Sports

Rams relay team now among nation’s elite

Scott Chancey

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Albany State now has the best 4x100 men’s team in the country.

The foursome of Rodney Coley, Garrion Martin, Isaiah Gay and Oladipo Adeshina won its heat at 39.94 seconds Thursday at Stillman College, posting NCAA Division II’s best time this year. It broke the old conference mark of 40.13, set by Albany State in 2005 when the spring championships were held in Albany.

“Oh man, it’s great because of all the competition we have here,” Rams coach Marvin Oliver said of the feat that also automatically qualified the team for nationals. “It was very exciting.”

Martin also won his 200 heat (20.87), automatically qualifying for nationals. In women’s qualifying, Roxie Griffin won her 200 meters heat, provisionally qualifying for nationals at 24.380, and Robin Thomas won the 800 heat (2:19.10).

Oliver was named the conference’s men’s coach of the year, and the Lady Rams’ coach Kenneth Taylor was awarded the same honor.

In softball, Mindy Mager was named first-team all-conference and the SIAC’s Player of the Year, and coach Robert Skinner was named Coach of the Year.

Deanna Birdsong and Monroe product Ta’Shelya Bynum also were named to the first team. On Thursday, the softball team defeated Tuskegee, 20-2. Winning pitcher Melissa Hurst struck out three through five innings, and Kandis Tate hit a grand slam, finishing 4-for-4 with seven RBI. Bynum finished 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI, and Samantha Hastings was 3-for-4 with three RBI and a walk.

Not bad, considering Albany State trailed Tuskegee, 2-0, early in the game.

Albany State (31-20 overall, 15-0 SIAC) plays Stillman at 1 p.m. today.

And in baseball, the Rams defeated Tuskegee, 11-1 during the day and lost, 4-1, that night against defending conference champion Stillman. No other results were available.

On a positive note, Chuncey Ward was named the conference’s Player of the Year, and also was named to the conference’s first team at shortstop, joined by outfielders Roger Jones and Nathan Coggins, and catcher Tony Elder.

And in tennis, Tonya Huggins-Vire was named first-team All-SIAC.

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