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Emanuel "Skeeter' Jackson enters his fifth season as an assistant coach for the George Mason men's track and field team. He primarily coaches the field events, jumps and hurdles. Since joining the coaching staff, Jackson has trained 13 athletes that have advanced to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in four events - the 60-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Among those 13 entries, five have gone on to claim All-America honors under his tutelage. Last year marked Jackson's most accomplished season-to-date as Patriot athletes Marc Kellman, Richard Phillips, Ricardo Melbourne and Ryan McCoy each advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships. Kellman and McCoy returned with first-time All-America honors in the triple jump, while Phillips earned All-America status for the third time overall and second straight in the 60-meter hurdles. Kellman also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the triple jump, advancing to the finals. During the 2003-04 season, Phillips and Melbourne qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110-meter hurdles while Kellman qualified in the triple jump. Phillips placed fifth in the 110H to gain All-America recognition. He finished fourth in the 60H at the NCAA Indoor Championships for his first individual All-America honor and went on to represent his native Jamaica and the Patriots at the 2004 Olympics in Greece. Phillips would also qualify for the 2003 Outdoor Championships in the 110H. In Jackson's first season at Mason, All-American Allen Simms qualified for the 2002 NCAA Indoor Championships in the long and triple jumps, but an injury sidelined him from the meet. All-American hurdler Chris Stokes advanced to the semifinals of the 110-meter hurdles at the 2002 Outdoor Championships. Additionally, Jackson has had 11 athletes compete at the NCAA East Region Outdoor Championships since the meet's inception in 2003, including Phillips (110H, 400H), Wayne Wright (HJ), Melbourne (110H), Quentin Matthews (HJ), Kellman (LJ, TJ) and McCoy (TJ). Six of his competitors have won individual titles at the indoor and outdoor IC4A Championships, while nine have claimed Colonial Athletic Association individual crowns since 2002. Under Jackson's tutelage, Phillips was named the CAA Championships Meet Most Outstanding Performer in 2003 and 2004 and won the CAA Athlete of the Year honor in 2004. Last season, Melbourne was named MOP of the Championships, while Kellman earned co-Athlete of the Year accolades. During the 2003-04 season, Jackson had athletes Richard Phillips and Ricardo Melbourne make their way into George Mason's all-time performers list in the 60- and 110-meter hurdles. Marc Kellman moved into the Patriots all-time list in the triple jump during the 2004-05 campaign. No stranger to the strong George Mason tradition in the field events, Jackson was the Patriots first track and field All-American, placing in the top eight in the long jump at the 1982 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Additionally, he was the first George Mason athlete to ever qualify for national competition in an indoor field event, qualifying in the triple jump earlier that year. A versatile athlete, Jackson also competed in the high jump for the Patriots. Jackson still ranks among George Mason's all-time track and field performers in three events - he is second in the long jump (26-5¾), sixth in the high jump (7-0) and eighth in the triple jump (51-10¼). After college, Jackson went on to qualify for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trails in the long jump (26 feet, 9 inches) and was ranked as high as 12th in the world. Jackson was named to George Mason's men's track and field Hall of Fame in 1987. An impressive athlete, Jackson's athletic prowess was not limited to track and field, as he was signed by the Baltimore Orioles in 1981. He was a centerfielder for two summers in the Rookie League in Bluefield, WV. A 1985 graduate of George Mason University with a degree in education with physical education endorsement, Jackson is an experienced teacher and coach. He taught at CD Hylton High School for nine years and coached at both Hylton and Mary Washington College. |
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