University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Tigers Track And Field: 2015-16 In Review
Aug 24, 2016 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Squads excel in both competition and the classroom.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It happens so often it sometimes seems not noteworthy. And yet, for another season, the University of Memphis men's and women's track and field programs prove again success can be had in both the arena of competition and in the classroom.
It's what Tigers head coach Kevin Robinson terms "the total package" – student-athletes excelling both in the classroom and on the field. Since he took over both programs prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Robinson continues to stress this to his student-athletes on a daily basis.
"This year, again, is a testament about what our program is built on and stands for," said Robinson. "We performed well athletically in 2015-16, and from all the academic honors we earned, it shows we also took care of our business in the classroom.
"This shows the total picture of what we're trying to accomplish. I'm thrilled for the student-athletes and what they accomplished. When we can compete at the highest level at the NCAAs and also perform at the same or higher level academically, that says a lot about our program."
The following details the 2015-16 Memphis track and field/cross country academic and athletic accomplishments:
One 2016 Olympian
Former Tiger Pauls Pujats competed in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics as a member of the Latvian National Team. Pujats advanced past the qualifying round to the final-12 in the men's pole vault. Tigers assistant coach Tyler Fraizer served as a Latvian National Team coach.
Four Olympic Qualifying Participants
*former student-athlete
Three All-Americans
16 NCAA East Preliminaries Qualifiers, a school record
Luis Hanssler, Men's Decathlon (advanced past preliminaries to NCAA Championships)
11 Program Records Set In 2016, a school record for a single year (previous record was nine in 2013)
15 U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honorees, the most in program history and also tops in the American Athletic Conference
52 American Athletic Conference All-Academic honorees (25 men/27 women), the fourth-highest total among the league's track and field/cross country programs
It's what Tigers head coach Kevin Robinson terms "the total package" – student-athletes excelling both in the classroom and on the field. Since he took over both programs prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Robinson continues to stress this to his student-athletes on a daily basis.
"This year, again, is a testament about what our program is built on and stands for," said Robinson. "We performed well athletically in 2015-16, and from all the academic honors we earned, it shows we also took care of our business in the classroom.
"This shows the total picture of what we're trying to accomplish. I'm thrilled for the student-athletes and what they accomplished. When we can compete at the highest level at the NCAAs and also perform at the same or higher level academically, that says a lot about our program."
The following details the 2015-16 Memphis track and field/cross country academic and athletic accomplishments:
One 2016 Olympian
Former Tiger Pauls Pujats competed in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics as a member of the Latvian National Team. Pujats advanced past the qualifying round to the final-12 in the men's pole vault. Tigers assistant coach Tyler Fraizer served as a Latvian National Team coach.
Four Olympic Qualifying Participants
| Carolina Carmichael | United States | Women's Pole Vault |
| Juan Paul Green | Jamaica | Men's 400m |
| Richard Lowe* | United States | Men's 400m Hurdles |
| Ashley Pryke | Canada | Women's Javelin |
Three All-Americans
| Carolina Carmichael | Women's Pole Vault (indoor/outdoor) |
| Luis Hanssler | Men's Decathlon (outdoor) |
| Jordan Wesner | Men's High Jump (outdoor) |
16 NCAA East Preliminaries Qualifiers, a school record
| Clara Amat-Fernandez | Women's Pole Vault |
| Dorina Baiker | Women's Pole Vault |
| Martine Bye | Women's High Jump/Women's Javelin |
| Carolina Carmichael | Women's Pole Vault |
| Michael Criticos | Men's Javelin |
| Davon DeMoss | Men's 100m |
| Juan Paul Green | Men's 400m |
| Chardae Greenlee | Women's Triple Jump |
| Aaron Persinger | Men's 400m Hurdles |
| Ashley Pryke | Women's Javelin |
| Martina Rodriguez Sala | Women's 1500m |
| Rafael Vallery | Men's Discus |
| Luke Vaughn | Men's Discus/Men's Shot Put |
| Jordan Wesner | Men's High Jump |
| Jasmine Wilson | Women's Javelin |
| Sydney Wright | Women's Long Jump |
- Men's team placed third at the American Athletic Conference Championships, the second time in three seasons with a top-three finish.
- Women's squad scored 86 points at the American Athletic Conference Championships, which were only 11 points shy of a top-three finish. The 86 points scored were the most by a Tigers women's team at a conference championships meet since 1996 (102 points).
11 Program Records Set In 2016, a school record for a single year (previous record was nine in 2013)
| Davon DeMoss | Men's 60m (indoor) |
| LaForrest Church | Men's 800m (indoor) |
| Luis Hanssler | Men's Heptathlon (indoor) |
| Corentin Louis | Men's 3000m (indoor) |
| Walker/Klatt/Andrews/Church | Men's 4x400m Relay (indoor) |
| Martina Rodriguez Sala | Women's Mile (indoor) |
| Martina Rodriguez Sala | Women's 3000m (indoor) |
| Carolina Carmichael | Women's Pole Vault (indoor) |
| Michael Criticos | Men's Javelin (outdoor) |
| Martina Rodriguez Sala | Women's 1500m (outdoor) |
| Ashley Pryke | Women's Javelin (outdoor) |
15 U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honorees, the most in program history and also tops in the American Athletic Conference
| Men's All-Academic Honorees | Women's All-Academic Honorees |
| Michael Criticos | Dorina Baiker |
| Luis Hanssler | Martine Bye |
| Alex Klatt | Carolina Carmichael |
| Olushola Olojo | Chardae Greenlee |
| Aaron Persinger | Ashley Pryke |
| Yannik Schaly | Martina Rodriguez Sala |
| Rafael Vallery | |
| Luke Vaughn | |
| Jordan Wesner |
- Men's and women's track and field teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition for the fifth-straight year
- Women's squad's 3.52 grade-point average was 25th-highest among the 220 teams honored and tops among American Athletic Conference teams.
- One of five American Athletic Conference schools with teams on both the men's and women's USTFCCCA All-Academic Team lists
- Men's and women's cross country squads earned USTFCCA All-Academic Team accolades for the fifth-straight year
- Men's (3.465 GPA) and women's (3.62 GPA) cross country teams both among the top-25 schools for highest grade-point average on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team lists; women's GPA was highest among the six American Athletic Conference schools on the list
52 American Athletic Conference All-Academic honorees (25 men/27 women), the fourth-highest total among the league's track and field/cross country programs
| Cincinnati | 68 |
| Connecticut | 64 |
| USF | 64 |
| Memphis | 52 |
| Houston | 48 |
| Tulane | 43 |
| Tulsa | 39 |
| East Carolina | 37 |
| Temple | 31 |
| UCF | 26 |
| SMU | 15 |
- Men's cross country earned an NCAA Public Recognition Award for having its Academic Progress Rate (APR) among the nation's top-10 percent
- Women's program swept the American Athletic Conference Team Academic Excellence Awards; Women's cross country, women's indoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field all received the honor
- Luis Hanssler became the first Memphis track and field student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors; named to Academic All-America third team
- Carolina Carmichael (Women's Outdoor Track and Field) and Stephen Tankersley (Men's Cross Country) were honored with the American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards; two of the league-high eight Memphis Athletics received
- Carolina and Ofelia Carmichael both earned NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarships for Careers in Athletics
- Carolina Carmichael and Stephen Tankersley named the University of Memphis' American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes for 2015-16
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-event
/ Women's Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track and Field
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
Multi-event
/ Men's Track and Field
Middle Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Jumps
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