June 16, 2003

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina University senior track and field standout Kineta Rogers was recently named to the Verizon Academic All-District III first team and will go on to represent the District on the national ballot. The women's Academic All-America team will be released on June 19. Catamounts joining Rogers on the academic team are sophomore Leslie Martin and junior Michelle Velez.

Rogers, a Spring Hope, N.C., native, recently graduated from Western with a 3.612 grade point average (GPA) in Social Work and is now residing in Hampton, Va., with her husband. She was the 2003 SoCon Outdoor champion in the javelin and hammer throws, qualifying for the NCAA Regional meet with a personal best throw of 120'6" in the javelin. Rogers was an All-Conference performer in indoor track, coming in fourth in the shotput with a toss of 43'3.75". She also came in sixth in the weight throw with a distance of 49'11.25". She was named WCU's outdoor track and field MVP for 2003. Academically, Rogers was named to the TIAA-CREF Academic All-Conference team for winter and spring sports. She also appears on the WCU Dean's List.

Martin, a Jonesville, Va., native, qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the 800 meter run after winning the event at the SoCon Outdoor meet this spring with a time of 2:13.65. She ran a personal best time of 2:11.98 in the event at the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Invitational in April. Martin was an All-Conference indoor performer as a member of the WCU 4x400 meter relay team and the distance medley team. She was named to the TIAA-CREF Academic All-Conference team for winter and spring sports and made the WCU Dean's List as well, with a 3.872 GPA in Elementary Education.

Velez, a local Asheville, N.C., product, holds a 3.622 GPA in Accounting, while continuing to represent Western Carolina well in every event the she participates. This year, she was an NCAA Regional outdoor qualifier in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.08, then improved her time to 14.00 at the SoCon meet. She was also a regional qualifier in the pole vault after clearing 12' at the Knoxville Invitational. Velez competed in the 2002 North America/Central America/Caribbean Under 25 Championships and came in fourth overall in the pole vault. She also represented Puerto Rico in the 2002 Ibero-Americano Games in Guatemala City in the same event, finishing fourth with a vault of 12'9.5". Velez holds the indoor pole vault record at Western of 13', which she set at the 2002 VMI Relays. She was additionally named to the TIAA-CREF Academic All-Conference team for winter and spring sports and made the WCU Dean's List.

The women's track and field team collectively had a 3.192 GPA in the 2003 spring semester and boasts a 3.107 cumulative GPA. As an athletic department, WCU reached one of its goals recently of averaging a 3.0 (the 12 groups combined to post a 3.003 cumulative GPA after the spring semester).