RICHMOND, Va. – Elon University Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Mark Elliston and Phoenix freshman Emily Dixon were honored as the Colonial Athletic Association Women’s Coach and Rookie of the Year, respectively, as the league announced its track and field postseason awards on Thursday morning, June 25.
Elliston guided the maroon and gold to the program’s first-ever conference championship and Elon University’s first team title in its inaugural season in the CAA. The Phoenix posted 150 points at the CAA Outdoor Championships, the most in team history at a conference meet. Elon also had six event conference champions and eight individuals receive All-CAA honors. This is the third conference Coach of the Year honor for Elliston overall, who was also named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011.
“It is definitely an exciting honor,” said Elliston. “It’s just a testimony of everyone’s hard work as far as the coaching staff and the young ladies on the team who all came together and did a great job. I’m very honored and appreciate the other programs and coaching staffs that voted so it’s definitely a blessing and an honor. It’s something I am more excited about for the program.”
Dixon concluded a terrific rookie campaign by capturing the league’s heptathlon title at the CAA Outdoor Championships. The Bath, England, native scored a school-record 4,921 points, the most ever in the event at the league championships since 2009. Dixon also earned the league’s Track Athlete of the Week on April 7.
“Emily is a young lady that is really talented and it showed at the conference meet,” said Elliston. “The other coaches and programs noticed it and voted her Rookie of the Year. For that to happen is definitely an honor and I know she’ll be incredibly thrilled. It’s just so exciting to have Elon being noticed and recognized after all the hard work that we’ve done as a team.”
Elon had eight athletes total earn All-CAA honors in 11 events at the league championships. Dixon, Kimberly Johansen (800-meters and 1,500-meters), Bryanna Hames (discus), Jen Esposito (400-meter hurdles) and Tereza Novotna (3,000-meter steeplechase) won the CAA championships in their respective events with Johansen being named the league’s Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet.
In addition to the event champions, earning All-CAA honors for the Phoenix were Sydney Griffin (100-meter hurdles), Megan Kirschling (high jump), Bre’anna Warren (shot put and discus) and the 4×100-meter relay (Jennifer Pash, Simone Jackson, Bria Turner and Griffin) and 4×400-meter relay (Pash, Jackson, Dixon and Esposito) teams. Kirschling was also Elon’s representative on the CAA All-Academic team.
2015 CAA Women’s Track and Field All-Conference Honorees:
100m: Annie Johnson (JMU), Hailey Blackburn (UNCW), Zanae Freeland (Towson)
200m: Latazah Coleman (Delaware), Zanae Freeland (Towson), Kennedy King (JMU)
400m: Camille Gooden (Northeastern), Tyrah Burrow (JMU), Kacey Wheeler (W&M)
800m: Kimberly Johansen (Elon), Meredith Bozzi (UNCW), Claire Tito (W&M)
1,500m: Kimberly Johansen (Elon), Kate Johnstone (Northeastern), Emily Stites (W&M)
5,000m: Emily Stites (W&M), Kathleen Stewart (JMU), Regan Rome (W&M)
10,000m: Dylan Hassett (W&M), Carolyn Hennessey (W&M), Kerri Ruffo (Northeastern)
100m hurdles: DeAna Forbes (JMU), Sydney Griffin (Elon), Valerie Afam (UNCW)
400m hurdles: Jen Esposito (Elon), Ashley Woodards (W&M), Breanna Brukalo (W&M)
3,000m Steeplechase: Tereza Novotna (Elon), Jordan O’Dea (Northeastern), Lucy Young (Northeastern)
4x100m relay: James Madison (Tyrah Burrow, DeAna Forbes, Annie Johnson, Kennedy King), Delaware (Latazah Coleman, Tyler Jackson, Paige Thompson-Charles, Amira Idris), Elon (Jennifer Pash, Simone Jackson, Bria Turner, Sydney Griffin)
4x400m relay: UNCW (Meredith Bozzi, Hailey Blackburn, Sarah Whitman, Alyssa Omile), William & Mary (Kacey Wheeler, Claire Tito, Ashley Woodards, Breanna Brukalo), Elon (Jennifer Pash, Simone Jackson, Emily Dixon, Jen Esposito)
High Jump: Julisa Tindall (CofC), Megan Kirschling (Elon), Morgan Crewe (JMU)
Pole Vault: Jacilyn Briggs (Northeastern), Elizabeth Powell (W&M), Nina Ullom (W&M)
Long Jump: Kennedy King (JMU), Amira Idris (Delaware), Ebony Owusu-Sampah (JMU)
Triple Jump: Amira Idris (Delaware), RoShani Glover (CofC), Chryssandra Tatum (UNCW)
Shot Put: Sarah Sisk (CofC), Bryanna Hames (Elon), Bre’anna Warren (Elon)
Discus: Bryanna Hames (Elon), Bre’anna Warren (Elon), Sarah Hillman (Delaware)
Hammer: Leia Mistowski (W&M), Jade Francis (Delaware), Monica Hagenauer (Delaware)
Javelin: Katie Johnston (W&M), Ashleigh Stallings (Towson), Nicole Genard (Northeastern)
Heptathlon: Emily Dixon (Elon), Shelby Hall (UNCW), Jessica Dunnigan (Northeastern)
CAA Women’s Track and Field All-Academic Team
Cara Butcher, College of Charleston So. North Massepequa, N.Y./Plainedge Dylan Hassett, William & Mary Sr. Alpharetta, Ga./Alpharetta Emily Kimble, UNCW Jr. Swannanoa, N.C./Owen Megan Kirschling, Elon Jr. West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford Allie Rose, Northeastern Jr. Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai Illana Schnaufer, Delaware So. Rochester, N.Y./Penfield Ashley Simmons, Towson Sr. Fishing Creek, Md./Cambridge South Dorcester Kathleen Stewart, James Madison Jr. Holland, Pa./Council Rock South