[StBernard] Chalmette's Andre Dorsey selected national indoor NCAA Division I Track and Field Athlete of the Week

[Westley Annis]

Chalmette's Andre Dorsey selected national indoor NCAA Division I Track and
Field Athlete of the Week
By Jim Bickford, Chalmette High School
on February 28, 2014 1:59 p.m.

For the first time in Chalmette High's track and field history, one of its
former athletes received a  national award - Andre Dorsey, a junior jumper
at Kennesaw State in Georgia,  was selected as the USTFCCCA National Athlete
of the Week for his tremendous performance in leading his team to a third
straight Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Indoor Track and Field  championship
by winning three gold medals and one silver award to account for 38 of his
club's 211 points.

The United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association selected
Dorsey for such a prestigious honor for the 2011 Chalmette graduate who was
the Louisiana Class 5A outdoor state champion in the high jump by clearing
6-11 and was the triple jump runner-up in his final high school meet.     

In winning the high jump at conference, Dorsey shattered both the conference
and school records in the vertical leap as he soared 7-3.75 for his PR as
well. Then in the long jump, the college Owl added another sequence of
records as he soared 25-5.50 with an elated Kennesaw head coach Andy Eggerth
looking on in amazement.

"Andre is one of those rare individuals that is supremely talented, a hard
worker, and is coachable. This is the result when one has character, work
ethic, and God given ability. I'm just glad to see it come together for him.
Hopefully, this foreshadows great things in a couple weeks at the NCAA
Championships." He parades into the DI nationals March 14-15 in Albuquerque,
New Mexico.

While not near his nationally ranked No. 3 TJ (previously called,
hop-step-jump), he won the indoor conference triple jump with a 49-9.25 leap
for his third gold medal of the championship meet and added a shot put
runner-up position with a heave of 46-6.25 (just 5.5 inches behind the
winner) at the meet held in Winston-Salem, N.C. While not scoring, he did
compete in the weight throw and finished 10th as well. 

Quite an indication of Dorsey's power and strength for a jumper who has in
the past competed in seven events at an outdoor championship meet where he
holds the school record in the javelin and has won the conference gold two
straight years. He adds the discus and has run the 110-meter hurdles as well
outdoors.

Dorsey is the only collegiate athlete in the nation who is currently ranked
in the Top 7 nationally or even in the Top 10 nationally in three different
events - the triple jump (53-4.50, No. 3), the high jump (7-3.75, tied for
No. 6) and in the long jump (25-5.50, No. 7). 

At this time records are not available to indicate the last time an athlete
was ranked nationally in the Top 7 or even the Top 10 in three different
events or in three different jumping events either indoors or outdoors. The
only athlete who may have earned a trip to the NCAA indoor and/or outdoor
championship meet in three different jumping events is Mississippi jumper
Ricky Robertson.

His best marks are 7-7.25 in HJ; 25-2.75 in LJ and 53-1.75 in TJ. USTFCCCA
rankings do not show that the Ole Miss athlete has qualified for the indoor
nationals in one or any of those three jumping events. Track and Field News
magazine indicates that Robertson will return for the outdoor season to
compete as a senior.

Many who are knowledgeable about college track and field believe to achieve
such a ranking in three different events is extremely rare, either indoors
or outdoors. If it does happen, it usually is an athlete who combines
running and jumping events for a top 7-10 ranking and does not include
relays.

Dorsey is ranked No. 3 in the triple jump when he soared 53-4.50 at the
Armory Collegiate Invitational (one of he most renowned indoor meets in the
US) in New York City in January and then last weekend added two more Top 7
rankings at his conference meet  by winning the high and long jumps with
record-setting leaps.

Flopping 7-3.75 in the high jump to tie for sixth place and the other Top 7
mark was achieved by leaping 25-5.50 to stand seventh in the long jump.
Based upon those two record-setting victories as well as a third in the TJ
as well as the second in the SP, the selection committee at USTFCCCA were
given solid proof that Dorsey who also was awarded the meet's MVP for a
second straight year in leading Kennesaw State to a 3-peat in the indoor
men's team championship.

Last year he competed in the indoor nationals and became a second-team
All-America with a 11th place finish in the triple jump (51-5.5) and then
outdoors was a second-team All-America as well with a 14th  place in the
triple jump (51-5.75). As a sophomore last year his best triple jump was
52-2.75 in setting a school record and also set a school record in the
javelin and won the conference spear event for two straight seasons.

As a freshman, Dorsey was selected the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Championship
Most Outstanding Freshman Performer after also receiving the meet's Most
Valuable Performer award with 31 points scored. He placed in the top-seven
of five events, which included top-three performances in three events -
javelin, first place; high jump, second place and triple jump, third place.

He was chosen Kennesaw State's Male Athlete of the Year for 2012-13 for the
entire sports program at the university located about 20 miles outside of
Atlanta. He is one of the team's captains for this 2014 season. 

At his high school state championship, he barely missed on three great
attempts at seven feet as well as earning a silver in the triple jump
(47-10.75) as he competed in a limited four events including the long jump
and javelin, earning 21 points. During the season he set a school record in
the triple jump as well (48-4).