Eugene, Ore. - As the 2008 Summer Olympic Games approach and Team USA assembles, two of the Atlantic Sun Conference's finest student-athletes embark on a quest to bear the red, white and blue in Beijing. Long jumpers Natasha Harvey and Shaquania Lundy of Jacksonville make the voyage to the Pacific Northwest and historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. for a chance to compete with the elite athletes of the world at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials. Follow Natasha, Shaquania and Jacksonville Head Coach Ron Grigg on AtlanticSun.org as they share their experiences from this historic event.
Harvey and Lundy will both be competing in the 24-women field in the long jump, of which only five of the athletes, including Harvey and Lundy, are current collegians. They will first compete on Monday at 10:05 PM EDT in the qualifying stage of the long jump. The top 12 performers will advance to the finals which will be held on Thursday after two days of rest. The top three finishers will earn a trip to Beijing, provided they have achieve the "A" standard of 6.72 M. Harvey's best jump this year, 6.60 M, came at the NCAA Nationals Meet, while Lundy enters the meet with a best of 6.52 M.
Harvey won the Most Outstanding Field Performer at both the Atlantic Sun's Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships after winning the long jump, triple jump and 60-meter hurdles at the Indoor meet and the long jump, heptathlon and 100-meter dash at the Outdoor Championship. Lundy took second to Harvey at the long jump and triple jump at the Indoor meet but won the triple jump at the Outdoor meet and added a second in the long jump.
While in Oregon, Harvey, Lundy and their head coach at Jacksonville, Ron Grigg, have agreed to share their experiences through an online diary that will appear on AtlanticSun.org throughout the week.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
