MIAMI, Fla. (April 22, 2022) – Thomas’ Joshwa Copeland and USCB’s Jana Barden have been named this year’s Sun Conference Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champion of Character award winners as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.
 
Copeland, a first-year athlete at Thomas but has picked up the sport nicely setting school records in the pole vault and triple jump as well as qualifying for the SUN Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in both events as well as the long jump and 4x100 Relay. He began working at his father's gym from a very young age where he learned a great deal about fitness, nutrition and overall general health.  With his knowledge of fitness, Copeland was able to obtain his Professional Training Certification in the Summer 2021. In addition to being a member of the Thomas University cross country and track & field teams, Copeland currently works in downtown Thomasville as a production assistant at Adele Creative Marketing Design.  He works behind the camera on scenes designing local commercials and sometimes in front of the camera as a model. He regularly attends Victory Fellowship Church and also helps out with the youth group on Wednesday nights during his spare time of which he has none. He continues to stay active by volunteering and working in his community by helping those that are less fortunate.
 
Barden, a junior at USCB, is a hospitality management major.  She volunteers for St. Vincent de Paul, Angel House, a foster care youth group home for young girls. In addition, she helps run camps, bible studies, and weddings at church. Barden does environmental outreach, where she assists with cleanups, recycling events and other promotional events to help with planet preservation. She also was a huge contributing member of the development of the USCB Country Course and Jasper Park Trail Development. As a teammate and student athletic she is always willing to lend a helping hand to her fellow teammate and takes initiative.  She is currently working to support herself through college. This summer Barden will be interning with Atlanta Parks and Recreation where she will be helping with community engagement and youth events. She does all of it while maintaining a GPA of 3.96.
 
The 2022 Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship is set for this weekend, beginning on Saturday, April 23. From the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, this year’s championship is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. with the women’s discus and the men’s pole vault and shot put. The two-day event will conclude with the men’s 4x400 Relays on Sunday, April 23, at 4:15 p.m. followed by the crowning of this year’s team champions at approximately 5:00 p.m.
 
              
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now entering its 32nd year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 19 NAIA sports: Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Flag Football, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field and Women’s Volleyball. Learn more @thesunconference.com