June 15, 2010
NEW ORLEANS - In the process of winning another set of dual NCAA Championship team titles in Eugene, the No. 1 Texas A&M track and field team totaled 38 All-America honors. The Aggie men and women each earned 19 honors, with Curtis Mitchell leading the way with four All-America honors apiece.
A&M women's tally of 19 led the women's field with Oregon next at 18 honors and LSU with 15. Likewise, the Aggie men's count of 19 led the men's field with Florida next with 15 honors and 12 for LSU.
All-America honors awarded by United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) are given to individuals and relay members who achieved a top-eight finish during the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. In addition, the top eight finishing athletes among U.S. citizens from the NCAA Championships gain All-America status.
Texas A&M had 10 athletes earn multiple All-America honors. Mitchell and Tarmoh earned four All-America honors apiece in the same event areas - 100, 200, 4 x 100, and 4 x 400.
Mitchell, who scored 13.5 points in the meet, earned a silver medal in the 200 and placed sixth in the 100. He was part of the Aggie 4 x 400 relay that claimed gold in a school record. It was the first time an A&M men's 4 x 400 won the NCAA title since 1989.
Tarmoh totaled 18.5 points as she led off both relays. The Aggies won the 4 x 100 and placed second in the 4 x 400 with a school record. Tarmoh also finished second in the 100 and third in the 200.
Also collecting multiple honors were Porscha Lucas (3-100, 200, 4x100), Ashika Charan (2-Triple jump, 4x4), Dominique Duncan (2-200, 4x1), Tabarie Henry (2-400, 4x4), Bryan Miller (2-4x1, 4x4), Demetrius Pinder (2-400, 4x4), and Vashti Thomas (2-100 hurdles, Long jump).
Single honors were earned by another nine A&M athletes: Donique' Flemings (4x4), Trinity Otto (Decathlon), Hillary Pustka (Javelin), Zuheir Sharif (Triple jump), and Tyron Stewart (Triple jump).
Lucas, a senior from Plano, Texas, improved her Aggie school record All-America total to 19 honors, receiving three more during the NCAA Championships in Oregon where she led the Aggies with 20.5 points.
In defending her NCAA title in the 200 meters, Lucas became the first female sprinter to do so since Juliet Cuthbert of Texas (1985-86). She is the collegiate leader over 200 meters for the third consecutive season with her 22.49 from the semifinal race.
Lucas also ran the second leg on her fourth consecutive NCAA champion 4 x 100 relay, becoming the first sprinter (male or female) in NCAA history to accomplish that feat. In the 100 meters Lucas enjoyed her highest finish, claiming the silver medal.
Beard, a silver-medalist in the 400 for the second consecutive year who scored 12.5 points, is currently second on the Aggie all-time list with 12 All-America honors. Charan, with seven career All-America honors, moved into a tie for fifth on the women's list with Clora Williams.
Tarmoh's collection of four outdoor honors gives her six in one season with Texas A&M and ties her with Rosa Jolivet, Anjanette Kirkland and Gabby Mayo. Tarmoh also earned three All-America honors as a freshman with Tennessee in 2008 and her career total numbers nine.
Phiri is now tied for the second most All-America honors among Aggie men with a career tally of eight, joining an elite group that includes Howard Davis, Chris Dykes, Stanley Kerr and Randy Matson. Phiri will likely pass current men's leader Justin Oliver, who earned nine All-America honors.
Miller's career total of seven ties him with Andre Cason at the No. 7 position among A&M men. Reaching a total of six career honors are Mitchell and Sharif, who equal Richard Bucknor, Brandon Evans, Leslie Kerr and Julian Reid on the Aggie all-time list.
TEXAS A&M TRACK & FIELD
All-America Honors - Women
1. Porscha Lucas 19
2. Jessica Beard 12
3. Simone Facey 11
4. Adrian Sawyer 8
5. Ashika Charan 7
Clora Williams 7
7. Rosa Jolivet 6
Anjanette Kirkland 6
All-America Honors - Men
1. Justin Oliver 9
2. Howard Davis 8
Chris Dykes 8
Stanley Kerr 8
Randy Matson 8
7. Andre Cason 7
9. Richard Bucknor 6
Brandon Evans 6
Leslie Kerr 6
Curtis Mitchell 6
Zuheir Sharif 6