FERRIS' KAMITRA CARROLL EARNS REGIONAL ATHLETE OF YEAR HONOR

Sophomore Thrower Chosen As Great Lakes Region's Indoor Field Event Winner

Regional Winner

Ferris State's Kamitra Carroll was honored as the NCAA-II Great Lakes Region Indoor Field Event Athlete Of The Year

The award was announced in conjunction with the NCAA-II Indoor Championships held last weekend (March 10-11) at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Mass. The various regional and national award winners were selected by a vote of track and field coaches from across the country.

The region's other award recipients included Grand Valley State's Mandi Zemba (Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year), Nate Peck of GVSU (Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year) along with Missouri-Rolla's Tyrone Smith (Men's Indoor Field Event Athlete of the Year). Jud Logan of Ashland received men's indoor coach of the year recognition while Jerry Baltes of GVSU claimed the women's indoor coach of the year honor.

Mark Schuck of Minnesota State-Mankato and Victor Thomas of Lincoln (Mo.) were chosen as the NCAA-II Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Coaches of the Year, respectively. Also receiving national awards in voting by Division II coaches were Nicodemus Naimadu of Abilene Christian (Texas) (Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year), GVSU's Zemba (Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year), Keith Moffatt of Morehouse (Ga.) (Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year) and Cecilia Barnes of California-State Bakersfield (Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year).

Carroll took 11th overall in the shot put competition at last week's national meet with a toss of 45-2.50 in Friday's (March 10) final round of the event. Carroll's seed mark (48-4) was second overall of 15 throwers heading into the national championships. She claimed the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) shot put title with a first-place toss of 47-6.25 in the conference championships held Feb. 24-25 in Findlay, Ohio.

Carroll received the squad's Most Valuable Women’s Field Event Athlete Award as a freshman during the 2004-05 campaign. She took 11th place overall in the shot put (45-11.25) at the 2005 NCAA-II Outdoor Championships (May 27-28) in Abilene, Texas, after previously finishing 11th (44-2) in the 2005 NCAA-II Indoor Championships (March 11-12) held in Boston. Carroll was an all-conference shot put performer during both the league's indoor and outdoor seasons last campaign.

Carroll bettered her own school indoor record with a toss of 48-4 in winning the event at the Central Michigan Jack Skoog Open held earlier this season (Jan. 13) in Mount Pleasant, Mich. She won the shot put three times during indoor competition this year. In addition, she currently holds the school's outdoor record in the shot put (47-3.75), which was set last season (May 13) at the North Central (Ill.) Dr. Keeler Invitational in Naperville, Ill.

The Ferris State women's indoor track squad compiled six points at last week's national meet after placing fifth of nine competing teams with 59.50 points at this year's GLIAC Indoor Championships. The Bulldogs open the outdoor campaign by taking part in the Saint Joseph's (Ind.) Invitational Saturday, April 1, in Rensselaer, Ind.