Olympian and NCAA Decathlon record holder Lindon Victor, 2x Olympian Kurt Felix, NCAA All-American Tim Ehrhardt and CCCAA Champion Juanita Webster-Freeman amongst new SBTC recruits.
Santa Barbara, Calif. (October 30, 2018) – The Santa Barbara Track Club (SBTC), hosted at Westmont College, welcomes new Decathletes and Heptathletes to its roster with an eye on the Tokyo 2020 Olympiad and beyond. Leading the crop of new athletes is 2016 Grenadian Olympian, 2018 Commonwealth Decathlon champion, 2x NCAA Division I Decathlon champion and NCAA record holder Lindon Victor. The Texas A&M alumnus set the NCAA record of 8,539pts at the 2017 SEC Championships, also a Grenadian national record. In addition, the SBTC welcomes fellow Grenadian and Victor’s brother, Kurt Felix, a 2012 and 2016 Olympian with a Decathlon Best of 8,509pts. In 2012, Felix was the NCAA Division I Decathlon Champion and Mountain West Men's Outdoor Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year for Boise State.
Joining Victor and Felix is 6x NCAA Division I All-American Tim Ehrhardt (USA), a 2018 graduate of Michigan State. Ehrhardt scored a best of 8,044pts in the Decathlon for the Spartans and was also a Big Ten conference Pole Vault champion, an event in which he cleared 5.60m / 18’4.5”. Another newcomer for 2018 is Chico State graduate and NCAA Division II All-American, Phillip Bailey, who holds a Decathlon best of 7,630pts.
For the Heptathletes, 2016 Olympian and founding member of the SBTC, Barbara Nwaba, will be joined by Juanita Webster-Freeman (USA), a 2x California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Heptathlon champion for Cerritos College. She placed 14th at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the youngest competitor in the field. Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at an early age, a condition on the Autism spectrum, Juanita seeks to inspire others while excelling at the highest levels in the sport.
Entering her second year for SBTC Elite is Becky Asselin, a Westmont College alumnus where she graduated in 2017 as the most decorated athlete in the school's history garnering fifteen NAIA All-American certificates including three NAIA titles. Asselin qualified for her first USA Indoor Track & Field Championships earlier this year.
“We created the foundation for the SBTC in 2012 with Barbara to provide her an avenue to excel post-collegiately as well as to train and inspire Santa Barbara’s youth,” commented SBTC Executive Director and Head Coach Josh Priester. “Being in a position to welcome this new group of accomplished athletes and help them reach the highest levels of our sport internationally is a testament to the support of our Santa Barbara community and Westmont College.”
About the Santa Barbara Track Club
The Santa Barbara Track Club (SBTC) hosted at Westmont College aims to provide a pathway to the podium for athletes of all ages and abilities. The SBTC is comprised of Olympic and aspiring Olympic Track & Field athletes, a Youth Track Club as well as members of the general public all seeking to reach their highest potential.
