw and discus. Ramsey currently ranks Top 25 nationally in all three events.
Ramsey's school record shot put mark of 57'4.75 (17.49) on April 12 currently ranks fourth in the NCAA while her hammer throw of 201'7 (61.45m) at last week's championships is the 15th longest in the nation in 2014. She also ranks 25th in the discus at 176'8 (53.84m).
Bailey led all men's scorers with 24 points in receiving his first Most Outstanding Track Performer award. He successfully defended his 200 and 400-meter dash crowns at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships and turned in school record performances in each. Bailey won the 200-meter dash with a blazing time of 20.15 seconds, which ranks fourth in the nation and would have broken the conference record had the wind mark been lower than 2.0.
He raced his way to a 45.52 clocking in the preliminary round of the 400-meter dash, a time that ranks sixth nationally entering the weekend. Bailey also anchored the Hilltoppers' victorious 4X400-meter relay at the SBC Championships and helped the relay record the nation's 11th fastest relay time at 3:05.52 at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 17.
Bailey and Ramsey's marks in their respective events will likely lead berths in the NCAA Preliminary Championships held in Jacksonville, Fla. on May 29-31. A full list of qualifying preliminary participants will be sent out by the NCAA at the conclusion of conference championship meets around the country. WKU sent 15 athletes to last season's preliminary championships and have sent at least 15 four times since 2008.
For more information on WKU Track and Field, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUTrackField or visit WKUSports.com.
