LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- After exclusive voting by the head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), the league office today announced its 2017 Men's Outdoor Track & Field postseason awards.
Marquis Brown of Texas Lutheran University was named the Men's Track Athlete-of-the-Year for the third year in a row, while Matt Love of Trinity University was selected the Men's Field Athlete-of-the-Year. Brown's teammate Grady Shields was named the Newcomer-of-the-Year, and the TLU coaching staff, led by Head Coach Darlene Holland, earned Staff-of-the-Year recognition.
Brown, a junior from Refugio, Texas, dominated this season for the Bulldogs, winning the 200, 400 and 4x100 relay at the SCAC Championships, while tying for second in the 100 meters. He qualified for the NCAA championships in three events, while coming up just short of a fourth. Brown earned All-American honors by placing third in the 400 meter dash at the NCAA championships.
Brown was a unanimous selection for Track Athlete-of-the-Year and previously was named the South/Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year as well.
Love, a junior from New Braunfels, Texas, won the discus at the conference championships before qualifying for nationals with a throw of 51.52 meters. At the NCAA championships, Love placed 11th in the event. He was also named the South/Southeast Region Field Athlete-of-the-Year.
Love earned five of the possible six votes, while Alejandro Briseno of Texas Lutheran earned the remaining vote.
Shields, a freshman from Newcastle, Texas, earned second place finishes in the long jump (23-3/4) and the high jump (6-5 1/2) at the SCAC championships. Both marks are TLU records. Shields also finished sixth in the pole vault with a mark of 10-11 ½.
Shields earned five of the six votes, followed by Trinity's Raphael Martin who earned one vote.
The Texas Lutheran staff was a unanimous selection for Track and Field Staff-of-the-Year after winning the 2017 SCAC Men's Track and Field Championship. The team also sent four athletes to the 2017 NCAA Division III championship and earned one All-American finish. Head Coach Darlene Holland and Assistant Coach Clay Holland earned the USTFCCCA South/Southeast regional coaching awards in their respective categories.
