NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Southern Connecticut State University men's and women's track and field programs will host their Alumni Meet on Friday, Dec. 10. This event will now be known as the James Barber and Wilton Wright SCSU Alumni Track Meet. After the winners are announced for the women's 55m hh and men's high jump, respectively, Jim and Wil will present the winners each with a plaque.

Barber was the long time women's coach for the Owls, where he mentored numerous All-Americans. In 2002, he served as the head coach of the USA women's team versus Great Britain and Russia, as well as the head coach of the USA Women at the IAAF World Cup competition. He is one of the founders of the U.S. Track Coaches Association and was named USTCA Indoor Regional Coach of the Year. While coaching at SCSU, Barber was named 2005 Northeast-10 Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year. Barber was an outstanding student-athlete at Southern and was the captain of football and track teams.

Wright was affiliated with SCSU for 46 years with the men's track and field program. He coached 100 All-Americans and a combined 24 National champions (1963-98) as head coach, and then moved over as an assistant to Jack Maloney. During the 1985 season, Wright coached 13 All-Americans, which remains in place as the single-season high to the current day. A member of the SCSU Hall of Fame, he also served a six-year term on the NCAA Cross Country/Track and Field Rules Committee.