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Alton McKenzie was hired as the head coach of the University of the District of Columbia Cross Country/Track & Field program in January 2011. In a three year span, he has turned the Firebirds into a force in the NCAA Division II East Region and a powerhouse in the newly formed East Coast Conference.

2013-14

The Firebirds were heating up on the track in the Winter 2013-14, as the track & field team captured its second consecutive ECC Indoor Championship on February 22^nd in South Huntington, NY. With just 12 athletes on the team, the Firebirds relied on their dominance in the sprint events to once again reign as conference champions. Not only did the Firebirds win their second ECC championship in a row, but Head Coach Alton McKenzie was awarded his second straight Coach of the Year honor. His team produced 17 First Team and six Second Team All-ECC honorees across 20 different track & field events. Also, the 4x400M Relay Team of Kaydian Jones, Jerily Benjamin, Marlena Wright and Simone Grant, went on to compete at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, NC.  There, they finished as the 6^th best team in the nation with a new school record time of 3:49.40, and were each individually named All-Americans.

The momentum from its spectacular Indoor season would carry over into the spring Outdoor Track & Field season, as the Firebirds continued to get better and faster as the season progressed. The first major highlight of the season came on April 4^th when the 4x400M Relay team became the first event champion at the Colonial Relays in school history with a time of 3:46.51. About two weeks later, UDC would complete the sweep of Indoor/Outdoor ECC Championships with its first ever ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Queens, NY on April 19^th. Just five days later, UDC took part in the 120^th inception of the world-renowned Penn Relays. There, in front of a captive audience of over 49,000 people, at the world’s largest and oldest track & field relay carnival, the 4x400M Relay team ran a time of 3:44.99 to finish 6^th in the Women’s College Final.

The track & field season culminated in yet another outstanding weekend performance on May 22^nd-23^rd by the 4x400M Relay Team of Jones, Benjamin, Wright and Grant at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Allendale, MI. This quartet shaved nearly two seconds off of their season-best time to finish 4^th in the nation with a new school record time of 3:42.63. Again, they were named All-Americans for their performance.

2012-13

In the inaugural Conference Championship Season for the East Coast Conference in 2013, McKenzie guided UDC to an Indoor Conference team championship, garnering 13 First Team All-Conference and five 2^nd Team All-Conference Awards on the way to the title. This was attained with seven individual Champions. He was named the ECC Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year for his efforts. In the 2013 Outdoor Championships, Mckenzie led the Firebirds to a runner-up finish.  He also coached the ECC Athlete of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons – Shauna-Kay Creary (Indoor) and Kaydian Jones (Outdoor), two 2013 Indoor Track USTFCCCA East All-Region selections (Creary and Simone Grant), eight Outdoor Track All East Region Awards (Creary in HJ and TJ; Kaydian Jones in the 200M, LJ and 4x400M, and other 4x400M Team members Jerily Benjamin, Rochelle Nelson and Simone Grant). There were five representatives in four different events (Long Jump, High Jump, Triple Jump, 4x400M Relay) at the Indoor and Outdoor NCAA Championship events. Creary also became the first Firebird All-American in the Triple Jump, and the first All-American at UDC since 2009.

McKenzie’s success in 2012-2013 wasn’t limited to the Track as he also coached Men’s ECC Cross Country Athlete of the Year Hillary Mugun. Mugun won the 2012 ECC XC Conference Championship and went on to become an NCAA All-East Region Award recipient when he finished 23rd at the NCAA East Regional Championships in Nashua, NH.

In 2012 McKenzie layed the foundation for success with the Women’s 4x400 Team being named All-East Regional Awardees by being 3^rd in the NCAA East Region and being NCAA Provisional Qualifiers in the event during the Indoor Season. Outdoor saw the Firebirds having the top two 400M Runners in the East Region. There were four All-Region recipients with Kaneesha Holllis and Callister Jones being the top two in the region in the 400M.

McKenzie also had success during the 2011-2012 Cross Country Season coaching the runner-up (Hillary Mugun) in the inaugural ECC XC Championships. Though starting mid-season during 2011, McKenzie’s squad showed promise during the Outdoor Season by having the 18^th fastest team in Division II and running an NCAA Provisional qualifying time.

McKenzie graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Business Administration. He was an All-American runner at Georgetown and served as captain of the 1993 men’s track and field team under the leadership of legendary coach, Frank Gagliano.  Among his many credentials, McKenzie has extensive experience managing major track and field events in New York. He is a level I Certified USATF Coach.

“Alton McKenzie totally embraced excellence as a student-athlete,” Director of Athletics Patricia Thomas said.  “He is an outstanding addition to our staff," she added.

McKenzie and his wife Charlene reside in Silver Spring, Maryland and are the proud parents of son Micah and daughter Gabriella.

Accomplishments:

NCAA Division II All-Americans Outdoor:

Kaydian Jones, Jerily Benjamin, Marlena Wright, Simone Grant - 4x400M Relay (2014)

Shauna-Kay Creary - Triple Jump (2013)

NCAA Division II All-Americans Indoor:

Kaydian Jones, Jerily Benjamin, Marlena Wright, Simone Grant - 4x400M Relay (2014)

ECC Athletes of the Year:

Shauna-Kay Creary - Indoor 2013

Kaydian Jones - Outdoor 2013, Outdoor 2014

Simone Grant - Outdoor 2015

Kaydian Jones - 2014 

ECC Outdoor Championships Athlete of the Meet:

28 ECC All-Conference Recipients for Outdoor Track (2013-2014)

28 ECC All-Conference Recipients for Indoor Track (2013-2014)

USTFCCA East All-Region Outdoor Recipients:

Shauna-Kay Creary: TJ, 4x100M - 2014; HJ, TJ - 2013; 4x100M - 2012

Kaydian Jones: LJ, 100M, 200M, 4x400M - 2014; 200M, LJ, 4x400M - 2013; 4x100M - 2012

Jerily Benjamin: 4x400M - 2014; 4x400M - 2013

Simone Grant: 4x100M, 4x400M - 2014; 4x400M - 2013

Brittany Okon: 4x100M - 2014

Jasmine Smith: 4x100M - 2014

Marlena Wright: 4x400M - 2014

Rochelle Nelson: 4x400M - 2013

Kaneesha Hollis: 400M - 2012

Callister Jones: 400M - 2012

Areial Clark: Shot Put - 2012

Atiya Amis: 4x100M - 2012

USTFCCA East All-Region Indoor Recipients:

Shauna-Kay Creary: TJ - 2014; HJ, LJ, TJ - 2013

Simone Grant: 4x400M - 2014; TJ - 2013

Kaydian Jones: 60M, 200M, LJ, 4x400M - 2014

Latoya Allen: 4x400M - 2012

Tatyana Commock: 4x400M - 2012

Kaneesha Hollis: 4x400M - 2012

USTFCCCA Academic All-Americans:

Latoya Allen - 2011

Jerily Benjamin - 2013, 2014

Kaydian Jones - 2013, 2014

CoSIDA Academic All-Americans

Kaydian Jones - 2014