Azcue, Matthews and Caesar receive Southeast Region awards

 NEW ORLEANS, LA – Clayton State Indoor Track & Field student-athletes Ayrton Azcue and Jessica Matthews along with assistant coach Clive Caesar received top Region honors today by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

 All three will be recognized at an awards ceremony next Thursday in Birmingham, AL, prior to the start of the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. Both Azcue and Matthews will compete in the indoor national meet March 8-9.

 "This is a nice honor for all three,” said head coach Mike Mead. “Ayrton has worked extremely hard the past year and Jessica has been a quick study in the triple jump since she has been doing the event less than a year. Clive has worked closely with both Ayrton and Jessica and deserves the honor."

 Azcue was named the Southeast Region’s Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. A senior from Mayor, Spain, Azcue broke team records this year in the 800 meters and mile and earned a bid to the NCAA Championships in the 800 meters via an automatic-qualifying time of 1:50.36.

 A freshman from Monroe, Ga., Matthews was named the Southeast Region’s Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. She enters the NCAA Championships ranked 10th in the nation in the triple jump with a mark of 39-9¾ (12.13m). She is ranked No. 1 in the triple jump among Southeast Region student-athletes, and broke the school record in the triple jump in her collegiate debut.

 Caesar, in his 10th season working with sprinters and jumpers, has worked in developing current Laker freshman triple jumper and 2013 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year Jessica Matthews as a top-10 DII jumper this season and Clayton State’s first NCAA indoor qualifier since 2008. The honor for Caesar is the third time he has been recognized as Region assistant coach.