Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls

DANIELLE WILLIAMS NAMED 2014 NATIONAL WOMEN’S TRACK SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

7/28/2014 1:44:00 PM

Williams awarded this honor for a consecutive year

New Orleans, LA – Johnson C. Smith University alumna Danielle Williams (St. Andrew, Jamaica) has been named the women's Scholar Athlete of the Year in Division II for the 2013-14 track & field season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the association announced. Williams has earned the honor for her performance during her senior seasons in indoor and outdoor track. Erin Alewine of Central Missouri and Bethany Drake of Western Washington received the award for indoor field and outdoor field, respectively.

Considering their accomplishments in the classroom and in competition during the recently completed academic year, these three women were the most exceptional among a class of 422 who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.

Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest in individual events at the NCAA Championships. Those who earn multiple individual championship titles rank higher in the tie-breaking process, and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker to establish a winner.

Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, resulting in four categories.

Williams, a senior business administration major with a 3.89 cumulative GPA, swept both the indoor and outdoor track Scholar Athlete of the Year awards following a season in which she won five individual national titles – defending her outdoor track award from 2013. She is the third woman to have won the track award for both seasons since it first began in 2007, and is the first to have won the outdoor track award in two consecutive seasons.

Williams won indoor national titles at both 60 and 200 meters and in the 60-meter hurdles, and claimed the 100 and 200 meters crowns at the national outdoor championships. She was also just fractions of a second away from a 100-meter hurdles title.

In addition to Williams, senior Samantha Elliott (Kingston, Jamaica), sophomore Tovea Jenkins (St. James, Jamaica), freshman Domenique Julius-Williams (Ontario, Canada), sophomore Shamaz Quince (West Palm Beach, FL) and sophomore Trudy-Ann Richards (St. Thomas, Jamaica) all received all-academic honors from the association. Elliott had a cumulative GPA of 3.71 as a business administration major, Jenkins posted a 3.94 GPA studying business administration, Julius-Williams sports a 3.37 GPA as a biology major, and Quince had a 3.52 GPA as a sports management major.