NEW ORLEANS, La. --- A total of nine Tusculum University competitors have been honored as All-Region in NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Junior Widchard Guervil was the lone Pioneer to earn men's All-Southeast Region status, while eight women were All-Region for the Pioneers including graduate student Nicole McMillen who was honored in four different events.
McMillen was further honored as the Top Regional Performer in the mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters for having the best time in each event in the Southeast Region, which also set new school and South Atlantic Conference records. Tusculum's 4x400-meter relay was also Top Regional Performer for the Southeast Region.
The Pickering, Ontario native, who was All-Region in both the mile and the 3,000 meters last season, ran 4:53.57 in the mile at the USC Open on Feb. 22 and 9:39.38 in the 3,000 meters at the Carolina Challenge on Jan. 31. McMillen was clocked at 16:53.86 in the 5,000 meters at the Camel City Invitational on Feb. 7, and captured the SAC gold medal in both the 3,000 and 5,000. Her time in the mile was 20th-best in Division II, while she is ranked 13th in the 3,000 meters and eighth in the 5,000 meters and will compete in both distance events at the NCAA Division II Championships.
Also earning All-Region recognition was sophomore Hachlaine Petit, who set a new SAC record early in the season and ended with a season-best time of 56.65 seconds at the USC Open on Feb. 22. Petit's time was third-fastest in the Southeast Region, and she went on to win gold in the 400 at the SAC Championship meet.
Petit also ran the 4x400-meter relay with sophomore Ke'Lah McMiller, junior Kenisha Stubbs and sophomore Earthaiza Watkins as they had the top time in the region of 3:50.05 at the USC Open on Feb. 22. The quartet would go on to win the SAC championship in the event and end the season ranked 29th nationally. McMiller and Watkins were also members of Tusculum's 4x400 team that was named All-Region last season.
All-Region status was also earned by the Tusculum distance medley relay team, which consisted of freshman Emmi Hulse, junior Kesia Griffith, freshman Gabrielle Beckett and McMillen. The team ran 12:43.08 at the SAC Championship meet to break the meet record by 11 seconds and the school record by more than 43 seconds, while ranking second in the region to Queens.
Guervil was honored as All-Region in the 60 meters for the third straight year, and in the 200 meters for the second straight season. The Fort Myers, Florida native, a 2018 Division II All-American in the 60, had the third-fastest time in the 60 meters at 6.72 meters and was second-fastest in the 200 meters at 21.29 seconds, both at the USC Open on Feb. 22. Guervil, who will compete at the NCAA Division II Championships in both events, was second in the 200 and third in the 60 at the SAC Championship.
To earn All-Region honors, an athlete must be one of the top-five individuals in their event in their respective region. In addition, each member of a region's top-three relay teams was also selected for the distinction. Only athletes from USTFCCCA member institutions are eligible for the award.
Guervil and McMillen will compete at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14 in Birmingham, Alabama. Preliminaries in the 60 and 200 will be held on the opening day of the championships, with the finals on day two. McMillen will run in the 5,000 meters on day one and the 3,000 meters on the second and final day of the meet.
