A-Sun Release: Kenneth Sugishita
A-Sun Release: Joan Tangwar

MACON, Ga. – USC Upstate Junior Kenneth Sugishita (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) and senior Joan Tangwar (Eldoret, Kenya) were named Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week and Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office today.

This is Sugishita's second-career A-Sun Indoor Track Athlete of the Week accolade and second this season. At Clemson's Tiger Paw Invitational Feb. 10-11, he earned seventh-place in the men's shot put with a throw of 15.53-meters. He leads the conference in that event.

"Kenny is continuing to work hard and train to put himself in a position to become a double conference champion this coming weekend," said head coach Natalie Smith. "I am glad that he received this award this week for the second time this season because I believe he is a great example of dedication and discipline both in the field and in the classroom.  Anytime our athletes are honored we are excited and pleased with and for them. However, I know that for Kenny, he is looking to become a champion this weekend so maybe this honor will foreshadow the week to come."

Tangwar collects her first-career Atlantic Sun Indoor Track Athlete of the Week honor. She led the way for the Spartans at the Tiger Paw Invite last weekend, setting a school record in the one mile run with a time of 4:57.39. This mark passed the previous program-best of 5:01.50 set by senior Carolyne Chelulei at the V-Tech Qualifier in 2010. Tangwar finished second in the event at the Tiger Paw Invite and her time leads the conference. The Spartan quartet of Chelulei, sophomore Ashley Edmond, Tangwar and senior Jemeli Sang set a school record in the women's distance medley relay with a first-place time of 12:08.59, shaving nearly 1:26 off of the school record. The previous school-best was 13:34.16 set at the conference championships in 2010. Tangwar ran the 800-meter leg of the relay. The Spartans lead the conference in the DMR with this performance at the Tiger Paw Invite.

"Joan had an exceptional weekend at Clemson, running 4:57 in the mile and 2:17 in the 800-meter leg on the DMR," Smith said. "As we lead into our championships this weekend, we are looking to have that same competitive drive and edge from Joan as she competes in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs.  Joan has really shown a lot of versatility in this short season, having run the 4x4 relay, 800-meter, the mile, the 3,000-meter and now the 5,000-meter. If we had more like her, this team could be unstoppable.  I am very proud of both Joan and Kenny and believe that they are great representations of not only our program but the entire University."

Upstate returns to action, traveling to Johnson City, Tenn., for the A-Sun Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 17-18. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.