Track & Field Adds Quartet Of Prep Standouts To 2025 Roster
6/4/2024 9:19:00 PM | Track & Field
MACON – Mercer track & field head coach Roosevelt Lofton announced four additions to his 2025 roster on Tuesday evening as in-state products Akira Brown, Kamryn Copeland and Jayla Simmons, as well as Floridian Arielle Livingston, all inked their names to National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers with the Bears.
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"I am very excited to welcome these four outstanding student-athletes to the Mercer family," Lofton said. "All four of them have turned in outstanding prep careers both on the track and in the classroom, and have all of the tools and drive to transition that success to the collegiate level. Their personalities will also mesh very well with the current student-athletes on our roster. I can't wait for them to don the Orange & Black next season."
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Brown starred for Woodland High School on both the track and the basketball court, and helped pace the Wolfpack to both the county and region championships in track & field as a senior. Lauded as Woodland High School's "Mrs. Track & Field" award recipient, Brown posted a season-best 11.78 mark in the 100m Dash and a 24.76 time in the 200m Dash to highlight her final prep season.
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The daughter of Katina and Marcus Brown has one sister, Amia. Her cousin, Reghan Lewis, is a former MU cheerleader. Brown maintained a 4.21 cumulative GPA at Woodland High School and graduated in the top-6 percent of her 318-member senior class while serving as a student ambassador, as well as a member of the Student Government Association.
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Copeland, a product of nearby Fairburn, excelled in both the classroom and the competitive arena at Chapel Hill High School where she was a member of both the Beta Club and the National Honor Society while maintaining a 3.9 cumulative grade point average. She earned a berth into the state championship meet as a junior, logging top-14 finishes in both the Long Jump and the Triple Jump, and earned team CHHS's award for both best female sprinter and best female jumper at season's end.
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The daughter of Claudia and Schyler Copeland has one brother, Aaron, and one sister, Kendall, and is anticipating majoring in biology as part of a pre-med track at Mercer. She was recently named an honor graduate, while also being tabbed as a Board Scholar.
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Livingston, a product of Gainesville, Fla., was a two-sport athlete at Eastside High School where she starred on both the track and the volleyball court for the Rams. A two-time county and district champion, she logged a top-5 finish in the 100m Hurdles at both the 2023 and 2024 state championship meets, while also registering a sixth-place showing in the 400m Hurdles. She was recently named to Eastside's athletics hall of fame for her prep performances.
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The daughter of Olivia Lee and Arthur Livingston has a younger brother, Arthur Jr., and recently graduated with both Honors and Eastside Scholars after concluding her prep academic career with a 3.6 cumulative grade point average. She is expecting to major in psychology at Mercer.
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A specialist in both the Long Jump and 200m Dash, Simmons registered a banner weekend at the 2023 state championships when she registered top-4 finishes in both the Long Jump and the 200m Dash, while also running a leg on the 4x400m Relay squad that logged a third-place performance. The Atlanta native, who was also a standout on the basketball and flag football teams at Elite Scholars Academy, also served as a manager for the cross country team.
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The daughter of Nakeya and Brannon Simmons maintained an impressive 4.38 high school GPA and was listed 12th among her 74-member senior class. Her academic laurels included All A's Honors and AP Scholar honors, and she was also selected for the National African-American Recognition Program. Simmons will be a kinesiology major at Mercer.
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"I am very excited to welcome these four outstanding student-athletes to the Mercer family," Lofton said. "All four of them have turned in outstanding prep careers both on the track and in the classroom, and have all of the tools and drive to transition that success to the collegiate level. Their personalities will also mesh very well with the current student-athletes on our roster. I can't wait for them to don the Orange & Black next season."
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Brown starred for Woodland High School on both the track and the basketball court, and helped pace the Wolfpack to both the county and region championships in track & field as a senior. Lauded as Woodland High School's "Mrs. Track & Field" award recipient, Brown posted a season-best 11.78 mark in the 100m Dash and a 24.76 time in the 200m Dash to highlight her final prep season.
Â
The daughter of Katina and Marcus Brown has one sister, Amia. Her cousin, Reghan Lewis, is a former MU cheerleader. Brown maintained a 4.21 cumulative GPA at Woodland High School and graduated in the top-6 percent of her 318-member senior class while serving as a student ambassador, as well as a member of the Student Government Association.
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Copeland, a product of nearby Fairburn, excelled in both the classroom and the competitive arena at Chapel Hill High School where she was a member of both the Beta Club and the National Honor Society while maintaining a 3.9 cumulative grade point average. She earned a berth into the state championship meet as a junior, logging top-14 finishes in both the Long Jump and the Triple Jump, and earned team CHHS's award for both best female sprinter and best female jumper at season's end.
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The daughter of Claudia and Schyler Copeland has one brother, Aaron, and one sister, Kendall, and is anticipating majoring in biology as part of a pre-med track at Mercer. She was recently named an honor graduate, while also being tabbed as a Board Scholar.
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Livingston, a product of Gainesville, Fla., was a two-sport athlete at Eastside High School where she starred on both the track and the volleyball court for the Rams. A two-time county and district champion, she logged a top-5 finish in the 100m Hurdles at both the 2023 and 2024 state championship meets, while also registering a sixth-place showing in the 400m Hurdles. She was recently named to Eastside's athletics hall of fame for her prep performances.
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The daughter of Olivia Lee and Arthur Livingston has a younger brother, Arthur Jr., and recently graduated with both Honors and Eastside Scholars after concluding her prep academic career with a 3.6 cumulative grade point average. She is expecting to major in psychology at Mercer.
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A specialist in both the Long Jump and 200m Dash, Simmons registered a banner weekend at the 2023 state championships when she registered top-4 finishes in both the Long Jump and the 200m Dash, while also running a leg on the 4x400m Relay squad that logged a third-place performance. The Atlanta native, who was also a standout on the basketball and flag football teams at Elite Scholars Academy, also served as a manager for the cross country team.
Â
The daughter of Nakeya and Brannon Simmons maintained an impressive 4.38 high school GPA and was listed 12th among her 74-member senior class. Her academic laurels included All A's Honors and AP Scholar honors, and she was also selected for the National African-American Recognition Program. Simmons will be a kinesiology major at Mercer.
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