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College Track & Field:
Raptor of the Week: Tameka Jackson

Monday, May 30, 2005

By Mike Ballard
RutgersCamden Sports Correspondent

RAPTOR OF THE WEEK
Tameka Jackson (Camden, NJ/Sterling)

Senior Tameka Jackson captured All-America honors for the second straight year when she finished eighth in the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 28. She ran a 12.18, one day after setting a school record of 12.04 during her qualifying heat.

TRACK & FIELD
at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (at Wartburg College, Waverly, IA)
May 26 Tameka Jackson sixth in her heat of the 200 meters, running a 25.36. She did not qualify for the finals.
May 27 Tameka Jackson third in her heat of the 100 meters with a school-record 12.04 to qualify for the finals.
May 28 Tameka Jackson eighth in the 100-meter finals, running a 12.18
Jackson earns All-America honors at 100 meters

Rutgers-Camden School Records (May 27):
* Tameka Jackson, 100 M, 12.04 in qualifying heat (Old: 12.14 by Jackson at ECAC Championships, May 15, 2004)

Senior Tameka Jackson (Camden, NJ/Sterling) finished eighth in the 100-meter dash May 28 at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to capture All-America honors for the second straight year.

The NCAA Championships were held at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

Jackson, who broke her own school record in the qualifying heats with a time of 12.04 May 27, ran a 12.18 during Saturday’s final. She finished eighth for the second consecutive year in the event which was won by Diana Lawson of New Jersey City University in a time of 11.82.

Last season Jackson ran a 12.51 in the 100-meter final after posting a qualifying time of 12.19.

Jackson’s time of 12.04 in her qualifying heat broke her own school mark of 12.14, set on May 15, 2004 at the ECAC Championships.

Jackson also competed in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Championships, running 25.36 to finish sixth in her heat on May 26. She didn’t qualify for the 200-meter finals.

The NCAA Championships capped a sterling career for Jackson, the only female in Rutgers-Camden track history to earn All-America honors. Earlier this month, she earned a trio of New Jersey Athletic Conference Second Team honors by finishing second in the NJAC meet May 7 in the 100-meter (12.28) and 200-meter (25.64) dashes and anchoring the second-place 4x100 relay team, which set a school record with a 48.31 clocking. Those accomplishments earned Jackson honors as the Outstanding Female Track Athlete at the NJAC Championships.

In addition to her latest records in the 100-meter dash and the 4x100, Jackson also holds school records in the 100-yard dash (11.49), the 200-meter dash (25.02) and has been part of school-record relays for the 4x110 yards (50.50), 4x200 meters (1:43.59), 4x400 meters (3:59.69) and 4x440 yards (4:24.89).

Jackson was the women’s track MVP all four years during her Rutgers-Camden career, and earned Raptor of the Week honors five times (March 18 and April 22, 2002, April 14, 2003, May 17, 2004 and this week).

Jackson earned First Team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference as a freshman for both the 4x400 and 4x100 relays and Second Team All-NJAC for the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She also finished second in the ECAC on the 4x100 relay that year. As a sophomore in 2003, she was All-NJAC Second Team for the 100-meter dash and the 4x100 relay, while last season she earned NJAC Honorable Mention for the 4x100 relay, was second in the ECAC in the 100-meter dash and third in the ECAC at 200 meters. She capped off the banner year as a Division III All-American in the 100-meter dash.

In her second meet this spring, at the LVC Invitational at Lebanon Valley College April 20, Jackson finished first in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, setting a stadium record in the 100-meter dash at 12.4. She also anchored the winning 4x100 relay team and anchored the second-place 4x400 relay team.

An Honor Roll student and track star at Sterling High School, Jackson also earned Honorable Mention on the NJAC All-Academic team last year.

Jackson, who graduated this May with a degree in Criminal Justice, is the daughter of Esther Jackson of Pennsauken.


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