Sunday, September 12, 2010

Francique and Texas A&M to visit White House

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 12, 2010 – Grenada’s Alleyne Francique and his champion track and field teams at Texas A&M University have received an official invitation from United States President Barack Obama to be part of a presentation to honour championship teams and student athletes from across the NCAA with a reception at the White House this week.

“It’s an honour and I am looking forward to the occasion on Monday,” said Francique, an assistant coach at Texas A&M. “It will be my first visit to the White House.”

“It’s a special honour to be invited by the President of the United States and we are looking forward to visiting the White House,” Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry told the school’s website.

Director of Athletics Bill Byrne noted: “I know Aggies everywhere are very proud of Coach Henry and the back-to-back defending national championship men’s and women’s track and field teams. This is a great opportunity for our young people.”

The reception will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 13, on the South Lawn of the White House.

This season the Aggie track and field programme became just the second programme in Division 1 history to win consecutive men’s and women’s team titles, as they successfully defended their 2009 national championships. Texas A&M repeated a feat last accomplished 20 years ago by Louisiana State University (LSU), who were also coached by Pat Henry and attended by Francique, Sherry Fletcher, Neisha Bernard-Thomas, Alleyne Lett and Hazel-Ann Regis-Buckels.

Additional reporting by Texas A&M University

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