Olsen Named USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week

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INDIANAPOLIS - Jon Olsen has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the IAU World 24-Hour Championships on May 12 in Steenbergen, Netherlands.

Team USA went 1-2 on the podium as Olsen (Modesto, Calif.) recorded 167.568 miles to win the world title and John Dennis (Takoma Park, Md.) took the runner-up spot with 163.255 miles.

“When I hit 22 hours, I knew I’d won it,” Olsen said. “I was still holding or increasing my lead and I felt like I could continue the lap splits I was running until the end.”

Olsen led the way for the Team USA to sweep the team awards with the men’s and women’s team titles. The men won with 485.012 miles over second-place Japan with 467.623 miles.

“Being named Athlete of the Week is really overwhelming and recognizes that my result was not only a great individual performance but a great performance done for my country,” Olsen said. “It truly caps off what is the crowning achievement of my running career and doing this with ‘USA’ on my chest makes it even more special.

Now in its 12th 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 www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2013 Winners: January 9, Bobby Mack; January 16, Mary Cain; January 22, Ajeé Wilson; January 30, Duane Solomon; February 6, Chris Derrick; February 13, Jeremy Taiwo; February 20, Alysia Montaño; February 27, Galen Rupp; March 6, Jenn Suhr; March 13, Tia Brooks; March 20, Bridget Franek; March 27, Ben True; April 3, Darvis “Doc” Patton; April 10, Octavious Freeman; April 24, Erik Kynard; May 1, Queen Harrison; May 8, Tyson Gay; May 25, Jon Olsen

Week in Review
From USATF Statistician Glen McMicken

A huge week for U.S. track and field saw not only the bulk of major collegiate championship meets, but also some sizzling early international efforts in the Caribbean.

Here's a look at some of the conference highlights:
Pac-12 -- Arizona's Brigetta Barrett already had an Olympic high jump medal from last year's London Games, and her 1.99m/6-6.25 leap in Los Angeles gave her the collegiate record as icing on the cake. Barrett's record jump came on her 10th total attempt of the competition, and after a 55.63-second 400m heat for good measure.

Kori Carter of Stanford dramatically lowered her lifetime best again in the 400m hurdles, this time to a world-leading 54.21, and she added 100m hurdle gold at 12.76. Carter's mark in the long hurdles moved her to No. 2 on the all-time collegiate list. 2012 Olympic Games 5th-placer Georganne Moline of Arizona was second in the 400m hurdles at 54.54.

Oregon's women won the team title behind a collegiate-leading 51.57 in the 400m by Phyllis Francis. English Gardner, the collegiate leader at 100 meters, false started in the 100m prelims but came back to win the 200m at 22.62.

Bryshon Nellum used a pair of PRs to take the 200 and 400, dropping to 20.23 in the 200 and a U.S.-leading 44.76 in the 400, and USC teammate Reggie Wyatt ran the fastest collegiate 400mH time of the year at 49.17, but Oregon's men captured the team title.

SEC -- Arkansas (men) and Texas A&M (women) grabbed the team hardware in a meet that saw Ole Miss Olympian Isiah Young zip to the top of the U.S. 200m list with a PR 20.20. Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU also nabbed the top spot on the women's U.S. 200m list with her 22.35 victory.

Florida's Ciarra Brewer, the World Junior 6th-placer in 2012, set a lifetime best of 13.85m/45-5.25 to win the women's triple jump, while teammate Marquis Dendy, a 2010 World Junior triple jump finalist for Team USA, had a windy 8.29m/27-2.5 to take second in the men's long jump.

Last year's Olympic Trials champ, Sam Humphreys of Texas A&M, won the men's javelin by more than 20 feet with a toss of 78.36m/257-1 into a stiff headwind.

Big 10 -- Former Pennsylvania prep star Billy Stanley of Ohio State moved to No. 3 on the all-time U.S. junior javelin list with his 75.23m/246-10 winning throw as Nebraska's men and Penn State's women claimed team titles.

Reigning World Junior and NCAA 400 champ Ashley Spencer of Illinois was a double winner in the 200m and 400m, and helped her team to gold in the 4x400m.

Conference USA -- Marshall's Vanessa Jules added almost 600 points to her heptathlon PR with a 5807 in Houston that included a 1.81m/5-11.25 HJ effort. Alexis Faulknor of UCF soared to a windy lifetime-best 6.56m/21-6.25 to win the long jump and she added a legal 6.52/21-4.75 PR in her series that puts her 10th on the all-time U.S. junior list.

JETER BLASTS BACK TO THE TOP AT CAYMAN MEET
Carmelita Jeter, the triple 2012 Olympic medalist, burst back to the top of the world sprint scene at the Cayman Invitational on May 8 with her 10.95 win in the 100m. In her wake, Barbara Pierre notched a PR 11.02 in second.

2011 World 400 silver medalist LaShawn Merritt stepped down to the 200m to win in a then-U.S.-leading 20.26.

Jeter's 4x100 World Record teammate, Tianna Bartoletta, won the 200m at 23.30, and Tiffany Williams was the 400m hurdle winner at 55.04, .3 seconds ahead of London silver medalist Lashinda Demus.

CLAYE TOPS IN GUADELOUPE
Olympic triple jump silver medalist Will Claye won his specialty at the Baie Mahault meet in Guadeloupe May 8 with a 17.09m/56-1 effort, and 2009 World finalist Keith Moffatt cleared 2.25m/7-4.5 to down 2011 World bronze medalist Trevor Barry of the Bahamas. Former Michigan Big 10 champ Craig Forys (3000m steeplechase) and LaShauntea Moore (women's 200m) were the other U.S. winners.

OTHER MARKS OF NOTE
-- American 100m record-holder Tyson Gay flew to a 19.79 win in the 200m with a 2.5 aiding wind at the NTC Classic in Clermont, Fla., on May 11.
-- Brianna Rollins of Clemson set a PR in the 100m hurdles at the Georgia Tech Invitational with a 12.68 that makes her =6th on the all-time collegiate list.
-- Jarred Rome threw a U.S.-leading 63.59m/208-7 at the Azusa Pacific Last Chance, the same meet where 2011 World 110m hurdle champ Jason Richardson was an easy winner at 13.62w. Lashinda Demus had a PR 11.61 in the 100m and dropped her season best to 55.02 to win the 400m hurdles.





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