Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Harrison named Athlete of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS- Queen Harrison has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after winning both the 100m and 400m hurdles at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene.

A 2008 Olympian and senior at Virginia Tech, Harrison became the first woman in NCAA history to win both hurdle events when she ran a 12.67 in the 100m hurdles on Friday and came back to run a 54.55 in the 400m hurdles on Saturday. Her times in both events are the second fastest times for an American so far this year.

The Virginia Tech women's track and field program now holds three individual national championships, and Harrison owns all three. Earlier this year, Harrison won the first-ever national championship for the Hokie women when she won the 60m hurdles (7.95) at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2008 Harrison made Virginia Tech history when she became the first individual from the track and field program to represent any country in the Olympics.

Elsewhere, Sam Crouser broke his own American Junior Record in the javelin with a throw of 77.82/255-4 earlier this week at the Portland ThRose Festival. The Gresham High School senior bettered his previous record of 72.84m/238-11, which he set almost exactly one year ago at the same event. Crouser, the top high school javelin thrower in the country, had committed to UCLA but changed his mind Wednesday and signed a letter of intent with Oregon.

Now in its ninth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

Winners: January 13, Jen Clayton; January 20, Shalane Flanagan; January 27, Nolan Shaheed; February 3, Bernard Lagat; February 10, Bernard Lagat; February 17, Shalane Flanagan; February 24, Amber Campbell; March 3, Amber Campbell; March 10, Phil Raschker; March 17, Ashton Eaton; March 31, Lisa Koll; April 7, Queen Harrison; April 14, Magdalena Lewy Boulet; April 21, Bershawn Jackson; April 28, Phoebe Wright; May 5, Chris Solinsky; May 12, Walter Dix; May 26, Cory Martin; June 2, Chaunte Lowe; June 9, Bernard Lagat; June 16, Queen Harrison.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org

Conning: Crouser set his mark at the Mac Wilkins Throwing Center in Portland, Oregon. Jack Pfeifer took me on a tour of the facility on Sunday.

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