(Story courtesy of Millsaps College)
JACKSON, Miss. - With the nation's best time in NCAA Division III this year in the 100 meter dash of 11.97 seconds, Millsaps College track athlete, Erica Cook, is ranked number one in the nation and has automatically qualified for the National Championships to be held at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio; May 26-28.
Cook, captain of the Millsaps Women's Track and Field Team, is
also ranked 17th in the 200 meter event. The rankings are compiled
by USTFCCCA. Along with her automatic qualification in the 100, she
is provisionally qualified for Nationals in the 200.
The USTFCCCA has ranked Millsaps Women's team 50th in the nation in
Division III, due in large part to Erica's rankings.
“This is only Erica's second season to run track,” said
Millsaps Track & Field cead coach, Andy Till. “Her rate
of improvement in such a short amount of time is unlike anything
I've ever seen in my 17 years of coaching. In one year she's taken
more than a half a second off her 100 meter time, that's
incredible.”
Erica has excelled at these distances all season long. She is the
current record holder for the Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference after winning the 100m and 200m at the recent SCAC
Spring Championships.
In preparation for the National Championships, Erica will travel to
Clemson University for the Clemson Tiger Qualifier on May 13 and
14.
“Erica has continually set a high standard for her younger
teammates, helping to create the foundation of the young
program,” Till said. “Her leadership and work ethic
have been an inspiration for her teammates and will hopefully set
the stage for an outstanding performance at Nationals.”
Cook, a senior Psychology major at Millsaps, is also on the
volleyball team. She is from Gainesville, Fla. where in high school
she played volleyball and was a state champion power-lifter.
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