INTERNATIONAL COMPETITOR, RECORD HOLDER JOINS LION TRACK

HAMMOND - As national letter of intent signing day came to a close, Southeastern Louisiana track and field coach Sean Brady was proud to say he got his biggest signee yet. At 6 ft., 250 lbs., Adonson Shallow is not as physically imposing as most world-class throwers, but the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines native boasts an impressive resume that includes: 2007 junior college athlete of the year honors, a top-15 finish in the discus at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and junior and senior Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national records in the shot and discus.

"Adonson is the most accomplished athlete coming in we have signed in the seven years I have been at Southeastern," Brady said. "He is a dynamic thrower in every event he participates in, and squats over 800 lbs., so he is very strong for his size. Adonson has the ability to change the course of a conference meet. Hopefully he will help unify a throws group who will be loosing 2 very good seniors and leaders in Teremine White and Dwight Womack. The sky is the limit for Adonson and I see him becoming the next of many great throwers to come through our program in the last several years. I would like to thank my assistant coach Brian Mondschien for his efforts in helping Adonson finding his way to Southeastern."

As a freshman, Shallow was named the 2007 NJCAA Outdoor Field Event Athlete of the year after helping Central Arizona to a National Championship by dominating the throws.

Shallow claimed first place in the shot and discus with throws of 16.38 m and 53.03 m, respectively. The Saint Vincent native then claimed fourth in the hammer throw with a toss of 50.98 m and seventh in the javelin with a 53.74 m throw to garner 27 total points on the day.

Shallow made his presence felt on the international stage in March of 2006 at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia where he finished 14th in the shot put with a throw of 14.76 m.

Prior to competing in Melbourne, Shallow set national records for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the 2004 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships where he claimed silver in the shot (16.55 m) and bronze in the discus (45.10). For his efforts, Shallow was named the 2004 SVG Junior Sportsman of the Year.

In a recent interview with NBC Radio-Virgin Islands, which considered him "St. Vincent and the Grenadines' leading Field Athlete," Shallow stated his intentions to continue training to earn a place in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

"We understand that his training has been going well, and all he needs to do is hit a couple of marks in competition this year that are well within his range," Brady said. "I am very confident that he has the ability to earn a spot in Beijing."

Shallow will conclude his second year at Central Arizona this spring and will join the Lions in Hammond for the Fall 2008 semester.