Southern Arkansas University Track & Field head coach Tim Servis has announced that current assistant coach Alonzo Banks, who is the midst of his fifth year at SAU, has been promoted to the role of associate head coach, effective immediately. Hired on Aug. 4, 2014, Banks became the program’s first full-time assistant coach following the announcement that the programs would be rebooted for the 2015 season. Banks will also take over as associate head coach of the SAU cross country programs.
“Coach Banks has done an excellent job developing our athletes and setting a high standard of our expectations on and off the track,” remarked Servis. “His wisdom of our sport has helped our program excel quickly these past four years. Not only is he a great coach, but he sets a great example for our youth.”
A decorated sprinter in his collegiate days at Ole Miss, Banks has brought an unrivaled knowledge and leadership in the sprint, hurdle and jump events which has helped push the Muleriders and Lady Muleriders into perennial contenders within a talented Great American Conference. Most recently, Banks played a key part in the Muleriders winning the program’s first conference title since 1985 after being crowned the 2018 GAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions.
In other track-related news, two athletes reached NCAA Division II Provisional Qualifying times in the same event last weekend at the Central Arkansas’ Spring Opener.
Wesley Franklin and Raymond Miller both reached provisional qualifying times of 14.50 seconds in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Both were the highlights as the Mulerider men won five events against competition from all around the state.
Franklin and Miller both finished in second in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, with Franklin claiming first in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.06 seconds.
Ka’Ronce Higgins won the men’s 100-meter sprint with a time of 10.93 as the Muleriders swept the podium in that particular event.
In addition to Higgins finishing with the top time, Quincy Flowers and Christian Mosley finished second and third with times of 11.12 and 11.13 seconds, respectively.
The men’s 4x100-meter relay team of Mosley, Flowers, Austin Alexander and Higgins came in first with a time of 43.43 seconds.
Seniors Aurthur Jeffery and Gerald Pitts won their respective events, the triple jump and the shot put, with Jeffery winning with a jump of 13.97 meters and Pitts winning with a throw of 14.05 meters.
On the women’s side, one individual and two relay teams took home top honors in their events.
Adrianna Tillman won the women’s long jump with a mark of 5.34 meters. Courtney Williams took second in the event with a jump of 5.04 meters.
The 4x100-meter team of Breanna Byrd, Latyana Berry, Aniya King and Annie Oliver took first with a time of 48.85 seconds; also, the 4x800-meter relay team of Alyssa Dohm, Michelle Donohue, Cecilia Quesada and Carley Hale won that race with a time of 10:23.33.
SAU track returns to action Friday and Saturday in Memphis at the Rhodes College Invitational.