MORROW, Ga. – For the fifth straight year, throughout the summer, the Clayton State Sports Information Office is counting down the Top-10 stories of the 2018-19 season following another impressive year. Today, we kick off the list with a group of Honorable Mentions prior to releasing the remainder of the Top-10 list.
 
The full Top-10 list will begin on Friday, June 7 and run through August 9 when the No. 1 moment is announced. Below are a number of some of the most notable stories and accomplishments that just missed the cut for this year's Clayton State Athletics Top-10 Countdown.
 
Make sure to check www.ClaytonStateSports.com every Friday to catch the latest release.
 
Men's Basketball 1,000-point Scorer Dantez  Bennamon Hired
Former Clayton State men's basketball student-athlete, and 1,000-point scorer, Dantez Bennamon stayed a part of the Laker family as he joined the staff as Graduate Assistant for Marketing and Development.
 
Clayton State Athletics Inducts Fifth Hall of Fame Class
With 28 years of impressive history, Clayton State Athletics inducted its fifth Hall of Fame Class. Announced on December 20, this latest class featured four individuals who "made it to the top" to leave an indelible mark on Laker Athletics. Inducted on February 15, that group consisted of members of women's tennis, men's track & field and women's cross country and track & field. View their photo gallery and the Hall of Fame through these links.
 
Athletics Award Ceremony Highlights 2018-19 Season Accomplishments
With an audience of nearly than 200 individuals in attendance at the Student Activities Center Ballroom, Clayton State Athletics celebrated the 2018-19 season with the 29^th Annual Athletics Award Ceremony on April 26, 2019. That evening also included videos detailing each team's season as well as a photo gallery.
 
Current Clayton State SID Delivers Award Winning Coverage
For the second time in as many years, the Clayton State Sports Information Office was recognized through the CoSIDA Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest. A year after teaming with former women's soccer student-athlete Charlotte McCormack on a district winning release, Sports Information Director Joshua J. Darling delivered a District 3 Runner-up performance in the Coach/Historical Feature category.
 
Clayton State Athletics Develops New Set of Core Values
The Lakers took several months to help set the course for years to come as they developed a new set of core values. Those feature Professionalism, Excellence, Accountability, Character, Innovative and Trust.
 
Evan Ortiz Leads Men's Cross Country Five Times; Witherspoon Twice
The Lakers posted a season opening runner-up finish at the UWG Wolves XC Season Opener (8/31) and third place outing at the Jaguar Cross Country Invitational (9/22). Leading the way for the first five meets of the season was junior Evan Ortiz (McDonough, Ga.) with senior T.J. Witherspoon (Thomasville, Ga.) leading the final two. Check out their season performances for the 2018 campaign.
 
Boyd-Ghani Anchors Women's Cross Country Season; Top Finisher Six Times
Ariel Boyd-Ghani (Powder Springs, Ga.) delivered a dominant season as she led the Lakers in six of seven meets. The only time she didn't they won at West Georgia (8/31) and she finished third. From there on in she was Clayton State's top finisher an impressive six straight times. Check it out on the season stats.
 
Three Prominent Visitors Highlight 2018-19
Clayton State was visited by three prominent individuals during the year, beginning with Peach Belt Conference Commissioner Dave Brunk on October 18. That was followed by a special visit by motivational speaker Mark Potter on November 26 and finally by Dr. Katrice A. Albert, NCAA Executive Vice President for Inclusion and Human Resources on April 24.
 
A Commitment to Community Service
Laker student-athletes continued a commitment to community engagement in 2018-19 and that included two new developments. The first is a brand new Community Service page and an online giving option for Make-A-Wish.
 
The Schedule
Every Friday throughout the Summer and leading up to the 2019-20 preseason, the SID Office will release the list one at a time beginning with the No. 10 story on June 7. The No. 1 story in Clayton State Athletics, as chosen by the Sports Information Office, will be released on Friday, August 9.
 
Countdown to the Top-10 Clayton State Athletics Stories from 2018-19
No. 1 – Coming August 9
No. 2 – Coming August 2
No. 3 – Coming July 26
No. 4 – Coming July 19
No. 5 – Coming July 12
No. 6 – Coming July 5
No. 7 – Coming June 28
No. 8 – Coming June 21
No. 9 – Coming June 14
No. 10 – Coming June 7
Honorable Mention (May 31)