ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Liberty men and the Coastal Carolina women won the 2008 New Balance Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championship Presented by UCS and Mondo Saturday afternoon at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of Winthrop University.  The Flames posted a team score of 232 points, while the Lady Chanticleers finished the meet with 230 points.

Charleston Southern’s Alonzo Spurley took home the men’s Outstanding Track Performer for his efforts during the meet.  Spurley won both the 100 meter and 400 meter events.  In the 4X100 meter relay, he helped his team to a first place finish and ran a leg of the 4X400 meter team that finished second overall.  Dionne Gibson of Charleston Southern won the Outstanding Women’s Track Performer.  Gibson won the 200 meters and the 400 meters, and also led her team to the top spot in both the 4X400 and 4X100 meter relays.

The men’s Most Outstanding Field Performer went to Liberty’s Jon Hart.  Hart picked up first place in the hammer throw and the shot put, while finishing fifth in the discus.  The women’s honor went to Shemelia Brandon of Radford.  Brandon took home top honors in the triple jump and the long jump.

Charleston Southern’s Misha Morris won the women’s Freshman of the Year award.  Morris took first place in the 100 meters and led her 4X100 and 4X400 meter relay teams to a No. 1 finish.  Morris also earned All-Conference honors in the 200 meters as she finished third in the event.  Clarence Powell of Liberty won the men’s Freshman of the Year award as he finished atop the podium in the triple jump.

Brant Tolsma of Liberty won the men’s Coach of the Year, while Tosha Ansley took home the women’s Coach of the Year award.  Ansley led Charleston Southern to their best finish since 1996 as the Bucs finished second.  Tolsma led his Flames to their 13th championship in the program’s history.

Men’s Most Outstanding Track Performer
Alonzo Spurley, Charleston Southern

Women’s Most Outstanding Track Performer
Dionne Gibson, Charleston Southern

Men’s Most Outstanding Field Performer
Jon Hart, Liberty

Women’s Most Outstanding Field Performer
Shemelia Brandon, Radford

Men’s Freshman of the Year
Clarence Powell, Liberty

Women’s Freshman of the Year
Misha Morris, Charleston Southern

Men’s All-Academic Team
Clendon Henderson, Liberty 
Blair Paul, Coastal Carolina 
Josh Morgan, High Point 
Ben Switzer, VMI 
Justin Meade, Winthrop 
Sean Bossman, Radford 
Erik Nabi, UNC Asheville 
Jean Pierre Poisson, Charleston Southern

Women’s All-Academic Team
Felicitas Mensing, Coastal Carolina 
Rebekah Ricksecker, Liberty 
Ingrid Allstaedt, UNC Asheville 
Jasmine Jones-Green, High Point 
Brittany Christian, Radford
Marie Doan, Charleston Southern 
Rebecca Holmes, Winthrop

Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Clendon Henderson, Liberty

Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Felicitas Mensing, Coastal Carolina 

Men’s Coach of the Year
Brant Tolsma, Liberty

Women’s Coach of the Year
Tosha Ansley, Charleston Southern