Dec. 5, 2005
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s track and field freshman class was selected as the second-best class, according to the annual Track and Field News recruiting poll. Arkansas was selected as the No. 1 class, followed by Tech, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Kansas State, No. 5 California, No. 6 Florida State, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 8 Arizona State, No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Texas.
“We are very proud of this class,” said head coach Grover Hinsdale. “Not only did they have outstanding high school track careers, but they also excelled academically. They have adjusted well to college life, and to training. I am excited about the potential of this group and look forward to the 2006 season.”
Highlighting Tech’s freshman class is Juan Cave, Dave Ford, E.C. Gibbs, Steve Marcelle, Nigel Orr and Brad Sellers.
Cave, a native of Vorhees, N.J., won the Philadelphia State Title in the high jump in junior and senior seasons and holds the outdoor state meet record with a clear of 6 feet, 10 1/2 inches, in the high jump.
Ford, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., held the nation’s 10th-best time in the 60-meter high hurdles out of high school.
Gibbs, a freshman from Cullman, Ala., clocked a lifetime-best time of 3:52.47 in the 1500 meters to finish sixth at the USATF Junior National Championships this past summer.
Marcelle, a thrower from Green Bay, Wis., won the Wisconsin state title in the shot put and also captured the NIKE Outdoor National Championship in the shot put last year.
Orr, a native of Charlotte, N.C., tallied the nation’s seventh-best mark in the triple jump out of high school. He garnered NIKE All-America honors for both the indoor and outdoor seasons as a senior.
Sellers, a football and track athlete at Tech, posted a top-10 national mark in the discus last season and won the Texas 5A State Title as a senior. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native won the discus at the 2003 AAU Junior Olympic Games with a toss of 174 feet, 11 inches.
The Yellow Jackets will return to the flats after the New Year as they travel to Lexington, Ky., for the Kentucky Invitational, Jan. 13-14, 2006.
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