All-Sun Belt Conference
2008 Indoors: Ran the opening leg in all three of team’s DMR races, including the top performance in the Sun Belt, a 12:06.08 to finish third at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational... Ran the same leg at the Sun Belt Championships, despite battling illness, coming in seventh to score for the team after a 12:48.58 run... Also ran in the mile with her top performance coming at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational, a 5:20.23 for 15th place among collegians.
2007 Cross Country: One of the team’s most consistent harrier with a pair of top-10 finishes...Crossed the finish line in fourth place (18:38) at the Sodexho Stetson Invitational and tenth at the Sun Belt Conference Championships (18:39.55), earning all-conference honors for a second-consecutive season...Finished 11th at the season-opening FSU Invitational (18:56.65)...FIU’s top finisher at the NCAA South Regional with a 22:30.70, which ranks as the program’s third all-time fastest 6k time.
2007 Outdoors: FIU’s top performer in the 10,000 meters, came in third at the Disney Invitational (March 22) with a time of 39:25.47, the fifth best performance in the Sun Belt... Placed fourth in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the Golden Knight Twilight (April 28) with a time of 11:58.01... Ran her top 1500 meter time of 4:56.32 to place 10th among collegians at the Hurricane Invitational on March 17... Best 5000 meter time came at the Florida Relays on April 7 when she finished 17th among collegians at a time of 18:56.82.
2007 Indoors: Ran two 3,000 meter races... Posted a season-best 10:55.98 at the Gator Invitational and coming in 13th place with a 11:00.32 at the Florida Intercollegiate.
2006 Cross Country: Emerged as the Golden Panthers top harrier... Led FIU in four of the five races in which she competed... Sun Belt Conference Runner of the Week (10/4) after setting a new school record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:48.27, good for a 17th-place out of 194 runners, at the Auburn Invitation-al... All-Conference performer who crossed the finish line in sixth place (18:12.39) at the league championship meet... Took individual honors at the University of Miami Tri-Meet, helping FIU to the team title... Finished 16th among all collegiate competitors at the Mountain Dew Gator Invitational... Golden Panthers’ top finisher at the NCAA South Regional.
2006 Outdoors: Team’s top performer in the 5,000 meters, finishing in a team- and season-best 18:35.02 to place sixth and score for FIU at the Sun Belt Conference Champion-ships... Also scored for the Golden Panthers in the 10,000 meters... Posted FIU’s second-fastest time in the 3,000 meters, clocking in at 10:43.32 to finish among the top-10 collegians at the Hurricane Invitational... Also competed in the 1,500 meters.
2006 Indoors: Placed among the top-10 collegians in the mile at the Pepsi Invitational... Also competed in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters.
2005 Cross Country: The highest-placing Golden Panther at the Sailfish Invitational, Gator Invitational, Notre Dame Invitational and Sun Belt Conference Championships... Covered the 5,000-meter course at the Gator Invitational in a season-best 18:33.32... Finished eighth overall at the Hatter Invitational, completing the 5K in 20:14, en route to a second-place team finish... Among three Golden Panthers to finish in the top 20 at the Sun Belt Championships, placing 14th in the 5K in 18:38.79.
2005 Outdoors: scored for the Golden Panthers in the 10,000 meters at the Sun Belt Conference Championships... Posted a season-best time of 18:57.47 in the 5,000 meters to finish in the top five at the Golden Knights Twilight... Also finished in the top five in the 3,000 meters at the Gatorade Invitational.
2005 Indoors: placed among the top 10 in the 3,000 meters at the Florida Intercollegiate in a season-best 10:55.31.
2004 Cross Country: Ran the second-fastest 6,000-meter time by a freshman, and fifth overall, in school history with a 23:51.33 finish at the NCAA South Regional... Tied teammate Paola Reategui’s time for the team lead at the dual meet victory over the University of Miami, finishing runner-up in the 5,000 meters in 19:49... Team’s fourth-fastest performer of the season with a 5K time of 19:29.71 at the Disney Classic... Second Golden Panther and third collegian across the finish line at the FIU/Lourdes Invitational with a two-mile time of 11:54.68... Finished 25th at the Sun Belt Conference Championships, covering the 5K course in 20:30.8.
Prep: Competed in cross country and track & field for four years and weightlifting for one at Lecanto... Earned all-conference honors all four years and was named Athlete of the Year as a senior... As a senior, placed fifth in the mile at regionals in 5:35, and competed in the 5,000 meters and 4x800-meter relay at the state meet... Placed eighth in the two-mile at states as a freshman... Cross country team won district, conference and regional titles in 2001, while the track team was district and conference champs from 2001-02.
Personal: Born August 25, 1986, in Miami... Parents are Emanuel Witherspoon, Jr., and Mattie Mae Chestnut... Has two sisters, Rebecca (30) and Elizabeth (24)... In 2004-05, named to the Dean’s List and Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll... Was a member of the National Honor Society at Lecanto... Off the track, enjoys reading, dancing and shopping... A criminal justice major.
