<strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> Cross-Country -Track & FieldKaren RobinsonSenior -Throws - 5’8”Mableton, <strong>Georgia</strong>South Cobb H.S.Major: MusicPersonal BestsShot Put: 10.60m2005-06: Karen participated in the shot putduring the indoor and outdoor season of her firstcompetitive year. She made her season-bestthrow of 34’9.5” at the Jacksonville <strong>State</strong>Invitational.Prep: Karen attended South Cobb High Schoolwhere she was a four-year member of the trackand field team and the volleyball team. In 2002Karen was the region winner in the 300-meter hurdles.She was also voted best defensive blocker on the SouthCobb Eagles volleyball team.Personal: Karen was born on August 14, 1985, inColumbus, Ga. Her parents are Robert and FrancellaRobinson. Karen has two brothers Robert, 31, andSean, 17. She also has three sisters Sonjanique, 33,Victoria, 23, and Vanessa, 19.Liz StanfordSenior - Distance - 5’6”Shanty Bay, Ontario,CanadaBarrie Central H.S.Major: Biology2005-06: Liz returned to action for the Panthersfor the 2005 cross-country season. She ran aseason-best time at the <strong>Georgia</strong> CollegiateChampionship. In the spring, Liz ran a seasonbest3k of 10:50.19 at the Seminole Invitational,Liz crossed the line 13 th in 18:57.28. Liz wasawarded the Bruce LaBudde award by the<strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> athletic department for herrespectful and unselfish attitude on her teams.In the spring, Liz achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA inthe classroom and was named to the FacultyScholar List, Dean’s List and Athletic Director’sHonor Roll at <strong>State</strong>. For her outstanding grades,Liz was named to the ESPN The MagazineAcademic All-District Second Team andreceived a Commissioner’s Academic Awardfrom the CAA.2004-05: Liz competed in cross-country in thefall as a sophomore and ran a season-best timeat the Greater Louisville Classic, and nearlymatched that mark the following meet at the<strong>Georgia</strong> Collegiate Championship where shefinished 22nd. Stanford finished 14th at Troy’sCoach “O” Invitational and competed with theteam at the A-Sun and NCAA RegionalChampionship meets. Liz red shirted the trackseason due to injury.Personal BestsXC-5K: 18:38Indoor Mile: 5:22Outdoor 1500: 5:03.15Outdoor 3000: 10:46.59Outdoor 5000: 18:282003-04: In the fall, her first collegiate CC meet was aninth place finish (fourth best on team) at the WesternCarolina Invitational. Stanford finished fifth at the<strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> Invitational in a time of 18:38 for the5K, and third at the <strong>Georgia</strong> Collegiate Championship.She was third in the shorter Troy <strong>State</strong> Invitational. Sheclosed the season at the NCAA Regional with a 23:43in the longer distance. Liz was named to the Atlantic-Sun All-Freshman Team. Indoor track saw her placeseventh in the 3,000 meters at Clemson. During theoutdoor track season, she ran in the 1500, 3000 and5000 meter races. She ran a personal best in the 3K atthe UNCC meet, with a time of 10:46.59, and a best of18:28 in the 5K at the A-Sun Championships.Prep: Liz Stanford was MVP for her cross country andtrack teams and won the Award of Excellence inIndividual Sports at Barrie Central in Ontario. Shecompeted at OFSAA in Cross Country and Track allfour years in high school. Stanford ran a personal bestof 4:53 for 1500m at OFSAA in 2001 and 10:47 for3,000m in 2002. Her 5,000m personal best of 18:45was run in Calgary in 2001.She also competed at theCanadian Junior Nationals in Cross Country and Trackwhere she helped her team to a silver medal finish.Personal: Stanford was born Nov. 8, 1985 in Barrie,Ontario. Liz is the daughter of Dr. Tim and LaurieStanford. She has one brother and one sister.-25-
<strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> Cross-Country -Track & FieldSheriee WillisSenior - Hurdles/Sprints - 5’5”Savannah, <strong>Georgia</strong>Groves, H.S.Major: Journalism2005-06: Sheriee had a record-breaking junior season forthe Panthers. She earned two individual All-Conferencenods, winning both the 100 and 400-meter hurdles atthe CAA Championships, earning her two spots at theNCAA East Regional. Sheriee set a personal-best in theindoor 60m hurdles (8.47) at the ECAC IndoorChampionships, finishing in seventh place. Sheriee also rana personal-best time (7.69) to cross the line third in the60m dash at the ECAC Championships. Sheriee set a newschool record in the 100m hurdles at the <strong>Georgia</strong> TechInvitational (13.62). Sheriee was named CAA Women’sTrack Athlete of the Week for the week of April 3-9. Sherieewas honored for her great season by the GSU athleticdepartment, naming her the Female Student Athlete ofthe Year.2004-05: Sheriee earned her first individual All-Conferencenod as a Panther in 2005, finishing as the runner-up at theconference championship meet in the 100-meter hurdles.She set a new school record in the 100-meter hurdles at theSpec Towns Invitational (13.96) only to break it again aweek later (13.88) while placing fifth at Clemson’s Orangeand Purple Classic. Willis qualified to compete in theNCAA East Region Championship where she placed 21st.She also ran the 100-meter dash, setting a new PR at theSpec Towns Invitational (12.26), and she placed second atPersonal BestsIndoor 60m Hurdles: 8.47Outdoor 100: 12.10Outdoor 100m Hurdles: 13.62*Outdoor 400m Hurdles: 1:01.31* - GSU Recordthe Morehouse Relays in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:05.19.2003-04: The freshman stepped up and became a major contributor inher first season as a Panther. Willis ran the 100 and 400-meter hurdles,while playing a key role on the relay teams. She earned All-Conferencewith the 4x100 relay team that was second at theA-Sun Championship in 46.32. That team also wentto the Penn Relays and finished 7th in the collegedivision in 46.50. In the hurdles, Willis had a seasonbest 14.24 in the 100 meter event and was fourth inthe A-Sun Meet in 14.63 to score for the team. Inthe 400 meters, she had a 1:03.49 to win the EmoryClassic and was eighth at the A-Sun Meet in1:05.28. During the indoor season, Willis ran the60-meter hurdles with a best of 8.89 at UNC and8.97 at the Clemson ClassicPrep: Willis exerted herself at R.W. Groves HighSchool in track and field and volleyball, where shewon the school’s MVP award in track and field,and was sixth in the state in the 300-meter hurdles in 2003, and fourthin the state in the 100-meter hurdles in 2002. She made it to the statechampionships all four years of high school.Personal:Willis was born June 6, 1985 in Munich, Germany. She is the daughterof Ernest C and Tami S. Willis. She has two brothers, both of whomparticipate in track and field.Stanford, Wilpers Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Second TeamIn the spring of 2006, <strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> senior Matt Wilpers and juniorElizabeth Stanford , members of the cross-country and track & field teams,respectively, were selected to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Men’s and Women’s Teams. Wilpers and Stanford garnered DistrictIII second team honors in their respective sports.Wilpers was a four-year letterwinner of the <strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> men’s crosscountryand track & field teams. An accounting and finance major, Wilpershad an overall GPA of 3.90. He received a number of awards for excellencein the classroom, including the Faculty Scholar-Athlete Award for a 4.0GPA and the Scholar-Athlete Award.Stanford is a three-year letterwinner of the <strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> women’s cross-country and track & field teams. Stanford,a biology major, has compiled an overall 3.95 GPA at <strong>State</strong>. She was named to the Faculty Scholar List, Dean’s List andthe Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for earning a perfect 4.0 GPA during the spring 2006 semester.Stanford ran a season-best time on the 5K course at the <strong>Georgia</strong> Collegiate Championship. She set a season-besttime (10:50.19) at the Seminole Invitational in the outdoor 3K run. Stanford also gave a season-best performance in the5000-meter run in 18:59 at the CAA Championships.At the <strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> 50 th Annual Athletic Awards and Recognition Banquet, Stanford received the2005-06 Pickett Riggs Award. This award, named after a former <strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong> faculty member and athletic supporter, isgiven to the junior student-athletes (one male and one female) who have the highest cumulative GPA(s).Wilpers and Stanford each picked up a 2005-06 Bruce LaBudde Sportsmanship Award for their respectful andunselfish attitudes on their respective fields of play. LaBudde is <strong>Georgia</strong> <strong>State</strong>’s former head cross-country and trackcoach who believed sportsmanship is something his student-athletes should never lose sight of in their efforts to win.-26-