(1/21/2006) - The ETSU track & field team captured its first two Atlantic Sun Athlete of the Week awards for the season Wednesday afternoon, sweeping both the men's and women's awards after the squad's strongest showing of the season at the Nisqwonger Invitational last weekend.

Senior James Rainer (Alcoa, Tenn.) was named the men's athlete of the week after winning the 60 meter dash over the weekend for his first title of the season.  After posting a school record 6.73 (one-hundredth of a second off an NCAA Provisional qualifying time) in the preliminaries, Rainer claimed the event with a 6.74 in the finals.  Rainer's time broke former Buccaneer All-American Jeff Horton's record of 6.75 set in 1995.  He also competed in the 200-meters for the first time in two years, running a personal best 21.84.

On the women's side, junior Anna Marie Ricciardi (Canfield, Ohio) parlayed her weekend high jump title into her first athlete of the week award for the season.  Ricciardi leapt a personal best 1.75 meters (5-8.75) for her second title of the season, and dominated the high jump field with no other competitor clearing 1.65 meters (5-5), and came within one inch of posting a NCAA Provisional qualifying mark.  Her jump was also just one-quarter of an inch off the school record of 5-9 set by Kim Harrell in 1980, and one-inch off an NCAA Provisional qualifying mark.

The track & field Bucs are back in action this weekend at the Rob McCrary Invitational in Lexington, Ky. on January 28.