(July 14) Emory University senior Richard Hite has been awarded a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. He is one of 10 men's outdoor track athletes nationwide, two in Division III, to be so honored.
The scholarship provides for a one-time grant of $6,900 to be used towards graduate school tuition any time in the next three years.
Hite graduated as an All-American in the outdoor 800-meter run where he holds six of the 10 fastest times in school history. Hite carried a 3.97 grade point average as a double major in biology and mathematics.
Hite is the first Emory men's track and field athlete ever to receive the NCAA postgraduate award. He also is the first to be honored as an NCAA postgrad recipient and Verizon Academic All-American, considered the two most prestigious academic-related awards for college student-athletes.
(June 16) Richard Hite and Chris Nehls have been named to the Verizon Academic All-America team for men's cross country/track and field. Hite was selected for the first team and Nehls the third team. Previously, both were voted to the Academic All-District first team.
This is the second consecutive year Hite has been honored. He made the Academic All-America second team last year. This is the first Academic All-America honor for Nehls.
Hite earned All-America honors at the NCAA indoor track championships this winter with an eighth-place finish in the 800-meter run. Hite had a 3.97 GPA as a double major in biology and mathematics.
Nehls finished third in the 55-meter hurdles at the NCAA indoor track championships to become an All-American. He posted the fastest time in the nation this season in the 110-meter hurdles. Nehls, an economics major, carried a 3.56 GPA.
(May 29) Phil Hagedorn, Richard Hite and Chris Nehls have been named to the Verizon Academic All-District First Team for men's cross country/track and field. All three become eligible for the Academic All-America team to be announced this summer.
Emory is the only school to have three honorees on the 10-person all-district first team.
Hagedorn carried a 3.57 cumulative grade point average (on 4.0 scale) as an English major. A cross country standout last fall, Hagedorn earned all-region, all-conference, and all-state honors for the third consecutive year. He finished 41st out of 215 runners at the NCAA national meet, just missing All-America honors by six spots.
Hite was chosen for the Academic All-America second team last year. He earned All-America honors at the NCAA indoor track championships this winter with an eighth-place finish in the 800-meter run. Hite had a 3.97 GPA as a double major in biology and mathematics.
Nehls finished third in the 55-meter hurdles at the NCAA indoor track championships to become an All-American. He posted the fastest time in the nation this season in the 110-meter hurdles. Nehls, an economics major, carried a 3.56 GPA.
(May 24) The Emory University 4x100-meter relay finished in ninth place in the finals at the NCAA Division III national championships. The team of Lewis Brown, Chris Nehls, Blake Staub, and T.J. Jennings finished with a time of 47.42 seconds.
The Emory University 4x400-meter relay also finished in ninth place in the finals at the NCAA Division III national championships. The team of Nehls, Jennings, Rob Bullard, and Richard Hite finished with a time of 3:16.91.
Emory has no more competitors remaining in the meet.
(May 23) Senior Richard Hite concluded his collegiate career with a time of 1:54.47 in the 800-meter run preliminaries at the NCAA Division III national championships. Hite did not qualify for the finals in the event.
Junior Chris Nehls finished with a time of 14.85 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles in the preliminaries at the NCAA Division III national championships. Nehls also did not qualify for the finals in the event.
Emory will compete in the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay tomorrow.
(May 22) Freshman Rob Bullard finished 14th in the high jump at the NCAA Division III national championships. Bullard cleared a height of 1.96 meters.
At the 2002 NCAA indoor track national championships, Bullard finished in 15th place with a height of 1.93 meters. Bullard's best jump of the season was 2.07 meters at the Clemson Outdoor Classic on May 10, which is the third-highest in school history.
(May 17) In a last tuneup before the NCAA national championships, Emory competed in the Georgia Tech Invitational. Chris Nehls pulled double duty, running in the 110-meter hurdles and on the 4x100-meter relay.
Nehls finished ninth out of 18 runners in the 110 hurdles where he was the only Division III runner in the field. His time of 14.48 seconds marked the 10th time in 10 races this season he has surpassed the provisional qualifying time standard for the NCAA national meet Nehls' season-best time in the event, 14.09 seconds still stands as the fastest in the nation in Division III. The next-best time is 14.39 seconds.
The Emory 4x100 relay was 11th out of 12 entrants with a time of 42.14 seconds. They automatically qualified for the NCAA nationals earlier this season with a time of 41.31 seconds that stands as the eighth best in the nation.
Official selections for the NCAA national championships are late Monday night (May 19). The NCAA championships are May 22-24 in Canton, N.Y.
(May 11) Emory sent competitors to meets at North Central College (Ill.) and Clemson University (S.C.). Richard Hite lowered his NCAA qualfying time in the 800-meter run at North Central.
Hite finished the 800 run in a time of 1:50.53, which ranks as the second fastest time in the event this season for NCAA Division III and is the third NCAA qualifying time in six races this season for Hite. It also cut more than half a second from Hite's previous season best time, which was the third fastest time in the nation at 1:51.18. Hite finished in fourth place of 55 competitors, but was the fastest Division III runner in the field.
Chris Nehls was eighth of 17 competitors in the 110-meter hurdles at Clemson with a time of 14.27 seconds. That time surpassed the automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA national meet, something he had already done three times earlier this season.
Rob Bullard set a personal record with a mark of 2.07 meters in the high jump at Clemson. That is the 12th best mark in the nation in Division III this season and betters the NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
(May 3) Freshman Rob Bullard finished sixth in the high jump at the University of Georgia Invitational. Bullard cleared a height of 2.05 meters (6-8 3/4), which equaled his best jump of the season. That height provisionally qualifies Bullard for the NCAA national championships.
(April 27) Emory University finished second at the University Athletic Association championships.This is the fourth consecutive year Emory has placed in the top two at the conference meet.
Chris Nehls was named the men's Most Outstanding Performer for the meet. He won the 110-meter hurdles, finished second in the 400-meter hurdles, and ran a leg on the victorious 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Nehls surpassed the automatic qualifying mark for NCAA championships in the preliminary heat of the 110 hurdles and the provisional standard in the finals of the same event. He has bettered the provisional mark in all eight of his 110 hurdles races this season, including two automatic times. His preliminary time in the event, 14.41 seconds, shattered the conference record of 14.56. Nehls becomes the second person in conference history to win the outdoor title in the 110 hurdles three times and he could be the first to do so all four years.
Richard Hite won the 800-meter run in impressive fashion with a time of 1:51.18 which surpassed the automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA national meet. The time is the third fastest in the nation this season in NCAA Division III. This is Hite's second consecutive UAA outdoor title in the event, which he also won at the conference indoor championships this year and in 2001.
Rob Bullard was an individual champion in the high jump. He is the first Emory champion in the event since Troy Thompson in 1997.
Emory athletes accounted for 14 all-conference honors (top three finish) in individual events along with the two relay events. Blake Staub was second in the 100-meter dash and third in the 200m dash. T.J. Jennings was second in the long jump and third in the high jump.
Jennings and sprinter Lewis Brown both suffered pulled a hamstrings and were unable to finish the meet.
Jennings did finish first in the preliminaries for the 100-meter dash but was unable to run in the final. He also was first in the prelims for the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.73 seconds that bettered the provisional qualifying standard for the NCAA national championships. Jennings ended up making all-conference in two individual events, scoring 14 points, compared to last season when he did the feat in four individual events for a total of 34 points.
Brown, the conference's top seed in the 100-meter dash, also was forced to the sideline with a hamstring pull in his first event of the meet while managing to take third in the prelims of the 100 dash.
(April 19) Emory fared well at the Vanderbilt Invitational, setting three new school records at the meet.
Chris Nehls shattered his old school record with a nation-leading time of 14.09 in the 110-meter hurdles seconds. He was first among college runners in the race.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Lewis Brown, Nehls, Blake Staub, and T.J. Jennings finished first among Division III teams, setting a new school record and meeting the automatic qualifying time for the NCAA national championships. The 4x400-meter relay team of Nehls, Jennings, Rob Bullard, and Richard Hite also broke the old school record and finished first among Division III teams.
Other top performances for the Eagles included Bullard in the high jump (third place), Hite in the 800-meter run (fourth place), and Phil Hagedorn in the 5000-meter run (fourth place).
(April 12) Emory won the Emory Quadrangular meet, defeating the second place team by more than 50 points.
Event winners for the Eagles included Chris Nehls in the 100-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles, T.J. Jennings in the 200-meter dash and the long jump, Richard Hite in the 400-meter dash, Chris Leahy in the 800-meter run, Anthony Caponiti in the 1500-meter run, Jon Newberry in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Rob Bullard in the high jump, and Ryan Muetzel in the discus.
(April 5) Emory competed in two meets over the weekend, the Duke Invitational and the Sewanee Relays at the University of the South.
The Eagles finished fifth of 12 teams at the University of the South.
The school fared well in the Duke Invitational, which consisted largely of Division I schools. Highlights included Chris Nehls who broke his own school record with a Divison III leading time of 14.35 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles, the 4x100 relay of Lewis Brown, Chris Nehls, Blake Staub, and T.J. Jennings which set a school record time of 41.91, and the 4x400 relay of Chris Nehls, Rob Bullard, Blake Staub, and T.J. Jennings, which also set a school record with a time of 3:15.64. Bullard also finished third in the high jump with a jump of 2.03 meters.
(March 29) Emory finished first of 22 teams at the Emory University Classic, a field which included several NCAA Division I and II opponents.
Phil Hagedorn won the 10,000-meter run with a time of 31:18.43, which was more than 20 seconds faster than his nearest competitor. Chris Nehls also won an event by finishing first in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.66 seconds. Freshman Rob Bullard high-jumped 2.03 meters to win his event as well.
Also posting top-five finishes at the meet were: Rich Hite (800-meter run-second), John Wofford (pole vault-second), Felipe Custer (javelin throw-third), Owen Farcy (1,500-meter run-third), Euler Bropleh (110-meter hurdles-fourth), Andrew Podgurski (3,000-meter steeplechase-fourth), T.J. Jennings (100-meter dash-fifth, long jump-fifth), and Jon Newberry (3,000-meter steeplechase-fifth).
(March 22) Emory finished second of 18 teams at the Emory Division III Spring Break Invitational.
The 4x100-meter relay team won their event finishing with a time of 41.96 seconds, provisionally qualifying for the national championship meet in May.
Juniors Phil Hagedorn (5,000-meter run) and Chris Nehls (110-meter hurdles) each won events for the Eagles. Owen Farcy (1,500-meter run), Blake Staub (100-meter dash) and Rob Bullard (high jump) posted second place finishes.
The following athletes all posted top-five finishes: T.J. Jennings (long jump-third, 200-meter dash-fourth), Jon Newberry (steeplechase-fourth), Euler Bropleh (long jump-fifth), Andrew Podgurski (steeplechase-fifth), and Blake Staub (200-meter dash-fifth).
(March 17) Emory's three runners at the NCAA Division III indoor track championships in Greencatle, Indiana all finished in the top 15 in their events.
Chris Nehls earned his first indoor All-American honor by finishing third in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.51 seconds.
Richard Hite also earned All-American status, finishing eighth in the 800-meter run with at time of 1:57. He ran 1:54.10 in the preliminaries.
Freshman Rob Bullard finished 15th in the high jump with a jump of 1.93 meters.
Emory placed 30th out of 60 scoring teams.
(March 10) The Emory track team has three members that have qualified for the NCAA Division III indoor track championships, which will be held at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana from March 14-15.
Chris Nehls is an automatic qualifier in the 55-meter hurdles. His time of 7.45 seconds is the fastest time this season.
Rob Bullard is a qualifier in the high jump. Bullard was named the most outstanding rookie at the UAA Championships after winning the high jump. His jump of 2.05 meters is his best so far this season.
Richard Hite is a qualifier in the 800-meter run. Hite won this event at the UAA Championships with a time of 1:53.05, which is the fourth fastest time in the country this season.
(March 8) Emory University won the University Athletic Association indoor track championship.
Lewis Brown (55-meter dash), T.J. Jennings (200-meter run and long jump), Richard Hite (800-meter run), Rob Bullard (high jump), and the 4x400-meter relay team all won their events.
Blake Staub (55-meter dash), Chris Nehls (400-meter run), Phil Hagedorn (5,000-meter run), Euler Bropleh (55-meter hurdles), Ryan Muetzel (shot put), and the distance relay team all finished second in their events.
For their performances, T.J. Jennings was named the meet's most outstanding performer and Rob Bullard was named the most outstanding rookie of the meet.
(March 1) Emory University finished second out of 12 teams at the University of the South Invitational.
Rob Bullard (high jump), Chris Nehls (55-meter hurdles), and Lewis Brown (55-meter dash) won their events. Trey Wofford was second in the pole vault and Wesley Thomas placed third in the long jump.
Emory heads to the conference indoor championships next weekend. Last season, the Eagles were second in the University Athletic Association.
(Feb. 21) Chris Nehls lowered his national-leading time in the 55-meter hurdles at the University of Tennessee Invitational.
Nehls was timed in 7.45 seconds in the finals, a full tenth of a second faster than his previous best this season which was the fastest in the nation in NCAA Division III. The time not only surpassed the automatic qualifying time for the NCAA Division III championships, but also was one-hundreth of a second off the provisional qualifying time for the Division I championships.
Nehls, an outdoor All-American in the same event, finished fourth out of 22 competitors while representing the only Division III school in the event.
Rob Bullard was fourth in the high jump at 2.00 meters (6 feet, 6 3/4 inches). He already holds the best jump by a conference performer this season at 2.03 meters (6'8").
(Feb. 15) Emory finished second at the CCIW-UAA Challenge in Kenosha, Wis. The meet brings together selected schools from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and the University Athletic Association.
Lewis Brown was a double winner in the 55- and 200-meter dashes. Richard Hite was a winner in the 800-meter run while again bettering the provisional qualifying time for the NCAA national meet.
One week after turning in the fastest time in the nation, 7.55 seconds, in the 55-meter hurdles, Chris Nehls nearly equalled that time twice. He ran a 7.57 in the preliminaries and a 7.58 in the finals to win the event. No other runner in the nation has broken 7.62 in the event this season. Both of Nehls' times provisionally qualified him for the NCAA national meet and broke the track record.
Phil Hagedorn won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:58.30, missing the NCAA provisional time standard by 3.3 seconds. His time was the second fastest by a UAA runner this season.
(Feb. 8) Emory's two outdoor All-Americans demonstrated at the DePauw (Ind.) Invitational they are ready to try for indoor All-America status.
Chris Nehls recorded the fastest time in the nation to date in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.55 seconds in the preliminary round. He followed up by running a 7.69 in the finals to win the event out of 23 competitors. Both of his times surpassed the provisional qualifying standard for the NCAA national indoor meet while his prelim time was 1/100th of a second off the automatic qualifying time.
Richard Hite won the 800-meter run out of 26 runners with a time of one minute and 53.62 seconds. That is the third-fastest time in the nation this season and provisionally qualifies him for the NCAA national indoor meet. Hite's time broke the track and meet records.
Emory finished second out of 15 teams.
(Feb. 1) All-American Chris Nehls set a school record in the 60-meter hurdles at the East Tennessee State University Invitational.
Nehls was timed in 8.36 seconds, shattering his previous school record of 8.59 seconds. Nehls , a two-time outdoor All-American in the 110-meter hurdles, is aiming for his first indoor All-America honor. He won the conference indoor title in the 55-meter hurdles last season.
Sprinter Lewis Brown posted the second fastest time in school history in the 60-meter dash at 7.08 seconds. That also was the fastest time by any conference performer this season. Brown also recorded the second-best time in the conference this season in the 200-meter dash at 22.92. He is a four-time indoor conference champion in the sprint events.
All-American Richard Hite was timed at 1:55.11 in the 800-meter run bumping his own time from the top of the conference list of best times this season. The time also was narrowly within reach of the third best in school history.
Phil Hagedorn turned in the best time this season by any conference athlete in the 5000-meter run at 15:13.99. The time was just within reach of his career-best time which is the third fastest in school history. Hagedorn is a two-time conference runnerup in the 10,000-meter run.
(Jan. 24) Emory University fared well in its first scored meet of the season, defeating University of the South (Tenn.) 100-46 in a dual meet.
Blake Staub was a multiple winner with victories in the 200-meter dash and the 55-meter dash.
Rob Bullard won the high jump for the second consecutive meet. His height of 2.03 meters (6 feet, 8 inches) is the fourth best in the nation this season and meets the provisional qualifying standard for the NCAA national meet.
T.J. Jennings won the long jump with a jump of 6.89 meters (22 feet, 7 1/4 inches). That is the second-best jump in the conference this season.
(Dec. 8, 2002) Emory University opened its indoor track season at the Christopher Newport Invitational.
Returning All-American Richard Hite won the 800-meter race in a field of 18 runners, nearly all of whom were from NCAA Division I schools. Hite's winning time of 1:56.08 was a career-best time and more than two seconds faster than the winning time at the conference indoor championships last season.
Senior thrower Ryan Muetzel set career personal bests in the shot put (44 feet and 11 3/4 inches) and weight throw (39-3 1/2).
Emory returns to action next semester on Jan. 25 at the University of the South (Tenn.) Invitational.
(Aug. 21, 2002) Both Emory University outdoor track and field squads have been recognized as All-Academic Teams by the U.S. Track Coaches Association (USTCA). In addition, four Emory track-athletes were cited as All-Academic Individuals.
Emory is one of 11 schools in NCAA Division III to have both its men's and women's squads receive this honor. Of those 11 schools, Emory was the only one to be listed among the best national universities according to U.S. News and World Report.
The women's team had a cumulative grade point average of 3.34 (on a 4.0 scale) and the men's team had a 3.32 GPA.
Cited as All-Academic Individuals are:
Sarah Byrd Weldon, NC (Roanoke Rapids)
Angela Davie Cedar Crest, NM (Manzano)
Richard Hite Geneseo, NY (Geneseo Central)
Chris Nehls Boulder, CO (Fairview)
To qualify, individuals must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25, completed at least two semesters, and participated in the NCAA national outdoor track and field championships. Teams are eligible for the honor if they have at least a 3.10 cumulative GPA with at least 14 competitors on the squad.