July 7, 2006
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s Brandy Depland, Josh Hammel, Ashlee Kidd, Nisha Kurian, Eric Massey, Jenny Sims and Paul Specht were all selected to the inaugural All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Track and Field teams, announced by ACC Commissioner John D. Swofford.
Depland, a senior from Katy, Texas, posted a runner-up finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a school record leap of 44 feet, 9 ¾ inches. She went on to earn All-America honors for the second consecutive season with a 10th-place finish (41-11.50). A management major, Depland finished her track and field career at Tech as a three-time All-American and a four-time All-ACC honoree.
Hammel, a junior from Marietta, Ga., clocked a personal-record indoor time of 1:57.91 in the 800 meters at the Kentucky Invitational. A biomedical engineering major, Hammel finished 20th in the 800m at the ACC Indoor Championships.
Kidd, a junior from St. Petersburg, Fla., had one of the most impressive indoor seasons in Tech history. She broke ACC Indoor Meet and school records in the 200- and 400-meter dashes with times of 23.37 and 52.61, respectively. For her efforts, she was named ACC Indoor Most Valuable Performer. A management major, Kidd went on to earn All-America honors for the second straight year in the 400m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing fifth with a time of 51.57. Kidd won three ACC titles in 2006 in the 200m (indoor), 400m (indoor) and 4×100-meter relay (outdoor).
Kurian, a sophomore from Canton, Ohio, is also an ESPN The Magazine All-District III second team selection, as well as an All-ACC Academic Cross Country selection. A chemical and biomolecular engineering major, Kurian ran Tech’s top time for the indoor season in the 3,000 meters (9:55.10) and clocked the top outdoor time for the Jackets in the 1500 meters (4:33.46).
Massey, a fifth-year senior, broke the school record in the weight throw with a lifetime-best mark of 62 feet, 2 ¼ inches, after throwing for just two seasons. He was named to the ESPN The Magazine All-District III second team and posted a fifth-place finish in the hammer throw at the ACC Outdoor Championships. A graduate in electrical engineering, Massey ranks second all-time in school history in the hammer.
Sims, a junior from Woodstock, Ga., ran the fastest times of the indoor season for Tech in the 800 meters (2:12.13) and mile (4:52.97). A management major, Sims tallied a sixth-place finish in the 800m and a ninth-place finish in the mile at the ACC Indoor Championships.
Specht, a junior walk-on from Allison Park, Pa., clocked an outdoor season-best time of 16:07.93 in the 5,000 meters to finish third at the Spec Towns Invitational. An aerospace engineering major, Specht ran an indoor season-best time of 16:22.37 at the Clemson Invitational.
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