Seven CAA Standouts Earn USTFCCCA All-American Honors
NEW ORLEANS, La. (June 12, 2012) - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country
Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its All-America honorees for the 2012
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field season on Tuesday, with George Mason leading the way with five selections and William & Mary having two recognitions.
Honors were awarded for performances at the final site of the NCAA
Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships occurring the previous
weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. First-Team USTFCCCA All-America honors were awarded
to those who earned any portion of a team point at the national championships, or
reached an eight-entrant final. Second Team All-America honors were handed out to
those whose final placing in the national meet range from ninth to 16th place.
George Mason junior sprinter David Verburg took home First-Team All-America
honors in the 400 meter dash, and was joined by fellow Patriots senior Ja-Vell Bullard, junior George
Empty and senior Nick Vaughn as first team honorees in the 4x400 meter relay. George Mason senior Lavell Handy collected Second-Team
All-America accolades in the long jump.
Verburg, who advanced to the 400 meter
finals after winning his heat during the first day of competition, crossed the
finish line in a time of 45.22 to finish in fourth place. He then teamed with
Vaughn, Empty and Bullard to finish in seventh place in the 4x400 meter relay with a
time of 3:03.93. Handy recorded a distance of 7.65 meters in his second of three
jumps in the long jump to help advance him to the finals of the event. However,
he was unable to top that mark in his three jumps of the finals as he finished
the competition in ninth place.
William and Mary senior Brandon Heroux brought his collegiate career to a successful end, throwing the javelin a
school-record 73.55 meters (241'4") to finish eighth in the country. Heroux's
performance earned him First-Team All-American honors from the USTFCCCA.
On the women's side, William and Mary sophomore Elaina Balouris claimed the first All-American award of her young career after finishing 19th overall at the NCAA Track and Field Championships
in the 10,000 meter run. She completed the 25-lap, six-plus mile race in
34:41.97, the sixth-fastest time in school history, to earn Honorable Mention honors.